Thanksgiving service shows the diversity and community feeling in Midway

By Adrian Rudd

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

Pastor Judy Stallons greeted a diverse group of parishioners on the doorstep of Midway United Methodist Church Monday evening, as it hosted the annual community Thanksgiving service sponsored by the Midway Ministerial Association.

Members of several different church communities gathered together to give thanks in light of the holiday season. This service is just one of several times a year that Midway churches worship together despite their differences in denomination.

“We do a Martin Luther King worship service, a sunrise service on Easter, and a peace service for 9/11, and we rotate which church hosts,” said Stallons.

The Thanksgiving service filled churchgoers with holiday spirit while also celebrating diversity. The gathering music featured special guests, siblings Chakrapani and Bhavani Gudlavelleti, performing the national anthem of India, “Jana Gana Mana,” and India’s national song, “Vande Mataram.”

The Midway University Chorale filled the church with beautiful melodies, leading the congregation in several hymns throughout the service.

Wright

Brother Chris Wright, pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church, spoke about something that unites all Christians this holiday season, giving thanks to God.

“Thanksgiving is what flows from our hearts,” he preached. “It’s not what’s going to be on the table, it’s not Black Friday, it’s not about the things we will buy.”

Wright’s message was answered with frequent ‘amens’ from the congregation of about 50 people from various Midway churches. He prompted several laughs as well when he urged Christians not to shop on Black Friday.

“My wife is already telling me I’m going shopping with her, and I don’t like shopping,” he smiled, “I don’t think Christians ought to shop on Black Friday. It’s hard to be a Christian on Black Friday.”

All jokes aside, Wright’s message about giving thanks was heard and well received.

“Thanksgiving is an opportunity to remember the beautiful God we serve,” he proclaimed.

While in many small towns people may stay isolated within their own churches, these community-oriented worship services are just one example of how Midway stands out from other communities.

Stallons

Stallons, pastor at the Methodist church for five and a half years, wrote a letter to The Woodford Sun last week, thanking the community of Midway for the prayers and generosity she received with the recent passing of her younger sister.

“Somebody brought me a casserole, and you know, they’re not from my church,” Stallons said in an interview. “Being a pastor, I don’t expect people from other churches to do that sort of thing. The fact that people from other churches reached out meant a lot.”

After growing up around various cities in Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois, the warmth that Stallons received from the Midway community came as a pleasant surprise to her.

“People from the Christian Church greeted me in restaurants,” she said. “People from the Presbyterian Church would stop and say they were praying for me.”

In his message to the congregation, Wright restated the importance of embracing differences and recognizing the common thread between all people.

“Part of embracing diversity is being comfortable with yourself,” said Wright, an African American.

The attendees were clearly comfortable with each other, exchanging hugs, handshakes, and laughs before and after the worship service.

This culture of accepting others across boundaries brings support to people in the community during difficult times, and brings joy to everyone during the holiday season. 

Mary Wright of Pilgrim Baptist was especially joyful following the Thanksgiving service.

“I think these events are wonderful for the community,” she said. “I would love to see more of it.”

Community Thanksgiving dinner at Christian Church starts the holiday season in Midway

Story by Amanda Colvin, video report by Brittany Forte'
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

Food, community, and fellowship set the scene of Thursday night’s Thanksgiving dinner at Midway Christian Church. Toddlers, kids, adults, and elders participated in the annual event. Around 100 people from Midway and surrounding areas attended the dinner to get their first taste of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Pastor Heather McColl said the event originally started out as a charity but has evolved into an annual dinner that provides the community with a chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones, an event that shows off the kind, welcoming spirit of Midway.

“It originally started out with some people in our community that might not have had a chance for a Thanksgiving dinner, so that was sort of the thought behind it,” said McColl. “This really is a chance for a community to come together, have a meal, and really get to know each other.”

Whether adults or children, young or old, the people in attendance were eager to grab a plate and catch up with old friends. Music played by live musicians filled the room to aid in the sense of community and excitement. Upon walking into the church’s fellowship hall, you were instantly greeting by smiling faces and welcomes.

The kitchen was full of volunteers who had prepared enough food for the entire room to eat and take home leftovers. Food of all kinds lined the counters waiting to be sampled. The roar of people catching up with old friends and meeting new acquaintances competed with the volume of the music.

“We just hope that everyone can come enjoy a good meal and the music and have a good time tonight,” said the church’s care-team leader, Etta Manor.

The smiling faces and warm embraces meant that Midway Christian Church had met the goal of its Thanksgiving dinner, but also showed the sense of community in Midway, making the first event of the holidays a good one.

Photo by Amanda Colvin, UK School of Journalism and Telecommunications

County fire department getting another foam device through grant from Kentucky-American Water Co.

Click on map to view larger version

The Woodford County Fire Department is getting a foam eductor through a grant from Kentucky-American Water Co., which serves most of the county's population, including Midway.

The $800 piece of equipment is used to apply firefighting foam to liquid combustibles that can float on top of water. County Fire Chief John Varner said the equipment would be housed at the department's main station in Versailles but would be available for use countywide, including mutual aid to the Midway Fire Department. Varner said the county department has an eductor, but it is housed at the Millville station because distilleries are in the area.

The grant was one of 18, totaling $9,000, made this year through the water company's program to support fire departments in its service area. "We appreciate what these dedicated men and women do every day for our communities," company spokeswoman Susan Lancho said.

Sidewalk Committee to meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday

The Sidewalk Committee of the Midway City Council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, at City Hall to discuss a sidewalk plan. The notice from City Hall says no action will be taken. All city council and committee meetings are open to the public.

3 council members will develop plan for sidewalks; grants committee formed; pop-up store coming

The sidewalk at 122 W. Main St. is in bad shape.

Story and photos by Casey Parker-Bell

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications

Soon you might not have to look down when walking the streets of Midway.

At Monday night’s city council meeting, Mayor Grayson Vandegrift appointed a committee to develop a comprehensive plan to improve the sidewalks of Midway. “We have an issue with sidewalks of disrepair downtown,” Vandegrift said.

City law makes landowners responsible for the upkeep of sidewalks on their property. “Obviously, I think we all agree waiting for owners of these sidewalks is probably going to be a futile effort,” Vandegrift said. But the mayor said he wants to work with homeowners and not force them to fix broken sidewalks.

“Instead of approaching this as ‘We’re coming to get you, you’re going to fix your sidewalks,’ we need to approach this as ‘You have a sidewalk that is in disrepair; it is in the city’s best interest to get it fixed’,” Vandegrift said.

This sidewalk is at 105 S. Winter St.

Part of the city’s concern with bad sidewalks is the city’s liability if someone is injured., Vandegrift said, calling it “a public safety issue.” Even though landowners are responsible for the upkeep of sidewalks, the city is liable if anyone is hurt because of problems with the pathways.

Vandegrift said in an interview that he knows of two cases of people tripping and hurting themselves on cracked sidewalks. “Luckily no one has sued or anything yet,” he said. “The big one was about two years ago; a lady tripped and fell, and busted her face open pretty good.”

After that incident, the city painted yellow stripes on all of the trip hazards around town. “But all that does is make it more discernable to the eye,” Vandegrift said. “It’s not a long-term solution.”

Vandegrift said he has heard complaints from citizens about the condition of the sidewalks, from parents with small children to the members of a local Girl Scout troop who wrote him a letter about the sidewalks on Winter Street near the post office.

A comprehensive sidewalk plan is needed because of the city is limited in the ways it can improve sidewalk conditions, Vandegrift said. “Currently our only recourse is to put a lien on the property, and it’s just not effective,” Vandegrift said. “There are a lot of people who would never sell their properties,” which a lien would prevent.

The mayor said has heard of ideas like cost sharing between property owners and the city to fix sidewalks. “I do suspect we will have to offer something like that to engage people to go ahead and fix them.”

Council Member Bruce Southworth, chair of the sidewalk committee,  said he believes there are multiple options for Midway to improve sidewalk conditions. He said he wants an approach where homeowners and the city can share burden. “Maybe we can come up with something that can work to both of our benefit.”

Southworth said he thinks the committee will have a plan together by the first of the year, but set no specific timetable.

A tree has heaved this sidewalk at 129 W. Main St. about two inches.

Sidewalks in need of repair are not hard to find in the downtown area. Many if not most have been painted yellow to alert pedestrians of danger, but the damaged sidewalks dip or bulge more than an inch in some places, creating a tripping hazard. Some sidewalks on Winter Street near the post office on have the worst damage.

Kenny Smith, president of the Midway Merchants Association, said he hopes that the city is successful improving the sidewalks. “If it makes the town more likeable, then it helps the whole town,” he said. Smith said he didn’t believe that the quality of sidewalks in residential neighborhoods necessarily affects shoppers from out of town, but he wants to make the city better as a whole.

Vandegrift also appointed Council Members Kaye Nita Gallagher and Steven Craig to the sidewalk committee. He said the issue should have been addressed "yesterday."

Council Member Sara Hicks suggested that sidewalk repairs be coordinated with sewer repairs that the city plans to do when it has the money. "If we’re gonna tear up sidewalks it seems to me, in terms of efficiency, if we needed to do anything on the sewers that would be the time, because we’d be torn up already.”

The mayor also announced the creation of a citizens advisory committee to help the city with grant writing. “We’re behind the eight-ball on this,” he said. Vandergrift said some grants could help pay for improving sidewalks around town. The committee members he appointed are Jo Blease, Diana Ratliff, Debra Shockley and Mark Pitzer.

Vandegrift announced a new citizens advisory committee that will help with city grants.

Vandegrift said he is looking to get grants for “anything and everything”  and a grant committee is needed to be competitive and give Midway a chance at great opportunities. “There’s a lot of money out there, but we lack man power,” he said in an interview. “We need to know where to look and how to write.”

Vandegrift said the last major grant the city of Midway received was back in 2004 for roadwork in downtown Midway on Main Street. “This committee could end up developing into a part-time position or even a part of the city council,” he said.

The council heard that Bob Mickler’s lifestyle and performance-riding apparel store, in Lexington, plans to open a holiday pop-up shop in Midway from Nov. 25 to Dec. 25 at 119 E. Main St. The store will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Situated in the same location as Bourbon Lane Stable and McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, the pop-up shop seeks to supply local residents and holiday tourists alike with riding and casual apparel, said Chief Executive Officer Michael S. Michalisin. “We are going to do our very best to make it representative of the classy look that is prevalent on East Main Street,” Michalisin said as he asked the council for advice and ideas regarding the best way to do business in Midway and answered questions the council had about the new store.

Vandegrift welcomed the pop-up shop, saying, “I think that it’s a great fit for Midway.” Likewise, he expressed a desire for the company to consider opening a permanent location in the town.

The mayor announced that the city Christmas tree lighting will take place Friday, Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the common area across from Steppin’ Out Boutique and the Christmas Open House will be that Saturday with Santa Claus arriving via train provided by R.J. Corman Railroad at 11 a.m.

Information for this story was also gathered by UK students Kelly Brightmore, Mackenzie Clark and Dimitri Silva.

Wreaths at cemetery remind us today is Veterans Day

The Midway City Council recently voted to buy two wreaths for the veterans monument in the Midway Cemetery
on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. This photo, taken today, shows the wreaths in place. (Photo by Al Cross)

Midway University gets higher marks in national ratings

Several publications have recognized Midway University recently for academic excellence.  Most notably, the state’s only women’s college was ranked as the tenth best women’s college in the nation by BestColleges.com. 

The university boasts an 83 percent freshman retention rate and a 15:1 student-faculty ratio.  Such numbers helped Midway move from 65th to 45th in U.S. News & World Report’s list of top colleges in the South. 

Midway’s president, Dr. John Marsden, said he was honored that the institution received high marks from a variety of organizations.  “Although these rankings are not a comprehensive measure of our entire institution, each of them is a snapshot and high level measure of key indicators for our prospective students and their families,” he said in a news release.

Since Marsden became president in 2012, it has grown.  Known as Midway University since July 1, the institution expanded its mission statement to be more open to international students.  These recognitions highlight the school’s progress. 

The university’s nursing, sport management and health-care administration programs were also recognized by BestColleges.com.  The website rated Midway’s online curriculum as the fifth best in Kentucky. Midway was ranked 10th out of 26 universities in Kentucky by USA Today’s College Factual.

Midway also received commendations for it affordability after three consecutive years without raising tuition or room and board.  Washington Monthly magazine ranked Midway 16th in its list of “Best Bang for Buck Colleges in the South.” --Nicholas Roush