Curtain Goes Up All Across Kentucky!
From Pikeville to Paducah and Covington to Cumberland or from internationally renowned Actors Theatre of Louisville to historic theaters on Main Street, the curtain goes up year-round for plays, music, movies and other performances. Rather than succumb to a long-winter’s nap, waylay the onset of cabin fever at the wonderful performances here in Kentucky. As weather gets chillier and skies turn grayer with winter months bearing down, don’t fret. Kentucky’s show times will fit the bill to prompt a winter getaway. It’s show time!
Theater venues on college and university campuses have top notch schedules throughout the season. One is the Norton Center for the Arts in Danville where two recently renovated theaters roll out the carpet at this internationally recognized performing arts center. The performances at the Centre College center, are listed on their Web site at www.nortoncenter.com . You’ll see season series of outstanding guest artists, touring productions and symphony orchestras. For direct links to other campus theater programs around the state, go to http://cpe.ky.gov/institutions. Remember to check out productions by the theater department. You never know, you just might see an Ashley Judd in the making (University of Kentucky)!
Ashland’s historic Paramount Arts Center is only one gem in the many refurbished community theaters that do it all: music, Broadway, Shakespeare, and traveling blockbusters like Le Grande Cirque and Rain: a Tribute to the Beatles. The bonus is sitting where the Judd’s and Billy Ray Cyrus launched their careers.
Other historic houses that have been painstakingly restored in downtowns throughout the state include the Grand Theater in Frankfort, the Lexington Opera House, and the State Theater in Elizabethtown.
Music has always played a vital role in Kentucky culture and so it is today. The Southgate House in Newport is nationally recognized as a premier music scene, heralded for its intimate setting and friendly atmosphere. For times, artists and dose of early Kentucky history, go to www.southgatehouse.com. Or every Monday evening, Woodsong’s Old Time Radio Hour, a celebration of grassroots, Americana music, goes live at Lexington’s Kentucky Theater. The show is broadcast worldwide on radio and television. To be a part of it, go to www.woodsongs.com .
There are many more productions on Kentucky’s play bill. For more ideas and information log on to http://kentuckytourism.com and click on Things to Do.
What a Market: Kentucky-made Crafts Show Heart of Bluegrass State
Kentucky boasts a complete rainbow of artisans who create fine, hand crafted items which tell the story of a state rich in talent and spirit. Pottery, furniture, quilts, wood, textiles and glass are only a sampling of the creativity that is expressed here. Because of the unlimited supply of talent, Kentucky is on the national stage and you won’t want to miss the show.
At the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in Louisville, the work of more than 200 artists is featured at any given time. Permanent collections like glass installations from Glass Works and metal from Kaviar Forge and Gallery surround The Gallery Shop where folk art, paintings, prints, drawings and jewelry are part of the outstanding merchandise. If you don’t want your selection to travel with you, they gladly ship to the four corners of the world. For hours, prices and special exhibitions, log on to www.kentuckyarts.org .
In Paducah, colors and designs flourish in the U.S. National Quilt Museum—the only such venue in the nation. Three galleries showcase more than 150 art quilts at a time and exhibits--traditional to amazingly contemporary--change regularly.
No need to travel to far and wide to see folk art of international importance. Just off I-64 East in Morehead, the Kentucky Folk Art Center exhibits a full compliment of folk art and preserves and promotes this art expression. The permanent collection has more than 1,300 pieces by regional artists and at least five new exhibitions are displayed each year. Materials artists use to transform their work may prove every bit as interesting as the finished piece. Works from the permanent collection have traveled to Eastern Europe and South America but you can experience them right here in Kentucky. For hours and simple directions, go to www.moreheadstate.edu/kfac.
Berea, just south of Lexington, is the folk art and crafts capital of Kentucky. This little community is packed with galleries downtown and in Old Town and is the home of the Kentucky Artisan Center. Not your regular interstate travel stop, the center is wall-to-wall gallery and shopping with themed exhibits and superbly crafted items. Here art comes in the broadest sense and includes specialty foods, soaps, music, paper and books—all created by outstanding artisans from right here. Use it as a gateway to creativity all over the state and meet the artists who are the minds behind the creations. Admission is free.
The Pause in Kentucky that Refreshes
Skip the distance and traffic of Atlanta and “things will go better” when the largest privately owned collection of Coca-Cola™ memorabilia is right here in the Bluegrass State. More than 80,000 Coke™ related items are on display in the 32,000 square ft. museum in Elizabethtown. The collection was begun in 1971 by Bill and Jan Schmidt, the third generation in his family to work in bottling the secret elixir, when a plant was opened in Elizabethtown. What began as an interest in a world-famous beverage, turned into a passion. The museum façade offers you a sip as from what has to be one of the largest Coke bottles in the world. While you’re visiting, belly up to the soda fountain for a libation and browse the gift shop for your very own Coke™ memorabilia. Conveniently located at the Bluegrass Parkway and I-65, the Coca Cola™ museum hours and other nearby attractions are posted on www.schmidtmuseum.com or phone (270) 234-1100.