So many restaurants, so little town

This story includes updates, which appear in italic.
By Autumn Harbison
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

One night during his term as governor of Kentucky, 2003-07, Ernie Fletcher decided to eat dinner in Midway, Ky., halfway between the state's capital, Frankfort, and its second largest city, Lexington. He had no reservations and all five restaurants on Main Street were filled. He did manage to find a table at the Holly Hill Inn, up Winter Street toward Interstate 64.

"I’m never that busy," said Ouita Michel, the inn's owner and chef. "The sitting governor of our state always has table here at the Holly Hill Inn no matter how busy I am"

Midway may have a population of only 1,620, but within its city limits lay several high-profile restaurants that bring in customers from around the state, so many at times that it can be hard to get in to eat, as the governor learned.

"A lot of customers come from Lexington, Louisville, Frankfort," said Bill Van Den Dool, owner of The Black Tulip restaurant.

UPDATE: Black Tulip is now The Grey Goose, providing less of a fine dining experience and offering pizza and pub food fare.

So what makes the restaurant scene in Midway so special that so many people would be willing to drive a ways to get there?

"I think people are hungry for sort of an authentic experience in their lives," said Michel. "It's a little bit of a drive in the country and it kind of reconnects them with what it means to live in the Bluegrass."

Van Den Dool said customers come to Midway for an uncommon experience.

"Midway is something unique in this day and age, and I think that is what people are really looking for, something different, and not like the big chains," he said.

When dining in Midway, diners have several choices to pick from when making reservations.

"We’re all very different and we’re not cooking Kentucky exactly," Michel said, "but we’re expressing our own ideas about food in this area and this region."

With its neutral tones and modern furnishings, Heirloom serves up continental cuisine like seared Tasmanian salmon and an open faced New York strip sandwich. UPDATE: Heirloom fought to change state law so it could serve liquor, and won.

At Bistro La Belle patrons can get French food while surrounded by homey décor. 

UPDATE: Bistro La Belle was closed for a period but has reopened as a soup and sandwich shop.

Lunchgoers enjoy a variety of hearty sandwiches and a cozy atmosphere at Quirk Café and Coffee.

UPDATE: Quirk closed and was replaced with 815 Prime and a downstairs tavern; 815 Prime has been replaced by Mezzo, which maintains the downstairs tavern. Heirloom owner Mark Wombles owns Mezzo.

Darlin Jean's Apple Cobbler Cafe, with its traditional home cooking, such as an old fashioned Kentucky hot brown, is also on Main Street but is most often frequented by locals.

The Black Tulip and the Holly Hill Inn round out the town's dining options.

"It's hard to put this restaurant into a little catch phrase," said Michel. "What we want to try to do here is bring a new sensibility to sort of something very old Kentucky." The Holly Hill Inn's walls are covered in art from Kentucky artists and it has a room where Kentucky poets come and read their works. The restaurant features a frequently changing menu.

The Black Tulip, on Main Street, serves both lunch and dinner in a warm atmosphere.

"There's a lot of camaraderie. It's just a good, fun place to be," Van Den Dool said of his restaurant. Offering fine dining with a classic winery feel, The Black Tulip has items like oysters Rockefeller and a New Zealand rack of lamb on its menu.

While Lexington has a wide selection of comparable restaurants, many people from the city some to Midway.

"It's not that far. It's a nice drive through pretty country," said Midway resident Lucy Clare. "They come here and there's really no trouble parking in the evening."

Michel said many customers come to Midway to experience something they can no longer find in larger cities.

"I'm not knocking chain restaurants … but they don't have the flavor of the region at the heart of what they're doing," said Michel. "That's part of what is so neat about these restaurants in Midway."

Van Den Dool also said people come to Midway to eat because they want a change from the usual.

"I think that is what people are really looking for, something that is different, not like the big malls and chains," Van Den Dool said. "Here you've got the little mom-and-pop stores, here you've got the little guy trying to make a living. And it's working. People like to see something different."

Most restaurants in Midway do relatively little advertising. Van Den Dool said The Black Tulip only advertises at Keeneland Race Course during racing meets and on a friend's radio station early on Saturday mornings. Michel said the Holly Hill Inn employs a publicist to generate media attention for the restaurant.

"Word of mouth is everything in the restaurant business," said Michel. "You want people talking, but you've got to make sure you're starting the conversation."

Both owners said word of mouth is the best advertising they get.

"The best thing is that people leave here and are satisfied or happy," said Van Den Dool. "They spread the word."

First-time Midway eater William Goebol of Lexington was invited there for dinner by a friend who had been there before. He described what he was expecting from his dinner experience while waiting for his food to be prepared.

"I'm anticipating a quiet, relaxing meal," said Goebol. "I don't think it's going to be like . . . Lexington, where it's eat and leave."

The restaurants in Midway do not just serve dinner, and the differences in the feel and atmosphere of the lunch and dinner hours are like night and day.

At lunch, businessmen dressed in tailored suits sit drinking wine while blue-collar workers at the next table bite into sandwiches washed down with Coke. There is no standard lunch attire; but like at dinnertime, there is no rush to finish.

The lunch crowd at the Holly Hill Inn is predominantly women, according to Michel.

"I love the ladies' lunch. As a Southern tradition, I really love it," said Michel. "Our lunchtime menu we try to keep more traditional than we do at night, kind of more Kentucky."

When the sun goes down, the nice clothes come out, as the cream of Kentucky comes out for dinner at Midway's fine dining restaurants. One night in February, people were dropped off in a stretch limousine and a woman walked into a place for dinner wearing fur.

Because of their high volume of customers, all of the restaurateurs in Midway recommend having reservations.

Many well-known people have eaten at Midway's restaurants. According to Michel, actor William Shatner and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, have been to the Holly Hill Inn. Wallace Station, a restaurant near Midway run by owners of the Holly Hill Inn, has been visited by actor Johnny Depp, who has relatives in Frankfort. The Black Tulip has fed actor Steve Zahn and television personality Carson Kressley.

During his time working in the White House for President George W. Bush, political guru Karl Rove and some of his associates made a reservation to eat at The Black Tulip after a political event in Lexington, but were late. This eventful visit is now a local legend. Van Den Dool, who upbraided Rove, tells the story:

"If I would had been downstairs, in all honesty, I would have would have said 'Sorry, that's it,' because for one thing they had reservations at 8 o'clock; they didn't show up until 9. And then the worst thing is they have an ice tea, they have a cup of coffee. They were the cheapest ---- -- ------- in town."

Rove and Fletcher apparently didn't realize that the restaurants in Midway are so popular it can be a feat to get a table, no matter who you are.

Foes of proposed indoor smoking ban gave county health board an earful at second hearing last night

By Melissa Hill
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

The battle between personal freedom and public health continued last night at the open forum held by the Woodford County Board of Health on the latest version of its proposed smoking ban. Although the board had changed the proposal, many residents continue to express their opposition to it.

“It’s disturbing that a small group of people want to get together and tell taxpayers what they can and can’t do in their businesses,” says Woodford County resident David Long. Many residents who attended the meeting shared his opinion, including farmer and liquor store owner Carol McDonald. “If it’s your business, it should be your choice,” says McDonald. “Every business should put up a sign and let the public know if they allow smoking or not.”

Since its first forum, in February, the health board addressed some residents' concerns. Health Department Director Garland VanZant laid out the changes to the proposal but said no final decisions have been made.

The definition of “reasonable distance” from a building entrance was changed from 25 feet to “not less than three feet from any outside public entrance to or open windows of any area in which smoking is prohibited.” Also, of particular interest to Midway and its restaurants, smoking would be permitted on restaurant patios and mandatory “No Smoking” signs will be provided by the health department at no cost to the entities. None of these issues were discussed by Woodford County residents or the board of health at last night’s forum.

Even with these modifications, some residents are still not satisfied with the proposed smoking ban. One Versailles resident and firefighter said, “I feel like I am being treated as a second class citizen because I smoke. I don’t want to live in a society where the government tells us what we can and can’t do.” Liquor store employee Cindy Reed, as well as other residents at the forum, said business people should have the freedom to choose how they want to run their businesses. “Choice is a God-given thing," she said. "I have heart disease and I am still a smoker, but it’s my choice.”

Other Woodford County residents have concerns about fines businesses will have to pay if customers break the rules and say the person or persons violating the smoking ban should have to pay the fine, not the business. As the proposal now stands, enforcement will be on a complaint basis and a person violating the ban would be fined up to $50. A person who owns, manages or operates a public place and fails to comply with the provisions of the regulation will be fined up to $100 for the first violation, up to $250 for the second, up to $500 for a third and up to $1,000 for the fourth and each additional violation within one year from the previous offense date. Some residents say these regulations are too harsh on the businesses because they are not responsible for their customer’s actions.

The exemption of “private clubs,” such as the Versailles post of the American Legion, is also a concern of some residents. Billy Wilson of Wilson’s Pool Room says it’s unfair to exempt certain businesses and not others. Although Wilson is not for the proposed smoking ban, he wants the same rules to apply to every person and every business in Woodford County. “This country’s going to hell,” alleged Wilson as he stormed out of the forum.

The first hearing brought out many supporters of the ban, but the sole supportive opinion last night came from American Cancer Society employee Cindy Young. “I want to thank the board of health for considering this,” she said. “We want to protect the health of workers; second-hand smoke causes cancer and disease. The American Cancer Society applauds you and we are behind you.”

County Judge-Executive John Coyle, chairman of the health board, stressed that no final decisions have been made regarding the ban and said the health board’s goal is to fully and fairly consider the health and economic impact the smoking ban would have on Woodford County residents and businesses. Coyle said the next meeting concerning the proposal will be on May 15 at 5:30 p.m. This meeting will be open to the public to observe but not to participate and a second reading of the regulation could be given and voted on. If it passes, July 1, 2008 would be the proposed effective date of the smoking ban.

Midway Renaissance group takes over art fair

By Emily Zengel
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

Two Midway organizations have established a much stronger connection, giving hope that both will continue with their successful pasts. But in the town of 1,620, not everyone had the same views about combining a not-for-profit corporation and the Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival.

Midway Renaissance Inc. will now be solely responsible for planning the start-of-summer festival. The decision came during the Jan. 21 city council meeting, where members voted to rescind Midway’s current agreement with Midway College, and transfer the responsibility for the festival to Renaissance.

“It will remain a partnership, really a collaborative effort of Renaissance, the city of Midway, and Midway College,” Midway Renaissance President Randy Thomas said in an interview. “The only thing that’s changing is the oversight responsibility.”

Francisco’s Farm has been a successful, juried art fair since its creation in 2004.

The festival has won numerous awards since its debut. It won the 2004 Enterprise Cities Award from the Kentucky League of Cities. It’s twice been placed among the Top Ten Festivals and Events by the Kentucky Tourism Council and was among the “Top 20 Events” for June 2007 and 2008 chosen by the Southeast Tourism Society. In January, The Kentucky Festival and Events Association presented Francisco’s Farm with its “Best Festival Website” award. To see the site, go to www.franciscosfarm.org.

Christensen said the change in responsibility will not affect Francisco’s Farm.

“I don’t think the festival will change as a result of moving to Midway Renaissance. I think it’s just come home to Renaissance, because it started there,” said Christensen, who is employed by the corporation.

The festival took some time to get ready for the public. According to Christensen, a small committee of Midway Renaissance, the Social and Cultural Action Team, began planning the event with some advice from Mike Stutland, owner of the Artique Gallery in the nearby city of Lexington.

“They decided that an art festival would be a very good fit for Midway, something to engage the whole community, and something of which the whole community would be proud,” said Christensen.

And so far, the festival has engaged a large part of the community.

“We average that better than 10 percent of the community is involved,” said Council Member Charlann Wombles. The city’s population in 2000 was 1,620, so if Wombles is accurate, about 162 people help with the festival.

At the first festival, volunteers outnumbered the artists two to one, according to Christensen. They helped set up booths for the artists, brought them water and helped many other ways as well. In its first year, Christensen estimates that there were 75 artists. Last year’s festival brought in 130.

Christensen and Wombles attribute part of the growth and success of the festival to the way volunteers treated the artists. It seems the festival had some unexpected benefits for the community, especially those involved with the event.

“There’s something about working side by side with people that you may not socialize with, necessarily, year round; but getting to know people who have, for one thing, the common interest: loving the town where you live,” said Christensen.

Midway Renaissance, is an organization that receives funding from the statewide Renaissance on Main Program. Gov. Paul Patton began the initiative as Renaissance Kentucky in 1999; the goal of which was to give financial assistance to small communities for downtown development.

The original agreement made Nov. 27, 2006, between Midway College, the City of Midway and Midway Renaissance said the college was to provide facilities, food service and college employees. The city was to provide a contract with an event coordinator (with the advice of Renaissance), a bank account for event funding, fundraising, and student scholarships.

That agreement and another were rescinded at the council meeting. The new agreement states that Renaissance is responsible for conducting Francisco’s Farm in 2008. New Renaissance responsibilities will also include handling all financial aspects of the event and contracting with the event coordinator, to be paid solely from festival funds. Upon request, the city may provide employees to help before and after the event.

“I think the college is glad where [Francisco’s Farm] can come out from under them because it’s less responsibility for them. I know from the mayor’s standpoint, I feel like it’s the same thing with him. They have more important issues to deal with,” said John McDaniel, who is a director of Midway Main Street Renaissance.

Main Street Renaissance, which is a branch of Midway Renaissance Inc., focuses on the improvement of Main Street.

The new agreement was signed by Thomas and Mayor Tom Bozarth, after a few changes that were made during the council meeting. Council Member Charlann Wombles said the changes made involved the wording of the contract.

“There have been agreements that have had to be developed and worded to suit everyone,” said Wombles.

Wombles added that most of the work on the agreement was done by volunteers. One of the changes made was requested by Council Member Sheila Redmond. She suggested that Renaissance should be able to request, instead of require, assistance from the city. That change was approved.

Redmond originally said she was disappointed about the transfer of Francisco’s Farm to Midway Renaissance, because she wanted to see more people in the community involved than just those in Renaissance.

“It’s not really going exactly the way I think it should go. I’m glad it’s out from under the city,” Redmond said. “But the city is so intertwined with Renaissance, that I question the wisdom of that. But at the same time, maybe it is the way to go.” Renaissance was created by the city, and Bozarth is the corporation’s process agent.

Redmond would like to involve new community members and possibly residents of Lexington and Frankfort as well, because she said fresh ideas can help organizations thrive, and would like to see a creation of open forums.

“People could sign up and say, ‘you know I really think I have some things that I could add to Francisco Farm, and I’d like to be part of that’,” said Redmond.

Although everyone may not be on the same page about the agreement, it seems that people really do love the town of Midway, and want to see it grow and thrive, through Francisco’s Farm, other arts or other avenues all together.

“I would love to see a venue for art education and opportunities for adults, children and the whole community,” said Wombles, adding that she believes Midway residents are very ripe for art education.

Redmond wants one organization to house several kinds of arts projects, and hopes that in the future, something like this may be possible. She originally created the Midway Arts Foundation for similar reasons.

“It started out pretty good. They had a pretty good response and everything,” said McDaniel. But after a little while, he said, “Arts in Midway kind of faded.”

The festival may be an exception to McDaniel’s statement. When asked about her vision for arts in Midway, Redmond said “For all intents and purposes right now, there is no arts in Midway. It’s kind of a failed effort, one that I hope in the future will revive in one sort or another.”

Despite her disappointment in Renaissance’s new responsibilities, she remained positive.

“I think there’s hope for the future, and I think the time has to be right for things, and maybe just the time isn’t quite right,” said Redmond.

But no matter what organization residents become involved with, whether it’s a current one or one that has yet to be created, Christensen gives a good reason for why people do so.

“I think that everyone has a need to be, to contribute and to be involved with other people in the creation of something that they see as a good thing,” said Christensen.

This year’s Francisco’s Farm will be held June 21-22.

Fund-raiser supports Francisco's Farm arts festival

By Emily Zengel
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

“I like to compare it to Northern Exposure meets Mayberry.”

That’s how singer Billy Hill describes Midway, Ky. It may be a small town, but people from across the globe are drawn to the restaurants and antique stores lining Main Street.

There’s another reason people go to Midway: Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival. It's a juried art event and takes place annually at Midway College. There’s also live music throughout the festival. This year's festival will take place June 21-22.

At a recent fund-raising event in Midway for Francisco's Farm, people were able to see what it's all about. There was live music, a silent auction and an intermission show. Here's a report.

Health board plans to have much lighter limits on outdoor smoking

The Woodford County Board of Health decided last night to scale back its proposed smoking ban, largely to meet the objections of restaurant owners, and primarily those in Midway.

Outdoor smoking at businesses will be limited only to within "a reasonable distance," at least 3 feet from any public entrance. That will keep smokers out of doorways but allow continued smoking on restaurant patios. That was a big issue for Midway restaurants such as The Black Tulip, which has a patio with tables at its front entrance.

Midway Mayor Tom Bozarth, who attended the meeting, said afterward, "I think it's good for us, and I'm happy." County Health Director Garland VanZant said the board plans to have first reading of the revised ordinance next month, a public hearing in April and final passage in May, with the ordinance to take effect around July 1.

VanZant said the board also decided to exclude volunteers of non-profit groups from the definition of "employee," a change sought by veterans' organizations, and to ban all smoking in hotels and motels, instead of requiring designated smoking or non-smoking rooms. VanZant said Woodford County has no hotels or motels. One is planned along Interstate 64 at Midway.

For a copy of the draft regulation, click here.

Midway restaurants, other businesses object to outdoor limits proposed in county smoking ban

By Melissa Hill
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

VERSAILLES, Ky. -- Many residents and business owners attended last night's forum in Versailles on a proposed smoking ban in Woodford County, including Midway Mayor Tom Bozarth and Bill Van Den Dool, the owner of The Black Tulip restaurant.

One of their main concerns is the provision that would prohibit smoking within 25 feet of outside entrances or open windows. “Twenty-five feet in Midway is a lot," Bozarth said. "If you go out 25 feet, you’re going to be in the middle of the road. This needs to be addressed. It will not work in Midway.”

Van Den Dool’s main issue is his restaurant's patio. He says when the weather is warm, he gets most of his business from people eating, relaxing, and smoking on the patio. “I can understand no smoking indoors, but people on the patio should not have to be asked not to smoke,” he said. Other restaurants in Midway, such as the Holly Hill Inn and Quirk Café and Coffee, have patios.

Bozarth and Van Den Dool were not the only Midway business owners and residents with concerns about the proposal. At a merchants meeting in Midway this morning, many business owners expressed their opinions. Quirk owner Grayson Vandegrift said, “We put a lot of time and money into our businesses and to tell us what we can and can’t do is wrong.” Midway businesses already ban smoking on their own, but not to the extent the county Board of Health has proposed.

Overall, business owners said the ban would be a good thing, but feel the health board, residents and business owners should work out a compromise. Bozarth told them he plans to write a letter expressing Midway’s concerns to County Judge-Executive John Coyle, the health board chairman. Some Midway business owners are petitioning Coyle, saying they want a compromise that would benefit all residents.

The proposed ordinance would prohibit smoking in all enclosed public places and places of employment, including restaurants, bars, sports arenas, and shopping malls, as well as many other public places.

Health Department Director Garland VanZant said in an interview that the health board will meet tomorrow evening to discuss what transpired at the forum. He said the board may send the proposal back to the committee that developed it and ask the committee to meet with restaurant owners and concerned residents to work something out, or could drop it. VanZant said passage of the ordinance would require a first and second reading and a formal public hearing, which probably would not be until May, if then.

Midway can be more than just the town of 1,620

Where is Midway, Ky.? A complete answer to that question should also answer another form of the question: What is Midway?
Why? Because Midway can be more than just the land and people in the city limits. About 2,500 people have Midway addresses because they live in the ZIP code that includes the city, 40347. For example, former Gov. Brereton Jones is often referred to as "a Midway horse breeder," though his home is closer to Franklin County than to the Midway city limits. A HometownLocator.com map of the postal zone appears below. It includes small parts of eastern Franklin County and southern Scott County.

The Census Bureau has a slightly different "definition" of Midway, limited to the boundaries of Woodford County. It is smaller than the ZIP code area, but includes a section east of Pisgah Pike and north of Old Frankfort Pike that is not in the postal zone. Here is the Midway census tract: