Ellen and Eric Gregory win Kentucky Heritage Council award for their restoration of five old homes

Eric and Ellen Gregory on the porch of their Midway home, at 304 South Winter Street. (Photo submitted)

Ellen and Eric Gregory of Midway are being honored with a Service to Preservation Award from the Kentucky Heritage Council "for their hands-on rehabilitation of multiple family homes, notably The Bell House in Metcalfe County; for engaging their children to help with these projects; and for utilizing and promoting the use of historic rehabilitation tax credits," the council says in a news release.

The Bell House in Metcalfe County (photo by Eric Gregory)

The Gregorys bought and restored a Victorian-era home at the southeast corner of Winter and Stephens streets, a key intersection in Midway. The house in Metcalfe County has been in Ellen Gregory's family for generations; Alex Hein of Setzer's Chandelier and Restoration Shop on Main Street restored the original gas lights in the house.

The couple also restored homes in Lexington, Georgetown and Winchester. Their latest project was the childhood home of Ellen's father, Richard Duncan, who told them shortly before he died, "I can go in peace knowing that the house is in good hands."

The Gregorys posed with the award at Berry Hill. From
left are Ginny, Eric, Duncan, Sarah James and Ellen.

The presentation of the award at an invitation-only ceremony Tuesday at the Berry Hill Mansion in Frankfort noted that the project also involves the newest generation: "They are also passing along a love of history to their children, whom they have made active participants in their latest venture."

The awards are presented during National Historic Preservation Month to recognize excellence in the preservation of historic buildings and cultural resources through investment, advocacy, volunteerism, building partnerships, public involvement, lifelong commitment or significant achievement. Others receiving the Service to Preservation Award are the Martin Luther King and William Wells Brown Neighborhood Associations for “Gathering Our History: An East End Preservation Project,” documenting Lexington’s East End neighborhood, capturing its stories, and creating an event to publicly celebrate the community’s rich cultural heritage, historic architecture and long-time residents; and the University of Kentucky Historic Preservation Symposium, an annual conference that premiered in 2005 to introduce students and others to innovative work shaping the boundaries of historic preservation practice by bringing together a range of speakers to discuss current topics in an accessible format, the release says.

Big weekend in Midway: First movie night at the park; Horsey Hundred cyclists passing through; block party

Movie Night in the Quarry tonight will kick off a busy weekend in Midway.

The new event, sponsored by the city and Friends of Walter Bradley Park, will be held in the old quarry behind the dog park, in the recently cleared and landscaped area of the park.

A campfire session, with announcements, will begin at 7 p.m. From 7:30 to 8 p.m., the Midway Branch of the library will have a storytelling time.

The movie, the Disney family film "Sing," will begin at 8:15. The temperature at that time is forecast to be 75 degrees. If you go, bring a flashlight, bug spray, a chair or blanket, and a litter bag; and don't bring any alcoholic beverages, because they will not be allowed.

On Saturday and Sunday, hundreds and perhaps thousands of bicyclists will roll through an near Midway on various routes of the annual Horsey Hundred, sponsored by the Bluegrass Cycling Club. That night, the first Block Party sponsored by the Midway Business Association. Larry Corey and the Passport Band will entertain at 7 p.m.

The Memorial Day service at Midway Cemetery will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, May 29. The featured speaker will be Sarah Wilson.

Here's a Google map from the Bluegrass Cycling Club of overlapping Horsey Hundred routes in Midway:

Message from the mayor: New property-maintenance ordinance coming, will be enforced 'to the maximum'

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway

I am currently awaiting a draft of a new property maintenance code ordinance from our city attorney, which will be handed to the Blighted Property Committee of the Midway City Council for their review before it goes on to the full council for final passage.

This city has endured for too long a number of property owners who hold in their possession multiple properties that they choose not to properly maintain. While I do not yet have the particular language of the ordinance in my possession, I am partially familiar with its contents, and pending passage by the council I am committed to enforcing it to the maximum extent which the law allows. As a city, we will do everything within our means to ensure that property owners who diligently maintain their properties do not suffer from the blight and abandonment of others.

With that being said, there are some people who own multiple properties and still make the effort and the investments necessary to keep their properties maintained. Some in particular have gone the extra mile to work with the city over the years to bring blighted properties back to code or have demolished uninhabitable abodes. For them I am extremely grateful, and I would remind everyone, as I often remind myself, not to conflate your frustration with some onto others who are doing what is responsible and right.

Parrish-Roach family, Margie Samuels of Maker's Mark are winners of Spotlight Awards from Midway University

A famous Midway family and the co-founder of a famous brand are the winners of Midway University's annual Spotlight Awards, to be presented at a dinner at the university on Thursday, May 25.

The 2017 Legacy Award, for service to the university, goes to the Parrish-Roach family, defined as James Ware Parrish and his descendants.

Parrish worked with Dr. L.L. Pinkerton to establish the Kentucky Female Orphan School, which became Midway College and then Midway University. Parrish raised money to buy land and erect buildings, and the site he chose for the school remains the home of the university, which last year admitted male undergraduates for the first time.

Parrish had two sons who were active trustees of the school, "and their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many in-laws have continued to love, work and dream with the school as it transformed to meet its students’ needs," the awards program says. Margaret Ware Parrish was a coach and teacher for 40 years. Parrish’s son, Thompson Marcus, was patriarch to the Roach family.

Current Roach family supporters of the school include Ben and Ruth’s son, James Parrish Roach, who is a trustee; their daughter, Helen Rentch, who spearheaded efforts to build The Homeplace at Midway, an assisted-living facility and nursing home that collaborates with the school's nursing program. "Helen is also a member of the Midway University Ambassador program," the program says. "Robyn Roach, widow of Ben and Ruth’s son, Tom, established and still helps lead the Ruth Slack Roach Scholars program, in partnership with Mildred Buster and Janie Polk. This scholarship has benefited 20 young leaders on campus, giving selected students a full ride for two years, allowing many to complete their college education."

The Pinkerton Vision Award honors a person or group that has had a direct impact on improving women's lives; a woman who has been an outstanding role model; or a woman who has displayed great leadership, innovative thinking and influence in her career. This year's winner is the late Margie Mattingly Samuels, wife of Bill Samuels Sr. of Bardstown, with whom she conceived and promoted Maker's Mark bourbon in 1953. She died in 1985.

Margie Mattingly Samuels

"While Margie never held an official position or had delineated responsibilities, her contributions were invaluable," the Kentucky Distillers Association says. Not only did she name Maker's Mark, "She discovered a way to help her husband decide which small grain should be selected to replace rye as part of the formula in his new whisky; she baked bread with a variety of alternative grains. Bill blind-tasted the bread and decided on taste. She insisted that all the old buildings at the Victorian-era distillery they had purchased to make their whisky not only be saved but also faithfully restored, even at a time when money was scarce. This resulted in Maker’s Mark becoming America’s first distillery to be designated a National Historic Landmark and earned a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for Maker’s Mark as 'America’s oldest operating distillery on its original site.' By far her most famous contributions were the creation of two of the spirits industry’s most famous symbols for handcrafted quality: the brand name Maker’s Mark, and the distinctive red wax which drips down the neck of every bottle. . . . Margie also designed the shape of the Maker’s Mark bottle, as well as the distinctive lettering on each label that has become an internationally recognized type style."
UPDATE:
Below, Rob Samuels, Margie's grandson, accepts the award for her as President John Marsden listens.

Below, Dr. Jim Roach accepted for his family as Donna Moore Campbell, trustees chair, listened.

14th annual Francisco's Farm Arts Festival attracts varied artists and a good crowd to Midway University

The 14th annual Francisco's Farm Arts Festival, with juried artists and craftspeople from several states, drew a good crowd to the campus of Midway University on Saturday and Sunday.

One of the more striking items was an American white pelican made of stainless steel and copper by Scot and Laura Kellersberger of Phoenix Creative Metal Artwork in Salvisa. Scot said the bird “is not quite life size; it has a seven-foot wing span.” He and Laura work on only one piece at a time. Some of their work is on display at Damselfly in Midway, Sincerely Yours in Lexington and Secret Garden in Louisville.

Jean-Marie Havet and wife Juanita, at left, talked with David and Lynn Perron of Lexington, at the festival Sunday. The Havets are owners of JM Havet Jewelry in San Francisco.


Photos by Elizabeth Spencer, University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information


Below, vibrant glass art by Larry Hamilton of Hamilton Glassworks in Winterville, Ga., was on display.

The festival is sponsored by the university and Midway Renaissance.

Right, visitors looked over the menu of food options.

Below is a collection of handmade brooms by Shannon Lewis, owner of Bluegrass Brooms in Ashland.

At bottom, Lewis talked with Fred Thomas of Midway during a broommaking demonstration.

Midway-tied Classic Empire a head short in Preakness; headed to Belmont Stakes in New York June 10

The Preakness finish (Photo by Nick Wass, The Associated Press)

Midway-connected Classic Empire grabbed the lead in the final turn but was overtaken by 13-1 shot Cloud Computing, who won the Preakness Stakes by a head at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore yesterday.

“I got to the lead early, maybe too early,” Classic Empire's jockey, Julien Leparoux, said afterward.

Trainer Mark Casse seemed to agree: “His mind tends to wander. . . . He starts seeing things and stops paying attention. You could see Julien getting after him like, ‘Come on. Come on. We’re not done.’ He thought he was done.”

Cloud Computing did not run in the Kentucky Derby because his trainer, Chad Brown, thought he needed more than three races in preparation. “Classic Empire and Always Dreaming are two outstanding horses, and our strategy was, if we are ever going to beat them, let’s take them on on two weeks’ rest when we have six, and it worked,” Brown said after the Preakness. Always Dreaming, the Derby winner, finished eighth in yesterday's 1 3/16-mile race.

Classic Empire is owned by John and Debby Oxley, who own Fawn Leap Farm just south of Midway. He is a Tulsa oilman who also has homes in Palm Beach and Saratoga; she is a native of Shively. The horse was last year's two-year-old champion and finished fourth in the Derby after being heavily bumped at the start.

UPDATE, May 22: Casse told Jason Frakes of The Courier-Journal that he plans to run Classic Empire in the June 10 Belmont Stakes. He initially was pointing toward the Haskell at Monmouth Park on July 30, but decided against a break because the horse is improving. On Saturday, "He was a better horse than he was two weeks ago." Brown said the mile-and-a-half Belmont may not suit Cloud Computing. Always Dreaming trainer Todd Pletcher also hasn't decided. Senior Investment and Lookin at Lee, third and fourth respectively in the Preakness, are headed to the Belmont. 

Council sticks with Stephens speed bumps, hears Soper back officials' pay raise, and helps merchants with signs

The Midway City Council stuck with its new speed bumps for now, helped merchants pay for signage, and heard a strong endorsement of its proposed pay raise Monday evening.

The council also had first reading of the city budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and passed on second reading an ordinance allowing all nonprofit organizations, not just churches, to get once-a-week trash pickup instead of twice a week.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift and council members were expecting comments from guests about the removable speed bumps installed a week ago on East Stephens Street to discourage speeding on the avenue, which becomes Weisenberger Mill Road. They got one complaint and one compliment, and had a lot more discussion among themselves.

Dakota Shaw, who lives in the 200 block of South Gratz Street, said the devices had diverted speeders into her street and others, and "They're speeding more than usual." She added, "There's a lot of kids where I live, so it's pretty dangerous."

Margi Stout, of the 200 block of East Stephens, said she favored the bumps "or whatever mechanism you choose to do," because traffic on the street "has improved immensely."

She said the biggest problem had been from eastbound drivers going downhill out of town. "By the time they get to Gratz, they're going like 55 or more. . . . Something had to be done, and it does seem to be helping."

Vandegrift said, "They're extremely effective, but there have been some concerns brought forth. I'm a little disappointed that, you know, then, some of the voices on social media didn't come to the meeting tonight, because they were invited to. But that's kind of the nature of social media, in some respect."

Vandegrift said he was sorry that he had not checked beforehand with Woodford County Ambulance Director Freeman Bailey, who was concerned that the bumps could cause complications for patients being transported. He acknowledged that they had diverted traffic to other streets, and said the city has ordered a sign to alert motorists that they are approaching the bumps. UPDATE, May 16: Here's a short video of traffic crossing the bumps:

The mayor recommended that the city get bumps "that aren't quite so tall" because "You have to go 5 miles an hour over those" that have been installed. But later he said that if shorter bumps didn't work, the city would "be between a rock and a hard place."

Council Member Bruce Southworth, who lives on East Stephens and spearheaded the purchase, said "I think they're doing exactly what they're designed to do." Later, he said, "We need more of 'em in town."

In response to a question from Council Member Steve Simoff, Southworth said he didn't know the speed rating for the bumps, but "I ordered the tallest ones they had," 3 inches high. The speed limit on the street is 25 miles per hour.

Council Member Libby Warfield said she had received three calls for the bumps and three against, with some suggesting four-way stops at various intersections.

Council Member Sara Hicks suggested using 2-inch bumps on Stephens and moving the 3-inchers to other streets. But when Simoff asked Council Member John McDaniel, a former city policeman, what he thought, McDaniel said "Give it more time," and the council informally agreed.

Pay raise: Hicks reported that the council's Ordinance and Policy Committee had recommended that the mayor and council elected next year be paid $12,000 and $4,800 a year, respectively, instead of the current $1,200 and $600. She gave many of the same reasons that she gave in an interview with the Messenger last week.

"We think that we are going to have a lot more work ahead of us, because of the way Midway Station is developing," Hicks said. "We want the positions to be positions that younger people would be willing to give their time up for, and we think that if we raise the money that maybe we'll get some fresh, new ideas."

John Soper, the paid chairman of the Woodford County Economic Development Authority, said "I strongly endorse those concepts."

Soper, who was at the meeting to report on developments at Midway Station, said the mayor and council will have many more decisions to make about the industrial and commercial development in the next few years. He said "the work's there," and so is the revenue, to justify a mayoral salary of $25,000 that could be raised to $40,000.

"Twelve thousand dollars is not enough to put up with me for what's coming at us," said Soper, who had some contentious meetings with Vandegrift and the council last year. "We've got a major project going on out there . . . and it needs to be shaped by the people in this room. . . . It's going to require a lot of time and your effort."

Soper alluded to the county's longstanding conflict between preservation and development interests. He is identified with the former, and Midway has been largely identified with the latter. "There is probably no town in Kentucky that has a better identity than Midway," he said, "and we've got to keep that."

Earlier, Soper said commercial development at Midway Station is about to start, with sale of a big lot for a convenience store. He said an "ag retail" business may buy eight acres and a "high tech
manufacturing" company that serves automobile plants may locate on the remaining 1.5 acres of original industrial land in the development.

Other business: The council voted to give the Midway Business Association $600, the remainder of its donations budget for the fiscal year, to keep signs on Interstate 64 and place a new sign downtown directing motorists to parking, shopping and the city park.

"A lot of people coming into our city don't know where everything is," MBA President Peggy Angel said.

Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher said she was more concerned about the interstate signs, the fees for which are due this month. Angel said the group had run short of money to pay the $1,200 bill, and had obtained about $200 in donations from non-member antique stores because one sign in each direction of the road mentions antiques.

In other business, Gallagher stepped down as chair of the Tourism and Outreach Committee, saying she was going to help start a new business. Vandegrift appointed McDaniel to succeed her.

The council granted an event permit for the annual Horsey Hundred bicycle race, which will pass through town May 27 and 28. There will be live music in the Darlin' Jean's parking lot from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 27.

The second reading of the proposed city budget for 2017-18 is scheduled for the council's next meeting, on June 5. The pay raise will also be up for discussion, but it would require drafting of an ordinance, which requires two readings.

June 4 picnic will celebrate 2nd anniversary of anti-discrimination ordinance, promote passage elsewhere

A group promoting a countywide "fairness ordinance" like the one in Midway will have a picnic Sunday, June 4, from 2 to 5 p.m. in Walter Bradley Park.

The picnic is coordinated and organized by the Woodford Fairness Coalition, which wants Versailles and/or the county government to pass an ordinance banning discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Midway City Council passed such an ordinance almost two years ago, and the picnic is scheduled for the second anniversary of its effective date.

"The Woodford Fairness Coalition believes it is important and time to organize such an event in order to bring the community together in support of the LGBT community as well as to celebrate the city of Midway," spokesman Dan Brown said in an email. "We are proud of Midway for stepping forward, and taking a prominent stand in the Commonwealth of Kentucky by becoming more welcoming and affirming."

The picnic is sponsored by Woodford Reserve, Ouita Michel's Family of Restaurants, MBS Writing Services and Photography, Homegrown Yoga and individuals in the community. 

"The event is family-oriented," Brown said. "Games, music, food, a rally and good fellowship will be part of the afternoon. The Northside Elementary playground is adjacent to Midway's Walter Bradley Park. The Woodford Fairness Coalition is also providing informational booths for several Central Kentucky organizations. Everyone is invited to attend. Bring a side dish to share, a blanket and/or chair. We are providing all paper products, water, and fried chicken."

Midway University baseball team wins conference; will play in national tournament Monday morning

In its first year, the Midway University baseball team won the River States Conference tournament and is headed to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament.

The Eagles will play the first round in Lima, Ohio, as the No. 5 seed in the bracket hosted by the University of Northwestern Ohio. They will play MidAmerica Nazarene Monday, May 15 at 9 a.m. The winner of that game will meet top-seed, UNOH at 4 p.m.

Live statistics and video will be provided, with audio, by UNOH at www.gomidwayeagles.com. The bracket also includes No. 2 Middle Georgia State University and No. 3 seed Hope International, a California school.

The games will be played on Racers Field at UNOH's St. Rita's Sports Complex. In the case of a postponement due to weather or games needing to be played at night, the event will move to Montgomery Field in Celina, Ohio. Admission per day will be $7 for adults and $5 for students. Tournament passes will also be available at the gate for $12 for adults and $10 for students.

Mayor and council elected next year would get much more pay than current ones, under proposal to council

A committee of the Midway City Council plans to recommend that the council raise the salaries of the mayor and council elected in November 2018 to $1,000 and $400 a month, respectively, from the current $100 and $50 a month.

The Finance, Ordinance and Policy Committee decided Monday morning to make the proposal. It would raise the pay of current officials only if they were re-elected next year.

"It won't affect anybody's salary that's on there now," said Council Member Bruce Southworth, a member of the committee.

State Rep. James Kay swore in the current council in January.

Southworth and the committee chair, Council Member Sara Hicks, said in telephone interviews that the salaries had not been raised in 30 years or more, and an increase is overdue.

Hicks said she had discussed the idea with some citizens before the meeting. "People said they thought a raise was warranted, so I'm expecting that the community will support it."

She said council members long ago tended to be people "who were business owners or professionals who worked downtown," but that is less true today. "We would like to expand it to younger people who might have fresher ideas, so we have more representation for all age groups."

Southworth said the increase would be "a huge jump" but the salaries are so low, "There's some argument that you have to be rich or retired to be on the council in Midway."

Mayors and council members have gotten busier in recent years, especially because of developments at Midway Station, said Southworth, who ran Midway's wastewater treatment plant for 11 years and was city administrator and public works director for Versailles before retiring in 2011. 

"With all the development that's going on in the industrial park, there's going to be more and more work added to it," he said. Hicks agreed.

"The city is probably more active than many cities of our population size," she said. "One of our rationales was the development of the industrial park. We think there's going to be an ever-increasing amount of work for the mayor and the city council over the next 10 years."

Hicks said the committee looked at salaries of cities of comparable size and chose to propose salaries that would be "a little bit above the average." Midway's 2010 census population was 1,647.

Joseph Coleman, research director for the Kentucky League of Cities, said in an email to the Midway Messenger that in "cities of similar size to Midway (1,000-2,999 population), the median annual pay for mayors was $6,600 and for legislative body members was $1,200 in Fiscal Year 2016," which ended last June 30.

Under the proposed pay scale, the Midway mayor would make $12,000 a year and council members would make $4,800 a year, starting in January 2019.

Southworth estimated that council members spend an average of 10 to 15 hours a week on city business and mayors spend about 25 hours a week.

The other member of the committee making the recommendation, Council Member Steve Simoff, didn't return an email seeking comment. The other City Council members are Kaye Nita Gallagher, John McDaniel and Libby Warfield. The mayor is Grayson Vandegrift.

Message from the mayor: Cub Scouts clean up park; citizens are advised to observe cemetery rules

Scouts posed on the new bridge in the park over Lee Branch.

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway

I want to give a big thanks to the fine young men of Cub Scout Pack #41 for spending the evening of April 25 cleaning up litter in Walter Bradley Park and Lee’s Branch.

Not only did these guys help beautify our city and undo the lazy work of litterbugs, but they then proceeded to donate $50 of their pack’s money to further beautification of the park. I’ve said this many times before, but it’s absolutely true that the future is looking bright.

Scouts and Cubmaster Ken Glass posed with mayor and $50 check.

This is a friendly reminder that artificial flowers are not allowed in the Midway Cemetery this time of year. If you do have artificial flowers in the cemetery, we ask that you remove them, as we will be making a sweep to clear them before our May 29 Memorial Day Service. Any items that are removed for being against cemetery rules are kept for a length of time, if you believe an item of yours has been removed and you wish to retrieve it, please stop by city hall and we’ll let you know how you can.

Our next city council meeting is this Monday, May 15, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. Among the items on the agenda are the first reading of this year’s budget, second reading of an ordinance amendment allowing non-profits to request weekly garbage pick-up, and an update from the Midway Merchants Association. As always, all are welcome and encouraged to attend. UPDATE, May 21: For a copy of the council packet, with the agenda and supporting material including the proposed budget, click here.

Mdway-connected Classic Empire had a rough trip in the Derby but is headed for the Preakness

Classic Empire and jockey Julien Leparoux were muddy after
trailing most of the field for most of the Kentucky Derby, but
overcame adversity to place fourth. (Eclipse Sportswire/Getty Images)

This story was updated Tuesday, May 9.

Midway-connected Classic Empire had a bad trip and finished fourth in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, and may not run in was initially questionable for the Preakness due to an injury suffered in the race, his trainers said Sunday.

"A lot of it is just going to be how quickly his eye can come around," chief trainer Mark Case told The Courier-Journal. "He also got cut up quite a bit yesterday. He looks a bit like Muhammad Ali after a rough night."

Casse's son and assistant, Norman Casse, told the Lexington Herald-Leader, "We'll wait a couple of days before deciding what we want to do." But on Twitter Monday, he said, "I'm so excited to take Classic Empire to @PimlicoRC and take our best shot at Kentucky Derby champ Always Dreaming in the @PreaknessStakes."

Classic Empire, last year's 2-year-old champion, is owned by Tulsa oilman John Oxley, who owns Fawn Leap Farm just south of Midway, and his wife Debby, who is from Shively in Jefferson County.

The bay colt was the morning-line favorite at 4-1 but was soon bet up to 7-1, his odds at post time. He started from the No. 14 position, the last hole in Churchill Downs' main gate, and at the start was bumped hard by McCraken, who started from No. 15, the first hole in the auxiliary gate and was forced over by Tapwrit, breaking from No. 16.

"Classic Empire bobbled soon after the break, then was hammered off stride between rivals when forced down," the Daily Racing Form said in its chart of the race. And his bad luck continued as he and jockey Julien Leparoux mounted a stretch run that initially looked like it might repeat his winning drive in the Arkansas Derby.

The horse "regrouped to rate off the inside, picked up steam leaving the far turn, swung five wide for the drive, had his run briefly interrupted when bumped and carried out mid-stretch, regrouped and churned on," the Racing Form said.

"We're just really proud of the way he ran," Norman Casse said.

Always Dreaming as the co-favorite at post time with Irish War Cry, which finished 10th. Longshots Lookin at Lee and Battle of Midway (named for the World War II naval engagement) were second and third, respectively.

Council OKs permit for Midsummer Nights in Midway events June 30, July 28, Aug. 25; budget reading set

The Midway City Council approved a civic-event permit Monday evening for Midway Renaissance to hold three Midsummer Nights in Midway: June 30, July 28 and August 25, all Fridays.

"Those events were a huge success last year," Renaissance Vice President Debra Shockley told the council. She said bands playing "dancy music from the '50s-'60s up to the '80s-'90s" will be hired to entertain between 7 and 10 p.m. each evening, and all nonprofit organizations will have an opportunity to sell items on Main Street.

Unlike last year, the events will not have any outside food or beverage vendors, Shockley said: "We think our restaurants can probably handle all of that." The civic-event permit will allow open containers of alcoholic beverages bought from a vendor with a special license to sell off the regular licensed premises, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift explained.

In other business, the council held first reading of an ordinance to allow nonprofit organizations to choose once-a-week (residential) garbage service. Vandegrift said the second reading and passage will be scheduled for May 15, as will first reading of the city budget on which the council has been working at special meetings.

In response to a citizen complaint at the most recent meeting, Vandegrift said he would propose an ordinance to require distributors of literature to attach it to the front doors of residences rather than toss it into yards. He said he would check into a report by Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher that Frankfort was able to get Cash Express, the object of the complaint, to stop its distributions there.

Vandegrift also reported that removable speed bumps recently authorized by the council will be installed on East Stephens Street next week, and that the radar device on South Winter Street had counted 1,500 cars per day from April 20 to April 26. He said the count might help persuade the state Transportation Cabinet to lower the speed limit on the residential area of Winter Street to 25 miles per hour, but he would like to get more analysis of the numbers.

Council Member Libby Warfield, chair of the cemetery committee, said that with Memorial Day coming up, people need to be reminded that the city will soon start enforcing cemetery regulations from which special exceptions were granted in the previous administration. Warfield said there are different ways to interpret the regulations, and she is working on language for the committee to review "to make sure we clarify everything as much as we possibly can."