Grand Marshal

GRAVEL SWITCH - If toilets on wheels racing toward a country store is not the oddest oddity in Casey County, try Ernie Brown Jr. He makes Crocodile Dundee look timid. Brown, who is known as Turtleman, will be the grand marshal of the Outhouse Blowout at Penn's Country Store Sept. 9, and he plans to bring along his turtle shells and turtle tales. From his neck to his toes, he is dressed in camouflage, and he tops it off with a leather cowboy hat trimmed with a band of turtle tail leather and snapping turtle claws.

LIBERTY - "I'm here to meet the people of Casey County and to have a good time," said television and film star Sonny Shroyer, as he ate pizza served in a large apple storage box Friday night. Shroyer, who played Enos on "Dukes of Hazzard" in the 1970s, is in town this weekend because he heard about the big apple pie that will be served at noon Saturday. He also will be grand marshal at 6 tonight in the annual Casey County Apple Festival parade. "What do you cut this pizza with?

Thick, pink scars run the length of John Kirby's upper arm. There's another on the back of his calf, and shorter ones on the front and back of his forearm. Burns that look like they came from the red-hot end of a cigar dot his upper back. But Kirby says his war wounds, which earned him two purple hearts in 2007, don't make him a war hero. "I'm not a hero. I'm a kid from Winchester who's still having the time of his life," he said. "The heroes are the ones who don't come back.

Robbie Graham, assistant boys' basketball coach at George Rogers Clark High School, will be the grand marshal of the annual Labor Day Parade, scheduled Sept. 3. Graham, a native of Flemingsburg, has been a resident of Winchester for two years. An all-state and all-region basketball player at Fleming County High school, Graham furthered his career at Vanderbilt University, where he was a member of the 1990 NIT championship team. While attending Vanderbilt, he was vice president of the Black Student Union.

For the past three years, organizers of the J.D. Crowe Festival have held a Crowe Fest Poster Contest with the winner's artwork displayed on promotional material for the event as well as posters being sold at the festival. The contest is open to all local artists and receives several dozen entries each year. This year's winning design was submitted by 5-year-old Lucas Hammond of Nicholasville. He is no stranger to the J.D. Crowe festival or bluegrass music, spending countless hours at the side of his grandpa, Mike Hammond, or Burley, one half of the popular bluegrass comedy team, The Moron Brothers.

At the University of Kentucky Children's Hospital on the fourth floor inside room 468 resides a 12-year-old with the one of the sweetest smiles you'll ever encounter and one of the most outgoing personalities you'd ever meet. On April 8, Trystan Jackson was diagnosed with a very rare type of bone cancer called Osteosarcoma, and he has been undergoing intense chemotherapy ever since. Trystan, who will serve as grand marshal for the 2008 Jessamine County Relay for Life, is a classic little boy; he is a New York Yankees fan and loves hogging the computer from his mom to play video games online.

"Santa through the Ages" was the theme of the annual Danville Christmas parade Friday night. Miss Kentucky USA 2009 Maria Montgomery of Danville was the grand marshal. The float winners in Friday's parade are as follows: Industry: First, Charleston Health Care; and second, Ephraim McDowell Health. Business: First, Salvation Army; and second, Community Arts Center. Non-commercial: First, Danville Youth Football; and second, Danville Christian Academy; and third, The Crazy Quilters; fourth, Covered Wagon pulled by Mules; and fifth, The King.

"Surf's Up" is the theme of this year's Clark County Fair Parade, which will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph Catholic Church and end at Depot Street off North Main. Lisa Kuduk, who is organizing the parade, said it will have vintage farm tractors, classic cars, a mule team (Roy Ballard's team, Roddy and Rachel), the 4-H horse drill team, a Girl Scout troop and some members of the Agriculture Hall of Fame. Michelle Rodgers of Winchester, the reigning America's Junior Miss, will be the grand marshal.

Hannah Mae Rector, winner of the recent Winchester SuperStar competition, will be grand marshal of the annual Christmas parade. Plans for the parade, scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, were made at the Sept. 11 meeting held at City Hall. The theme of the parade will be is the 12 Days of Christmas. Tentative plans call for Brian Thomas and David Hunt to serve as emcees. The parade is being organized by The Christmas Parade Committee and the Winchester First Promotions Committee.

Tis the season for Christmas parades in the area. Danville, Liberty and Harrodsburg will have their respective parades tonight. Danville and Liberty's are both at 7 p.m., and Harrodsburg's is at 6:30. Stanford and Burgin's parades are Saturday. Stanford's will be 6 p.m. and Burgin's is 5:30 p.m. State Sen. Ed Worley, D-Richmond, will be grand marshal for Stanford's parade Saturday. The Snow Queen will be crowned afterward on the courthouse steps.

The Clark County Firefighters Association is planning a Fourth of July parade and cruise-in to honor those in public service. Association president Benjamin Wright said the group wants to bring back a Fourth of July celebration for the community after many years passed without a parade in Winchester. “Especially (in) a lot of the bigger communities they have a Fourth of July parade every year, and really we didn't have anything here, you know, beyond the Christmas parade, occasional fair parade ... so that's kind of where it came from,” he said.

For the second year in a row, the Winchester Lions Club is at the helm of the annual downtown Christmas parade. Lions Club president Lynn Hollingsworth said that planning the parade has been hard work, but fun. “A lot of people, nowadays … with the way the economy is, they’re just getting tired of sitting around the house. It doesn’t cost anything,” Hollingsworth said of the parade. The parade begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, on Main Street.

"Santa through the Ages" was the theme of the annual Danville Christmas parade Friday night. Miss Kentucky USA 2009 Maria Montgomery of Danville was the grand marshal. The float winners in Friday's parade are as follows: Industry: First, Charleston Health Care; and second, Ephraim McDowell Health. Business: First, Salvation Army; and second, Community Arts Center. Non-commercial: First, Danville Youth Football; and second, Danville Christian Academy; and third, The Crazy Quilters; fourth, Covered Wagon pulled by Mules; and fifth, The King.

It's only early December, but Santa Claus will be kicking it into high gear this weekend, appearing in no less than six area parades, some of them simultaneously. Three cities ? Danville, Liberty and Harrodsburg ? are hosting their annual Christmas parades this evening. Stanford, Perryville and Burgin will follow suit on Saturday. St. Nick gets top billing in Danville's parade, which has a theme this year of "Santa through the Ages. " Entries will gather on the Centre College campus along Walnut and College streets before the parade begins at 7 p.m. The route is along Main Street from Fifth to Second streets.

For the past three years, organizers of the J.D. Crowe Festival have held a Crowe Fest Poster Contest with the winner's artwork displayed on promotional material for the event as well as posters being sold at the festival. The contest is open to all local artists and receives several dozen entries each year. This year's winning design was submitted by 5-year-old Lucas Hammond of Nicholasville. He is no stranger to the J.D. Crowe festival or bluegrass music, spending countless hours at the side of his grandpa, Mike Hammond, or Burley, one half of the popular bluegrass comedy team, The Moron Brothers.

"Surf's Up" is the theme of this year's Clark County Fair Parade, which will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph Catholic Church and end at Depot Street off North Main. Lisa Kuduk, who is organizing the parade, said it will have vintage farm tractors, classic cars, a mule team (Roy Ballard's team, Roddy and Rachel), the 4-H horse drill team, a Girl Scout troop and some members of the Agriculture Hall of Fame. Michelle Rodgers of Winchester, the reigning America's Junior Miss, will be the grand marshal.

A prominent central Kentucky businessman and philanthropist who got his start in Winchester has died. Jerry Healy, 72, of Lexington, passed away Wednesday night at the University of Kentucky Medical Center after a short illness. Healy grew up in Michigan and in 1974 moved with his family to Winchester, where he opened the first of his 14 McDonald's restaurants when he was only 38. Today his company employs more than 1,000 people in Winchester, Paris, Mount Sterling, Morehead, Georgetown and many other cities in Kentucky.

Historic homes will be museum program topic Some of Winchester's older homes will be in the spotlight at next week's Second Thursday program at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum. Bobbi Newell of Winchester, who discussed historic Winchester homes at the museum's December 2007 Second Thursday, will continue that discussion at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 11, spotlighting a number of additional homes. Newell is a researcher and genealogist. Future programs will include Dr. Randolph Hollingsworth, Jan. 8, "Virginia Gentry in Early Lexington;" Dr. Marc and Cindy Ford, Feb. 12, "Colbyville Tavern," and Estill "Buck" Pennington, March 12, "Master Works by Kentucky Painters.

Thick, pink scars run the length of John Kirby's upper arm. There's another on the back of his calf, and shorter ones on the front and back of his forearm. Burns that look like they came from the red-hot end of a cigar dot his upper back. But Kirby says his war wounds, which earned him two purple hearts in 2007, don't make him a war hero. "I'm not a hero. I'm a kid from Winchester who's still having the time of his life," he said. "The heroes are the ones who don't come back.

The two grand marshals have been chosen for the coming Jessamine Jamboree Parade, set to head down Main Street this Saturday. Leading the way will be country singer Sarah Johns, a native of Pollard, Ky., and Charlie Nichols, a former music teacher in the county school system. Johns is a rising star in country music, opening for George Strait on his recent tour. Her debut album, Big Love in a Small Town, released Aug. 28, 2007, on Nashville-based label BNA Records, which features country music stars artists such as Kenny Chesney and Terri Clark.