I-64 rest area facilities in Woodford close until May 3

Facilities at both rest areas on Interstate 64 in northwest Woodford County will be closed for the next three months, the state Transportation Cabinet announced tonight.

The cabinet said the closures are needed in order to make repairs to the sewer lift stations that serve the facilities. "In addition, renovation operations for both rest areas will be underway," the cabinet said in a news release.

The rest areas will remain open to semi-tractor-trailer drivers for "temporary accommodations," the cabinet said. The facilities are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Friday, May 3 – the date of the Kentucky Oaks, and the day before the Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

Cemetery committee to discuss ordinances and funding, inspect damaged graves and headstones at 9 a.m. Sat.

The Cemetery and City Property Committee of the Midway City Council will meet at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3 at City Hall, and continue its meeting at the cemeteries in the city.

The meeting notice says the committee will "discuss ordinance changes and address [the] problem of maintenance funding" for graves that are 100 or more years old, and will drive to the cemeteries to look at damaged graves and headstones.

At last week's City Council meeting, former council member Johnny Wilson reported that 71 of the 303 headstones in the two old African American cemeteries need resetting, repair or replacement, and donated $1,000 for that purpose.

All committee and council meetings are open to the public, regardlkess of location.

Renaissance planning a bigger Francisco's Farm Arts Festival, more Midsummer Nights; seeks members

By Kristi Fitzgerald
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

“This is a growth year,” Elisha Holt, event coordinator for the Francisco’s Farm Arts Festival, told the crowd at the annual Midway Renaissance meeting in the fellowship hall of Midway Christian Church.

Holt said artists from all over the country have applied to be part of the festival, May 18-19 at Midway University. In the university amphitheater, a new “Flavors of Francisco” offering will feature plenty of “Kentucky Proud” products, food trucks, and local wine. “A lot of sponsors are jumping on board,” Holt added.

Renaissance President Debra Shockley explained the group's
mission with a quote from Paul Patton, governor in 1995-2003.

Renaissance's annual meeting takes place after the chili cook-off at the Christian Church to take advantage of the large crowd. Some at the cook-off were unaware of the purpose of Midway Renaissance, but President Debra Shockley offered background and past projects in hopes of encouraging the public to be excited about what is to come.

Shockley said this quote from then-Gov. Paul Patton, during his 1995-2003 term, sums up the goal of Renaissance: “All Kentucky communities should have downtown centers thriving with activity to pass on local traditions and treasures to future generations.”

Shockley mentioned projects completed by Renaissance since its founding in 2001, including a $2 million streetscape project that redid storm sewers, sidewalks, streets and utilities, and financed purchase of the building that is now City Hall. She said Renaissance is a non-profit and volunteer-only organization that has channeled $2.4 million through the City of Midway.

Shockley said Renaissance board members are developing a historical walking tour. The group has a Living History Committee that makes displays and presentations.

Aside from the arts festival, Renaissance’s main events are Midsummer Nights in Midway, on Friday nights in June, July and August. “There is lots of dancing in the street” at the events, Renaissance Secretary Peter Fisher said.

Renaissance members staff City Hall during weekend events to provide a restroom for the public because the city has no other public restrooms. They will be at City Hall handing out chocolate, hot chocolate, and coffee during the Midway Chocolate Stroll, a Midway Business Association event, Saturday, Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Shockley said the Renaissance board has room for five additional members. Each member serves a three-year term. The boatrd will hold elections at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 in the community room of the Midway library. The public is invited, and potential new members should attend or email Shockley at dshockley@RossTarrant.com.

On Thursday, March 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the library, the board will hold a strategic planning session, moderated by Bud Ratliff of The Solarity Group. "We will be discussing Midway Renaissance as it currently exists and what the future holds," Shockley said in an email.

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)

Big load coming through: Police will escort 27-foot-wide load on US 62 and Interstate 64 sometime Wednesday

Motorcade route is marked in blue. Disregard the times and two possible alternate routes determined by Google Maps.

Police will escort a huge piece of industrial cooling equipment, 27 feet wide, through the Midway area Wednesday on its way from Northern Kentucky to Tennessee. Lanes and roads will be blocked in the Georgetown area before the load enters Interstate 64 in southern Scott County.

The tractor-trailer load is scheduled to leave the Interstate 75/71 rest area in Northern Kentucky at 9 a.m. and head south on I-75 to US 62 at Exit 126. It will take the Georgetown bypass and US 62, then enter westbound I-64 at Exit 69. After passing through Midway on I-64, it will take Exit 53 at Frankfort to US 127, then follow the Bluegrass Parkway and I-65 to Tennessee.

The state Transportation Cabinet said in a news release that timing of road and lane blockages is not yet available but it will provide updates "as often as possible to help motorists avoid traffic delays."

"The motorcade will occupy the entire width of the route or all lanes in its direction of travel," so police will block traffic on US 62, US 460, I-64, US 127 and the parkway, the cabinet said. "On I-75 and I-65, which have three lanes in each direction, the load will span the center and right lanes as well as part of the shoulder."

The escort for Derenz Transport of Kiel, Wis., will be provided by the Kentucky State Police’s Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, in cooperation with local law-enforcement agencies, the cabinet said. Two marked vehicles will travel in front of the load and two will travel behind.

The news release concluded, "All overweight/over-dimensional travel is subject to change depending on weather conditions, emergencies and factors beyond the control of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet or Kentucky State Police."

Message from the mayor: Two companies are bringing 40 more jobs to Midway Station

By Grayson Vandegrift

Mayor, City of Midway

I hope you’re ready for the cold spell that’s coming in. Here’s some good news to keep you warm: two new companies and more new jobs at Midway Station!

The smaller of two job providers is a plumbing supply company that has already closed on a lot along McKinney Ave (between Reid Utilities and Epiphany Foam), we expect this to be around 10 jobs.

The larger user is one I’ve talked about somewhat here and there over the last few weeks, and it now appears we are about to cross the finish line as we’ve worked out the concerns the user had. That closing is scheduled for later this week, and until the ink is dry on the paper I’d rather not divulge the user publicly, for their own sake, but it’s an exciting and yet another diversifying find for our local economy. 

This user is expected to build in early 2020 and will bring 22 new jobs initially, and is expected to eventually employ around 30 full time workers.

These are exactly the type of job providers we’ve been seeking at Midway Station since attracting Lakeshore Learning Materials. While we’re extremely proud of our largest ever job provider, we’ve strategically shifted our focus to smaller, owner-operated companies that will provide good jobs, and thus generate good payroll, but will also allow us to avoid the “all eggs in one basket” scenario.

As always, with the larger company, nothing is 100 percent until the closing is complete, but I am confident in its prospects based on recent developments.

This was discussed publicly at last week’s EDA meeting, so I am also sharing this email with the Midway Messenger, as it is of importance and in the public’s interest. As soon as all details are finalized we will be sharing more.

Again, I think these two companies reflects our next steps in developing Midway Station in a strategic and sustainable matter. Furthermore, it will mean that more dirt will soon be turned over at Midway Station, only making our shovel ready land even more attractive to future potential clients. Thanks, and stay warm!

This message was emailed to the city council and the Midway Messenger.

Kentucky American Water, Midway's wholesale water supplier, offers tips for protecting pipes from the cold

Kentucky American Water Co. news release

With bitterly cold temperatures forecast for the next couple days in the Bluegrass, Kentucky American Water reminds customers of ways to help prevent their water pipes from freezing and potentially bursting.:

• Make sure you have disconnected garden hoses from all outside spigots. 
• If you are going way, set the thermostat no lower than 55 degrees. 
• Keep a slow trickle of water flowing overnight through faucets supplied by pipes that run through unheated or unprotected spaces or along outside walls. This will help prevent the water in them from freezing. 
• Keep kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around these pipes. 
• Make sure you know where your main water shut-off valve is located inside your home so that you can shut off your water quickly in the event of a water pipe leak and prevent costly damage. This valve is often located in a utility room or closet or in the basement. 

If your pipes do freeze, take these steps:

• Shut off your water immediately. 
• Thaw pipes with warm air, with a hair dryer or space heater. Do not leave space heaters unattended and do not use kerosene heaters or open flames. 
• Be careful turning water back on. Once pipes are thawed, slowly turn the water back on and check pipes and joints for any cracks. 

Visit Kentucky American Water’s website at kentuckyamwater.com for more tips on water-related matters.