Diverse crowd of 50 people march across town to raise awareness of a sad event and celebrate Black resilience

Marchers, wearing masks, gathered at the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery. (Photo by Aaron Gershon; to enlarge, click on it)

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

On an overcast day when rain threatened but temperatures were cooler than usual, 50 people marched through Midway to honor those affected by the July 31, 1868 attack on the Second Christian Church.

Friday's event was organized by Honoring Black Stories in Midway, a group dedicated to African American history in the city.

“In Midway, much work has been done regarding researching our Black history, but many people are unaware,” event organizer Milan Bush told the Messenger. She said the march was for awareness and to celebrate the resilience of African Americans since slavery.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said, “I think this was a very important event for our city to remember when we’re talking about our history. We have to talk about it from many perspectives.”

Second Christian Church faces Smith Street. (Photo by Aaron Gershon)

Three years after the Civil War, the church served a vital role in the local Black community, and housed a school. Whites who were determined to uphold the racial status quo in Kentucky attacked and burned the wood structure.

“We have to acknowledge the good and the bad,” Vandegrift said. “And the more I talk to Black citizens around town, the more I realize many simply want their story to be told too, and it’s most important they be the ones to tell it. And we listen.”

The march began at City Hall, went to Second Christian Church at Smith and Stephens streets, and then 0.6 miles across town to the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery at the west end of Bruen Street, where many African Americans are buried.

Vandegrift walked and was pleased with the turnout. “I thought it turned out great, even better than I expected,” he said. “Over 50 people, more than 90 percent Midway residents, both white and black.”

Midway writer Bob Rouse posted on his blog, "Of a Midway Mind," to share his experience in the march.

“In my 62 years, I have walked for miles on Midway’s streets and sidewalks: on Halloween nights with my family, during growing-up days with my friends, and on moonlit evenings with a sweetheart,” Rouse wrote. “But today I walked with purpose in my heart. I walked in the spirit of peace—as John Lewis implored—with my sisters and brothers.”

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, who was the last living civil-rights leader who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington, died July 17 and was buried Thursday in Atlanta.

Perhaps the lone concern about holding the event was having a gathering of more than 10 people in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, contrary to an order from Gov. Andy Beshear. Every marcher was wearing a mask and generally kept distance from each other.

“We live in a special community, which we knew, ” Vandegrift said. “But today showed another loving face of our city.”

Honoring Black Stories in Midway group will march Friday, anniversary of 1868 attack on Second Christian

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Honoring Black Stories in Midway, a group dedicated to honoring African American history in the city, will hold a march at midday Friday to honor those affected by the July 31, 1868, attack on the Second Christian Church.

"We are in a day in age where it's open to talk about race, but it makes people uncomfortable," event organizer Milan Bush told the Messenger. "In Midway, much work has been done regarding researching our Black history, but many people are unaware.”

Brenda Jackson, left, and Barbara Holcomb of We're Digging It Metal
Detectors found evidence in 2017 of the original log building of Second
Christian Church. They found foundation stones and handmade nails.
(Lexington Herald-Leader photo by Tom Eblen)

Three years after the Civil War, the church served a vital role in the local Black community, and housed a school. Whites who were determined to uphold the racial status quo attacked and burned the wood structure.

"Being a teacher, I begin researching school information for Blacks. The initial finding was a brief sentence of a colored school being attacked on July 31, 1868," Bush said. "The incident is really disturbing. While no one is alive from that time, I believe it served as a major turning point for Black-white relations in Midway. Nevertheless, the Black community rebuilt and thrived, something many of us didn't know. So we march for awareness and to celebrate their resilience.”

Wednesday the City Council approved a parade permit for the event. Council Member John Holloway, who said he will be marching, told his colleagues that marchers plan to use sidewalks, won't block any streets, and have agreed to break into groups of 10 or less to adhere to the state’s latest social-distancing rules.

"I want people to realize we have been communicating with them (Honoring Black Stories group) about covid restrictions," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said during the special council meeting called to issue the permit. "They're completely compliant, everyone will have masks on. . . . They will also be socially distanced, making it virtually impossible for an asymptomatic carrier to spread."

Vandegrift added that he will take part in the march and is confident in the social distancing measures in place.

The march will begin at noon at City Hall and will go down East Main Street to Gratz Street, then out East Stephens Street to its intersection with Smith Street, where the church was located on what is now Midway University's campus. From there, the march will go back down Stephens Street, then up Turner Street and on Bruen Street to the Sons and Daughters of Relief Cemetery facing Wausau Place, then back to City Hall at 2 p.m.

"Many of the graves at Sons and Daughters cemetery say 'Gone, but not forgotten'," Bush said. "Honoring Black Stories wants to change that narrative and bring to life those people we have indeed forgotten."

A 2017 Lexington Herald-Leader story about the attack is here.

Mayor's update: Reaching out at a time of high anxiety, anger and sadness, and remembering to stay safe

By Grayson Vandegrift
Mayor, City of Midway
     I have been reaching out to leaders in our church community in hopes of continuing a conversation we started in our park nearly 3 years ago so that they can help us decide where we should go next. I will keep you updated as to those details.

     Ours is a time of high anxiety, anger, and sadness. Since I have no answers about what the future holds, I always find comfort in looking to the past. Our shared history and my faith teaches me that we are not novel in struggling with racism, division, and pandemic. We continue to have a problem with institutionalized racism in this country, but we can lay the next stepping stone to healing.
     To my black and brown neighbors, I see you, and I’m with you. To those still suffering from the plague of hatred, I hope you find a way to open up your heart.
     We are merely temporary on this stage, so each of us has no choice but to decide whether we will help lay the path forward to peace, or whether we look the other way to more anger and division. Even if all of our efforts only lay one stone on a path of a thousand, we should lay it anyway.
     As we continue this struggle for equality, let’s not forget about the global pandemic we are also dealing with, and while it is a more temporary situation, it is still here. Keep practicing good social distancing; try to keep get-togethers outdoors; wear a mask if you can when you enter a store, pharmacy, or any place with tight quarters; and practice good personal hygiene. Stay well, and God bless.

Council hears about mask project, other covid-19 issues

By Hayley Burris

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

With all the stress that comes from the spread of the coronavirus, Midway is fighting back and making masks. That community project was among the updates at Monday’s City Council meeting, as well as reports on the town’s major employers and use of Walter Bradley Park.

Lakeshore Learning Materials, the city’s largest employer, is operating on a skeleton crew “out of an abundance of caution” and beginning furloughs, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift reported. He said furloughed workers are eligible for unemployment.

The second largest employer, Midway University, has closed to the public, but “This weekend they had picnickers up there, drivers, walkers,” Vandegrift said. He said some had been walking through the campus for 50 years, but “These are not common times, and we all have to do our part. The university does not want to start doing anything heavy-handed.”

Walter Bradley Park is open, and to allow social distancing, walkers are allowed to step off the trails. “One thing we need to get a little bit better about with some folks is the leash laws,” Vandegrift said, noting that dogs can scare some people get into fights with each other. He also said painted “happy rocks” should be kept in place or moved with a cloth or gloves.

Mask project: Prompted by the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to wear masks when you may encounter others in public, Vandegrift and volunteers have started ‘Project Healthy Midway.’

“We’re gonna be able to make enough masks for everybody in Midway who wants one,” he said. ”They will be free to citizens who want them.”

He said the masks are expected to be distributed soon, “in waves,” and will meet all CDC requirements and will include CDC guidelines for wearing and washing them.

Vandegrift said Amy Bowman, owner of Midway Makers Market, approached him with the idea. “That’s just another very great example of Midway at its finest,” he said.

He said the project has three teams: the prep team, the construction team, and the finishing team.

The prep team cut the fabric and pressed the materials together. That phase is complete, with the help of 40 volunteers, according to Vandegrift.

The construction team, with at least 22 volunteers is sewing the masks. The finishing team will sanitize and seal the masks, and couple them with the CDC guidelines.

“They’re doing all the proper social distancing even when volunteers are picking up materials,” said Vandegrift. “They’re not meeting, they’re driving off in cars and they don’t get within six feet of each other.”

According to the mayor, Bowman is expecting around 60 to 100 volunteers. If anyone wants to help out as well, contact her at 859-533-0922.

The masks are just an added layer of protection, Vandegrift said: “This is not your first line of defense. Nobody should think they have some kind of immunity suddenly because they have a mask on because they do not. This will not fully protect you from coronavirus; it will not fully keep someone else from getting coronavirus.”

The masks are designed to prevent spread of the virus by the estimated one-fourth of people who have it but don’t realize it because they have no symptoms. Vandegrift said the best way to stay safe is to stay socially distant, keep up good personal hygiene and to wash your hands with soap whenever possible.

Vandegrift said 1,500 masks are being made, with the expectation that some people already have some and some won’t want them, but more can be made. He said each mask costs about $2 to make, and he is paying the cost from general city funds with the expectation that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse 75 percent of the cost.

Council Member Stacy Thurman said, “We’re going to able to provide the health department with cloth masks, which I think is a really nice thing. They’re reserving all their masks for health-care providers, so . . . I think that any way we can support the health department and anything thing we can do for them is a good thing right now.”

Other covid-19 matters: Businesses must pay a minimum bill for water, sewage and garbage, but with most businesses being forced to be shut down, Vandegrift said he wants the council to relieve those businesses of paying. He said he plans to propose the move at the next council meeting, on April 20, unless “I get the sense it’s not gonna go” with the council.

Vandegrift said he ordered hand sanitizer from Bluegrass Distillers, “a distillery in Lexington that is dying to operate in Midway,” and is providing it to the three groceries, the fire department and the police department.

He reported that the Sojourn City Church is planning a short drive-in service in Easter, with no live music and cars parked every other spot to stay six feet apart, and only biological family members will be allowed in the same car. He said communion will be held but participants must bring their own bread and grape juice.

The Woodford County Health Department has issued an order allowing one person per household enter a grocery, except in cases where children or the elderly need assistance. (Gov. Andy Beshear made the policy statewide Wednesday.) Vandegrift said it’s difficult to practice social distancing in the Midway Corner Grocery, the town’s only full-service grocery, but Council Member Sara Hicks said the grocery is offering curbside service to people who pay in advance.

Vandegrift said, “That’s a great way to keep people out of the store and still support them.”

County Emergency Management Director Drew Chandler, who also participated in the online video meeting, said “Social distancing is going to get us through this.”

Vandegrift said citizens should tell officials if they see social-distancing rules being broken. “Tippin’ ain’t snitchin’,” he said, and it protects “the whole community.”

Midway Renaissance's Greenspace Committee to share livestream of event Sun. about women, climate justice

By Marcie Christensen

Chair, Greenspace Committee, Midway Renaissance

I hope many of you will be able to join us this Sunday, March 8, from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. in the Community Room at Midway Presbyterian Church. The Greenspace Committee of Midway Renaissance and the Midway Chapter of Dining for Women will celebrate International Women's Day by sharing a live-streamed event to show how women all over the world fight for environmental justice in their countries and communities.

The impacts of climate change are not evenly distributed around the world, and they are different for women and men. Women and girls are the most adversely affected, yet they are also well-suited to find solutions to prevent further degradation and adapt to the changing climate. More and more, women and girls around the world are becoming climate justice advocates. When women participate in decision-making at national and community levels, they can help devise effective climate change solutions that build stronger communities.

The main event, in Washington, D.C., is a collaborative production of Dining for Women, Peace is Loud, UNICEF USA, and Women of Peace Corps Legacy. For more info on the national event, visit Our Biggest Chapter Meeting of the Year.  Questions? Email Marcie Christensen.

Drone flight over Midway shows the town's old and new

By Dalton Stokes, University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
(Click on arrows button, to left of Vimeo logo, to view in full-screen mode)

Another large Chili Cookoff turnout crowns Alex Woodruff as three-time consecutive champion

Woodruff has nearly become a pro.

By Madison Dyment
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Midway Christian Church bustled Monday night with the smell of chili — and community — in the air.

Woodruff wasn't present Monday night;
this photo is from her first win, in 2018.

The 13th annual Chili Cookoff boasted more than a dozen entries, with Alex Woodruff’s “Super Fantastic, World Famous ‘Meat Me in Midway’” entry being crowned champion for the third consecutive year.

Second place was a tie between Ray Papka’s “World’s Best Chili,” a moderately spicy beef entry, and a mild turkey chili by Gloria Batts.

Despite the chance to win prizes, the main draw for attendees seemed to be the chance to connect with their fellow community members.

“Aside from the great food, it’s a wonderful chance to really meet your neighbors. You can talk and find out what’s going on in your community,” said Midway resident Scott Holmes.

Sisters Ouita Michel and Paige Walker mugged for the camera and their
 father, Ray Papka, whose chili tied for second. (Madison Dyment photo)

Church member, Papka daughter and Holly Hill Inn restaurant owner and chef, Ouita Michel, further substantiated the powerful community-building the event facilitates.

“It’s such a wonderful way to bring the community together,” Michel said. “You see so many members and people from town, and I think we all need to build some togetherness right now.”

That sentiment was echoed by many, including the Rev. Heather McColl, Midway Christian Church pastor for 13 years.

“The part about this event is really the people,” McColl said. “I was just remarking how you see people who have just moved here, who have been here forever, or people you’ve never seen. It’s fun to get to know and see different people and connect with them.”

The cookoff is popular with children. (Photo by Madison Dyment)

McColl began the Chili Cookoff as an in-house event for church members before incorporating it with the church’s monthly free community dinners, which began a few years later.

The cookoff allows participants to submit their best chili recipe for public tasting and judging. Attendees sample the chili and vote for their favorite. Each year there are numerous variations of the classic dish, sure to satisfy even the most uncommon taste buds.

“We know there’s controversy about putting spaghetti in chili, but we welcome all here,” McColl said while opening the event.

Aurora and Lyndon Frances
(Photo by Madison Dyment)

The event brings together first-timers and those who have frequented for years. Margie Steadman said she's been attending the cookoff for seven years, while young Aurora and Lyndon Frances have had less experience, making up for it with their enthusiasm.

“I’m really excited to eat all the chili,” said an animated Aurora, adding that her favorite included peppers. Lyndon said he prefers less-spicy chili options, with lots of cheese.

This long-going event succeeds each year in providing an avenue for friendly competition, community bonding, and excellent chili. What more could you ask for?

More than a dozen varieties of chili were up for tasting and judging. (Photo by Madison Dyment)

Tomorrow is the deadline to make reservations for Feast of the Epiphany at Midway Christian Church

Saturday, Jan. 4, is the deadline to buy tickets for the 13th annual Feast of the Epiphany, to be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 6, at Midway Christian Church.

After a special Epiphany program is presented in the sanctuary, Chef Ouita Michel and her staff will serve a buffet feast of roast hog stuffed with sausage, roasted onions with balsamic vinegar and honey, honey-roasted chicken, saffron rice pilaf, carrot pudding with currants and dates, and more.

Reservations are required. The cost is $35 for adults, $20 for ages 11-18, free for children 10 and younger. To make a reservation, call the church office at 846-4102 or buy tickets online.

Frozen Rails races and other events on New Year's Day

The Frozen Rails 5K and 10K will be held Wednesday, Jan. 1 in Midway. The $30 registration fee for events is discounted $3 until midnight Sunday, Dec. 29 with a coupon code, RUN2020. The regular fee is $30 for the 5K or 10 K; $25 for the one-mile fun run/walk (which includes a T-shirt) and $15 for the Little Rails 1K Kids Run (Each participating child will receive a medal.) Volunteers and contributors to help with the event can also sign up on the race's signup page or at race-day headquarters, Midway Christian Church, Wednesday from noon to 1:45 p.m. Proceeds from the event benefit the Midway Ministerial Association, which provides support to local residents in need. The event will also accept donations of canned foot and other non-perishable goods for distribution through the local food pantry.

The 10K run will begin at 2 p.m. at the corner of Winter and Main streets, go out Spring Station Road and return to the starting point. The 5K run and the fun run/walk will start at 2:10 p.m. and follow part of the same route. The Little Rails 1K Kids Run will begin at 1:40 p.m. and go down and back up Turner Street.  More information about the event is here. The weather forecast for Wednesday is sunny, with a high of 48.

Midway Christian Church celebrates 175th anniversary

Rev. Heather McColl opens the service that marked the anniversary. On the wall above her was the beginning of a
video from Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, general minister and president of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

"This moment has been 175 years in the making," Rev. Heather McColl told a nearly full sanctuary as Midway Christian Church celebrated a landmark anniversary Sunday. Later in her sermon, she said, "That sense of history continues to define us as a community of faith."

"Not many congregations can claim that longevity," Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, general minister and president of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), told the congregation in a video greeting.

The church on Bruen Street was dedicated on Christmas Eve in 1844, 12 years after the Lexington merger of two religious movements that still couldn't quite agree on a name. Three years later, Midway church leaders founded the Kentucky Female Orphan School, which is now Midway University. Pieces of that rich history were traced at Sunday school by John Batts, who noted how the church and its ministers led others into ministry.

From left, Sandy Gruzensky, Adele Dickerson, Rev. Heather McColl and
Cindy and John Batts talked at Sunday school about the church's work.

At Sunday school, 91-year-old Lois Redden recalled her baptism in 1942 by pastor Ronald Lorimer, who was only 22 but organized food and scrap-metal drives and victory gardens during World War II and died of a heart attack two months before the war ended in 1945. The church's broad sense of community service continue with relief efforts after floods and hurricanes, Batts noted.

Today, the church's monthly community dinner "has become one of our main missions for this community," McColl told the group in the fellowship hall, where the dinners began in August 2011. She said the dinners are boons to food-insecure people and elderly people on fixed incomes.

"It's like going to a restaurant," she said. "You see people from all walks of life," including people who don't need a free meal but want the fellowship. "It's been for me and for this church a wonderful, eye-opening mission. She said the church has never asked for donations, "but people do donate, and we're not turning those down."

At the worship service, McColl announced that the church was starting a three-year capital campaign to raise $175,000, half of of which is to be used for capital projects. The other half would be placed in the church's endowment.

At Sunday School, Adele Dickerson talked about the environmental work that has earned the church a designation as a certified Green Chalice congregation in the denomination, and Sandy Gruzensky discussed the "Food for the Soul" dinners the church has on first and third Sundays "to help us develop spiritually but also to discern some of the major issues that play in the world we're living in."

After the service and before a barbecue lunch, the congregation gathered for a group photo in front of the church.

Civic leader Jean Sharon dies; service at noon Monday

Lillian "Jean" Sharon

Funeral services will be held at noon Monday at Midway Baptist Church for Jean Sharon, a longtime civic leader in Midway who died Thursday, June 20, at her home. She was 90.

Sharon served three terms on the City Council, where a daughter and grandson also served; was president of the Midway Women’s Club and Midway Parent-Teacher Organization, and was a member of the Woodford County Schools Hall of Fame. She was instrumental in building the veterans memorial at the Midway Cemetery and The Homeplace at Midway. 

She was the longest continually active member of the Midway Baptist Church, serving over 20 years as youth leader/director for various children's organizations; treasurer for many years; choir member; and various positions in the Women's Missionary Union. For more than two decades, she was The Woodford Sun's Midway correspondent.

She was born Lillian Clifton on Nov. 1, 1928 to Roy and Elizabeth Nave Clifton, and lived in Midway her entire life. She was the widow of Leslie Murphy Sharon, who died in 2016. She is survived by two daughters, Margaret “Peggy” Sharon and Cynthia Jean (Philip) Karrick; a son-in-law, David Warfield; six grandchildren, Wendy Warfield (Jonathan) Creech, Matthew Warfield (a former City Council member), Krissy Sharon (Scott) Fett, Mason (Heather) Karrick, Sharon Karrick and Spencer (Devon) Karrick; eight great-grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Helen Clifton and Elizabeth Clifton; and numerous other nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by a daughter, Leslie Elizabeth “Libby” Warfield, who died in 2018 while serving on the City Council; four sisters, Dora Faust, Martha Clifton, Frances Clifton and Elizabeth Clifton; six brothers, William, Charles, Oscar, Roy, James and Finnis Clifton, and her brother-in-law, Jesse Faust.

The Rev. Jeffery Sames will officiate at the service. Burial will be in Midway Cemetery. The pallbearers will be Austin Creech, Mason Karrick, Spencer Karrick, Scott Fett, Jonathan Clifton and Jonathan Creech. Honorary pallbearers are Matt Warfield, David Warfield, Philip Karrick, Dr. Norman Fisher, Dr. James Roach, James Johnson and Charles Logan. Johnson Funeral Home, where visitation was held Sunday afternoon, is in charge of arrangements. The full obituary is here.

Service for Mildred Buster 11 a.m. Monday at cemetery

Mildred Martin Buster

A graveside service will be held at Midway Cemetery at 11 a.m. Monday, June 10, for Mildred Martin Buster, who died at her Audubon Farm on June 4 at the age of 99.

Buster was a founder of the Logan-Helm Woodford County Library, served as a board member for many years and helped start a branch library in Midway with her friend Helen Hicks. She was a lifetime member of the Woodford County Historical Society and New Union Christian Church on Old Frankfort Pike. She spent many years working to ensure that the church’s landscaping was maintained for the congregation to enjoy. The church's former pastor, the Rev. Nancy Jo Kemper, will officiate at the services.

At Audubon, on Moores Mill Road, she maintained extensive gardens that were visited by many throughout the years. She was an original and longtime member of The Little Garden Club of Woodford County, which she served as president in 1963- 65. In 1991, she and Kristina Minister initiated the Midway African-American Oral History Project.

She and and her late husband, Gen. William R. Buster, who led the Kentucky Historical Society in 1973-83 and died in 1995, gave many years of service to Midway University. In 1995, she started the Ruth Slack Roach Leadership-Scholarship Program in honor of her late, close friend. Memorial gifts to the fund are suggested in lieu of flowers.

A Woodford County native, Buster was a graduate of Margaret Hall in Versailles, Stuart Hall in Virginia and Pine Manor College in Massachusetts. She was known as “Marmee” to close family members, who surrounded her at the end of her life.

She is survived by her son, William R. Buster Jr., of San Leandro, Calif.; two daughters, Kathryn Martin Buster (who is in the process of relocating to Kentucky after more than 40 years in Colorado) and Martha Buster Martin (David Lynn) of Midway; two granddaughters, Kathryn Todd Martin (Benjamin Baranek) and Jessica Martin Gwaltney (William) of Lexington. They "remember fondly their childhoods on the farm and spending time with her," her obituary said. "Katie and Jessica are grateful for the many things they learned from Marmee, such as cooking, reading, enjoying good food, a love of exploring the world through travel, and an appreciation for beautiful flowers. In the final years of her life, Mildred found joy through spending time with her great-grandchildren, Caroline Todd Gwaltney and William James Gwaltney."

Milward Funeral Directors of Lexington is in charge of arrangements.

Council makes Midway Station all industrial or highway business; keeps fish farm as is; talks streets and speed

EDA Chair John Soper pointed to an old map of Midway Station to indicate property that the council was about to rezone.

Midway Station no longer has any property that is zoned for residential development or professional offices, following the Midway City Council's approval of a rezoning ordinance Monday night.

Among other business, the council rejected bids for the old wastewater-treatment plant, leaving it under lease to a small fish farm, and heard from a potential new telecommunications provider.

Midway Station: "This gets back to where it was originally intended to be," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said, referring to the development's original status as an industrial park. It also includes some tracts that are zoned for highway business.

Vandegrift recalled that after Bluegrass Stockyards abandoned plans to buy the property in 2007 due to opposition from some in Midway, the debt of the failed industrial park left the city and Woodford County "in a much more desperate situation," and they converted the property to residential and commercial to get Lexington developer Dennis Anderson involved.

For years, Anderson paid the interest on Midway Station's mortgage in return for an option on the property, but the Great Recession stymied his plans for development. Coming out of the recession, industries began buying tracts in the development and adjacent to it. In February, Anderson dropped his option, putting development back in the hands of the county Economic Development Authority.

Vandegrift said Anderson originally wanted to build 500 homes, and the city has only 600, so "You might as well have named a different city other than Midway out there."

Some in Midway had thought the residential property in Midway Station could answer the city's need for more housing, especially with the growth in jobs at the industrial park. Before passage of the ordinance, Vandegrift addressed those concerns.

The mayor said he is eager to get more residential development in Midway, but "It's got to go in the right place," inside the city's current urban services boundary.

The latest rezoning also eliminates all professional-office (P-1) zoning in the development, which Council Member Stacy Thurman questioned.

EDA Chair John Soper said there is "no demand" for such property, and "We're reacting to demand. "That doesn't mean we couldn't come back at some point with a user who could use P-1." He said Journey Church, which will get part of the current P-1 property, wanted to be in a highway business zone because it will have a coffee shop and day-care center open to the public. Churches can be in any zone, under a conditional-use permit.

In response to a question from Council Member John Holloway, Soper said the coffee shop would draw business from travelers on Interstate 64 and workers in Midway Station. "The church sees getting people into the building as their first mission," Soper said.

The day-care center would meet a longstanding need in the city. The church plans to employ 70 people, more than EDA's goal of 10 jobs per acre in Midway Station, Vandegrift said.

On another real-estate issue, Thurman asked the mayor about the status of the proposed ordinance that would crack down on owners of blighted property. "People have been asking," she said. Vandegrift said city attorney Phil Moloney is working on the ordinance, which would be "put out as soon as possible," followed by council workshops to discuss it.

Steve Mims feeds his fish at the old wastewater treatment plant.

Fish farm: The council decided not to sell the city's old wastewater-treatment plant, after both bids fell short of its appraised value. The bids were $20,000 from Buchanan Contracting of Mount Sterling, which EDA has hired to do work at Midway Station, and $13,100 from Advancing Sustainable Aquaculture Performance for Fish, owned by a retired Kentucky State University aquaculture professor who has leased the facility for four years.

Council Member Logan Nance moved to accept ASAP Fish's bid, saying he had toured the facility with lessee Steve Mims and talked with people in the community who want the city to retain a business, but after a discussion, only Thurman voted with him.

Council Member Bruce Southworth opposed a sale, saying the city would have to find a place for salt and equipment that is stored on the property. Mims offered to let the city do that under his ownership, but Southworth said his bid wasn't high enough.

Nance said the city should "get out of the landlording business," but Vandegrift said that if the property were sold to Buchanan for use as a staging area for equipment, it "wouldn't look as nice." He said earlier, "I think Steve's got the best use for it."

Vandegrift said he had no problem continuing to lease the property to Mims, as long as he got his own electric service and started using water from Lee Branch instead of the new plant across Leestown Road, which Mims told the council last month he was planning to do. "We're paying his electric bill now, so we're losing money," the mayor said. Mims' lease fee is 5 percent of gross revenues; those payments totaled only $800 last year, Vandegrift said last month.

Streets and speed: Holloway said the city needs to keep pressing the state Highway Department to lower the speed limit on Winter Street downtown to 25 miles per hour, because the agency has done so in similar situations in other towns, including a railroad crossing in Lawrenceburg.

Vandegrift said that when he formally requested a lower speed limit last year, highway engineers rejected it, partly because the downhill slope on northbound Winter would require drivers "to ride their brakes" from Bruen Street to the crossing.

He said the rejection was the reason he got the state to paint stripes on the sides of Winter and has proposed up to $50,000 for curb extensions or "bulb-outs" at the intersections with Bruen and Stephens streets. Both measures are intended to slow down motorists by narrowing the trafficway, but Vandegrift agreed that the city needs to keep asking for a lower speed limit.

Fiber-optic franchise: The council heard from Kathy Sholar of MetroNet, which plans to install fiber-optic cable in the city under a non-exclusive franchise agreement similar to the one the city has with Spectrum. "What we bring to your community is choice," as well as "the best technology available in the world" for internet, television and telephone," she said.

Sholar said the company is coming to Midway because it got a contract to serve the county school system, and is also pursuing a franchise agreement with the county government.

Vandegrift said, "I've been very impressed with MetroNet, and everything she said is true."

Other business: The council approved an event permit and street closure for the 175th anniversary of Midway Christian Church on July 7. "I think Midway Christian is the pillar of this community," said Nance, who attends Midway Baptist Church.

The council also heard a report from state Rep. Joe Graviss, D-Versailles, who reiterated that he is running for the seat of retiring state Sen. Julian Carroll, D-Frankfort. Graviss, who was elected last year, was praised by Vandegrift, who has said he may run for the House seat.

"You did a great job," Vandegrift told Graviss. "You're going to be great as our senator. . . . You stick up for what you believe in."

As Graviss left, he was asked if he and Vandegrift would endorse each other. Neither replied.

Church plans to locate in Midway Station and provide child care, something long sought by city officials

Midway Station, which is finally meeting Midway's economic and budgetary needs, is about to fill another need: a day-care center that would be operated by a church that wants to buy and build on six acres in the development.

The Woodford County Economic Development Authority board voted Friday morning to pursue the sale to Journey Ministries Inc., which has a church on Leestown Road in Franklin County, near the Woodford County line. It is not affiliated with Journey Church on Lexington Road in Versailles, EDA Chair John Soper said.

Soper told the EDA board that the church plans to build a facility that will seat 400 people and include an "educationally based child-care center modeled after the facility started by Pastor Gary L. Brown in Georgetown," Journey Ministries said in a news release that Soper distributed at the board meeting. Brown said in a telephone interview that the facility is at Grace Church, pastored by his son.

Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift told the board, "I don't think I can overstate how important this is going to be for our city. . . . People are literally driving 30 minutes in the opposite direction from their work to get good day care."

The release said Journey Ministries also "wants to create and offer private-sector business options at the site; these may include a coffee shop, a doughnut shop and other entrepreneurial opportunities." Soper said the various enterprises are expected to create 70 jobs in two to three years, exceeding EDA's goal of 10 jobs per acre.

EDA Chair John Soper points to the lots in Midway Station
that would be optioned for sale to Journey Ministries Inc.

Journey would pay EDA $300,000 for 6.128 acres, less than EDA's target price of $65,000 an acre, but Soper said the "slight discount" is justifiable because it would buy multiple lots and some common property that would have otherwise gone to a pending property owners association.

The tracts were already in the process of being rezoned from professional-office and residential to highway commercial. A church can locate in any zone with a conditional-use permit, zoning director Pattie Wilson said. The EDA board voted to be a co-applicant with Journey Ministries to the Board of Zoning Adjustment for the permit.

Soper said that when the idea of a church in Midway Station was first suggested, he thought, "What are you talking about?" but then saw that with the other enterprises, "They'll have activity in that park seven days a week," which would encourage development of highway-commercial lots nearer Georgetown Road and allay any weekend security concerns of industries in the park.

Soper and other EDA members also cited the benefit to families in Midway. Maria Bohanan said it would make the town more attractive to families with children, perhaps boosting enrollment at Northside Elementary School.

Vandegrift said his wife Katie, who chaired the Child Care Task Force that the City Council created in 2017, feared that its work had gone for naught, but he said Journey Ministries had cited the survey that the task force had taken to establish the need for day care in Midway.

"This is a big deal for us, and really, for the whole county," he said.

County Judge-Executive James Kay said Midway Station or Versailles could be a potential location for a pediatric mental-health group that has made the county its prime target for its third location, which would bring 20 jobs.

Kay said the group has facilities in Benton and Elizabethtown, and wants a facility that would be closer to Eastern Kentucky, to address great needs there. One plus, he said, is the relocation in Versailles of Frontier Nursing University, which has a psychiatric degree program with a child specialty.

Kay said the facility would have 48 in-patient beds, requiring an agreement with the county schools for education of the young patients. He said the the county school board is to discuss the idea Monday night.

Soper said the cost of land in Midway Station "might seem daunting to them," but if the group is interested, he would be willing to consider granting unusual six-month option for purchase of property while the facility obtained a certificate-of-need permit from the state because "the upside to the community on this would be so great."

Churches voice concern about half marathon during festival; mayor says Midway Station entering new phase

By Akhira Umar, Korrie Harris, Abbey Huffman and Chadwick George

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Midway’s churches are concerned about problems with moving the Iron Horse Half Marathon to the Sunday morning of the Midway Fall Festival. After hearing complaints at the City Council meeting Monday night, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said he would set up a meeting between the ministers, the race organizers and the festival.

Also at the meeting, Vandegrift said that with 40 new jobs coming to Midway Station, the city’s new strategy for the industrial park is working, but it may have to resume paying off its debt if the property developer doesn't exercise his option to buy the property, which expires at year's end.

Half marathon: The Rev. Heather McColl of Midway Christian Church, representing the Midway Ministerial Association, presented the council with concerns about traffic, parking and safety during the half marathon, which is scheduled for 7 to 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22.

McColl said there was lack of communication between race operator John’s Run/Walk Shop, of Lexington, and Midway churches, which will provide volunteers for the race and the festival. She said the church members will likely be exhausted through that busy weekend, and have already decided they can't do breakfast for the runners, as they have in the past.

“A lot of people feel that this is going to overwhelm our town,” McColl told the council.

“We just need more conversation about logistics,” she said. “If we’re asking for anything, we’re asking for better communication and that the churches become partners in this wider conversation and part of wider community conversations.”

X marks the planned finish line of the Iron Horse Half Marathon.

McColl said that if anything is changed, it should be the finish line, "right at the end of Gratz and Bruen [streets], and my church is going to be deeply affected by this." She said other churches also have concerns, and asked why the race was moved.

Vandegrift said the finish line could be moved. “I do wish Iron Horse had spoken to you all before they came to us with an event permit,” he said. “And I wish we had thought to ask that question, but we didn’t, so it’s neither here nor there now.” The council approved the permit in December.

The mayor said he thinks then new date was “an attempt to save the race” because “The Iron Horse numbers are dwindling,” to under 700 last year after some years with more than 1,000 registrants. (Some registrants don't show.)

In the end, Vandegrift issued a warning to the race organizers: “They have a very high bar to meet and they know it. If they screw this up, it ain’t gonna happen next year.”

After the meeting, McCall said she felt that her concerns were handled in the best they could have been by the mayor and council.

Midway Station started as an industrial park 30 years ago, but attracted few employers. In 2008, Dennis Anderson, of Anderson Communities in Lexington, optioned the area for redesign as a commercial and residential development, but after recovery from the Great Recession, the site attracted American Howa, an auto-parts company, and Lakeshore Learning Materials, which built a distribution center.

Shortly after, the city and the Woodford County Economic Development Authority decided against residential construction on the property and Anderson agreed.

There have been two recent real-estate closings on the property. Both are along McKinney Avenue, near the existing employers. Vandegrift said one is a plumbing-supply company that will employ about 10 people and the second company, which wished to remain anonymous for now, will employ about 30.

“It’s 40 new jobs and it’s a great move forward,” Vandegrift said, adding that the closings show the success of the new recruitment strategy for Midway Station, looking for smaller, "owner-occupied" businesses.

The mayor addressed concern about Anderson’s option agreement expiring at the end of the year. Anderson will have to decide if he wants to purchase all the land or step away from the deal, “which he could do at any time,” Vandegrift said. “We don’t know what Dennis’s plans are. I’m not sure he knows.”

If Anderson opts out, the Woodford County Economic Development Authority, which owns the property, would take over its development. Though this would give the city more control over businesses coming into Midway Station, but it would place interest payments on the shoulder of the city and county instead of Anderson.

The city and county would each pay half the interest, an estimated $3,000 a month each. Vandegrift said he would put that in his proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. He said other options could present themselves, but the city would need to work with the EDA to figure this out.

“The clock’s running now,” Vandegrift said. “Probably, likely, one way or another we’re entering a new phase of Midway Station.”

EDA Chair John Soper did not fret about the possibility of Anderson walking away. “You can look at it as a problem or you can look at it as an opportunity,” he told the council. “If we get it back, then we’re gonna make the most of it.”

He said Midway is an opportune destination for many Central Kentucky “contractor-product type” businesses near an interstate highway. Unlike more urban areas like Lexington, Midway has little traffic to impede businesses and plenty of space for these businesses to grow.

Other business: The council also accepted the 2017-18 fiscal year audit that was presented at the last meeting.

Council Member Sara Hicks, chair of the Cemetery Committee, said the panel has “more questions than answers” after meeting Saturday morning about the state of the Saint Rose Tabernacle Cemetery and Sons of Daughters of Relief Cemetery, resting places for African Americans.

Former council member Johnny Wilson donated $1,000 at the last meeting toward repair of headstones in the cemeteries, saying that 71 of the 303 stones need resetting, repair or replacement. Vandegrift said the process would take time.

Vandegrift said he plans to create a task force for affordable housing, with Council Member Stacy Thurman as chair.

Big crowd at chili cook-off judges Alex Woodruff, 16, to have the best chili for the second year in a row

By Kristi Fitzgerald
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The Hawaiian chili of 16-year-old Alex Woodruff beat out 19 other recipes to win Midway Christian Church Chili Cook-Off for the second year in a row Monday night.

Winners Glass (second), Woodruff (first) and Burchell (third)

The excitement could be seen in Samantha Dare’s face as she took photos of her smiling daughter, Woodruff, holding up her prize, a $25 Cheesecake Factory gift card. Woodruff said she acquired her winning chili recipe from her grandfather. The Hawaiian chili veered off the path of a typical, chili recipe with the addition of ingredients such as pineapple and carrots.

The second- and third-place winners, respectively, were Amanda Glass’s pulled-pork chili and a "bourbon breakfast" chili by Phil Burchell, who usually does well in the contest.

Chili testers lined up at crockpots. (Photo by Kristi Fitzgerald)

The cook-off drew a good crowd on a night when rain threatened and began during the event. The church’s Fellowship Hall was filled with people of all ages. Stephanie Dare, Woodruff’s aunt, said she enjoys the “sense of community” that accompanies the cook-off.

Chili testers shuffled along a table lined with crockpots, filling cups and casting their votes for the chili each of them enjoyed most. Some of the entries included vegetarian, several versions of turkey chili and chili with spaghetti, a no-no for chili purists but still tasty.

Teresa Raglin sat at one of the five large community tables with her children, tasting the various chilis, “I enjoy the friendly competition. People look forward to it.”

The cook-off is part of the series of free community dinners the church holds on the last Monday night of each month at 6:30.


One chili tester sampled about a dozen entries and reported that blending the three winners with an overly thick chili produced a very tasty hybrid. (Photo by Kristi Fitzgerald)

Message from the mayor: What a week, what a city

By Grayson Vandegrift

Mayor, City of Midway

What a week.

Wednesday, two young Midway citizens decided to sell lemonade to raise money for the Homeplace because they wanted to help with the care of the wisest ones among us. Their proud parents posted about their good deed on Facebook, and before you knew it, fellow residents were pledging to match their contributions -- they wound up raising well over $200 in the end.

It’s almost as if these two young women were inspiring us to be ready for the days to come, when we’d all have to band together to help our fellow citizens. Although I’m not surprised at how the Midway community came together, I’m still remarkably impressed and inspired by the endless accounts of residents doing good deeds to help each other get through a surprisingly monstrous storm and its serious effects.

It would take a book to account for all the selfless acts that were performed by people this weekend, so I’ll just say that I am continually inspired by the immeasurable number of good deeds done by people who simply want to help their neighbor get through a difficult situation.

KU and LG&E called in help from other states and had as many as 180 technicians working 16-hour shifts to bring power back to our homes. As I write this, nearly all of Midway has power again. We owe a great debt of gratitude to every line worker and every person who helped clear debris and limbs, and to their families for sharing them with us. One line worker from Chicago said he hadn’t seen this kind of tree damage since he was deployed to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Our first responders were brilliant as well, especially on Friday night, when things really could have devolved into chaos had they not held everything together.

What a week. What a city. What a county.

Four-church Vacation Bible School is a success

Children from four Midway churches, and some who have no church home, attended a joint Vacation Bible School this week.

Story and photos by Sarah Ladd

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Four Midway churches enjoyed their first multi-church Vacation Bible School this week, bringing together about 50 children – more than they expected – from the community and several denominations.

Cross-denominational gatherings have become more common in Midway since the creation two years ago of Locally Grown, a community youth group that focuses on uniting youth in the community and breaking down denominational barriers.

This year, Midway United Methodist Church, Midway Christian Church, Midway Presbyterian Church and St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church joined together for what they hope will be the first of many multi-church VBSes in Midway.

Presbyterian Church Pastor Mary Weese said the week was a success, both for the adults and for the children: “We get to be with each other. You don’t get to see people from other churches very often and work with them in projects. So, this has been a great opportunity.” She said the event “snowballed” from a small idea, to hoping for 36 children, to more than 50. “It’s been a huge success.”

Christian Church Pastor Heather McColl said she believes the event “exceeded our expectations” and has been successful enough to continue.  She said she was unsure in the beginning how such an event would work. “It wasn’t that I didn’t think the churches could work together, because the churches have done multiple projects together,” but she wondered about the timing, and that too many people would be traveling. “I am thankfully and gratefully wrong,” she said.

After dinner at the Methodist Church on Thursday, the group walked to St. Matthew AME Church to play games.

Each night, a different church hosted a variety of games, story-telling, Bible memorization and a dinner. On Monday, the group met at the Methodist church; Tuesday, at the Christian Church; Wednesday, at the Presbyterian Church, as Locally Grown hosted the students; and on Thursday, the students met first at the Methodist Church for dinner and walked to St. Mathews AME for a night of games. Friday was scheduled as a family event at the Methodist Church, allowing the children to wind down with their families from the week.

John Davis, who volunteered as one of the supervisors or “shepherds,” explained that the idea for the multi-church effort came from Midway having multiple churches but relatively few youth in each. “It’s difficult for each church to have their own” VBS, he said. “But when you get four together, it just works out so much better.” Davis said the event did not advertise to churches only, and welcomed several children who do not have a home church.

The pastors of the four churches attended each night and chimed in on how successful they think this week’s festivities have been.

“The community fellowship between these four churches is not seen in a lot of communities in Kentucky,” said Pastor Joshua Hale of St. Matthews AME, who said has pastored all around the state. He said Midway churches are doing what a lot of other communities have not embraced: worshipping together across denominations. “These churches work together all year long and worship together in different services all year long,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing.” He said that it is his hope that the event will continue each year.

Methodist Pastor Mickey Richardson said the event has been “tremendously successful.” She said that “independently, we wouldn’t have had the resources to do all the things that we’re doing. So, by putting our resources together, we are able to serve the entire community.”

Students acted out the story of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River as Jesus's ministry began.

After dinner Thursday, the students listened to the story of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus, and several students acted it out. Afterward, they split into teams by grades, and each group walked with their shepherd to St. Mathew AME. Once there, teams were given a frozen T-shirt, which they had to work together to melt and unravel and then put on, symbolizing the Biblical idea of donning a “robe of righteousness.”

Jakeb King helped younger children with a frozen T-shirt.

Jakeb King, a sophomore student in Locally Grown, said he enjoyed the event and thinks it should be done three times a year.

He said the programs and interactive songs were his favorite parts because “the kids were really into it. I think what made it really fun was the adults; they’re really active and into it. I think the kids got that energy. They caught onto it.”

King said he loves that churches in the community are coming together, and said he feels there are more opportunities for students to learn when more churches are involved.

Locally Grown offers teenagers a support system and unites local churches of various denominations

To start the summer-kickoff meeting, students in Locally Grown played a game, "Get to Know You."

Story and photos by Sarah Ladd

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Locally Grown, a local youth ministry for sixth to 12th graders in Midway and surrounding communities, held its summer kickoff Wednesday evening.

Now in its second year of full operation, Locally Grown is a cooperative ministry seeking to unite churches of different denominations in youth outreach. It got its start in August 2015, when several local churches united over their youth and their common faith. According to the program’s website, they seek to supplement existing youth ministries, support churches that lack youth programming, and engage youth who don’t attend church.

The name “Locally Grown” was inspired by the idea that young people’s surrounding community molds them into who they become.

Lily Savage, a student in Locally Grown, said the ministry gave her a positive support system. “I was really lonely before,” she said.

Another student, Willa Michel, said “Locally Grown has been super-beneficial in my life. It helps me connect with God in ways I wouldn’t have before.”

Bailey Spicer said that when she joined Locally Grown, she didn’t know what an impact it would have on her life. “It helps guide me through my issues,” she said, “and I can take the positivity I learn here and share it with others.”

The second game, "Race of Truth," had students advance when any of a series of statements applied to them.

Bud Ratliff, whose daughter, Zoe, is a student in Locally Grown, said the merging of the churches to form this ministry was “a real God moment.” He said the ministry was formed because Midway, like many small towns, has many churches and only a few young people in each. This ministry, he said, seeks to bring those churches and youth together.

Ratliff said the nine months that it took the vision of Locally Grown to be developed “was like birthing a child.” He said it provides a great opportunity for children like his daughter to grow up with trusting adults outside their families and to learn to love themselves and others. “That’s the whole message of Christ’s love,” he said.

Sara and Lee Busick, graphic designers in Midway, co-pastor the ministry. “We want it to be very real,” she said.

The ministry operates out of Midway Presbyterian Church, with other financial support from the Midway United Methodist Church, across the street. (The city gave it $500 last spring.) However, Busick said the ministry seeks to introduce the youth to other denominations and pastors at other churches in the area.

The weekly meetings often include pastors from other churches who are there to be in the students’ lives and serve as role models. Busick said this is an opportunity to let the students understand other denominations and practices. The ministry makes a point to visit other churches to let their students learn from other ministries.

“The goal is to be uniting, not divisive,” Busick said. “The focus is not on denominations. It’s on Jesus. My end goal is that when they walk out as 18-year-olds, they know how to pursue faith.”

During Wednesday’s kickoff, the students played a “Get to Know You” game that allowed them to share fun facts about themselves, participated in a “Race of Truth,” advancing when any of a series of statements applied to them (examples: “I have been to Indiana;” or “My hair is brown”) and gathered for a short prayer. 

During the prayer time, Lee Busick discussed the challenges that face youth today and told them that Locally Grown would help them through the challenges by helping them foster a relationship with God. “Life is never going to be perfect,” he told them, and his wife added that Locally Grown would be there for them and let them know each week that they are loved.

Locally Grown members meet Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church, and then walk to other churches or public areas for meetings. For information, see http://www.lgmidway.com.

Midway Christian Church gives Northside school first of three benches made from recycled plastic bottle caps

The Midway Christian Church has been collecting plastic bottle caps to be made into benches for Northside Elementary School. The first of three benches was installed today.

From left to right in the photo are church members (and spouses) Adele Dickerson and Dan Roller, Custodial Services Manager James Harlow, City Council Member Bruce Southworth, church member Rick Caudle, minister Heather McColl, Principal Ryan Asher and art teacher Anne Brooks. (Photo by Wilda Willis Caudle)

After the two additional benches, the church plans to do other bench projects for the church and the Midway community.