Kentucky River

Visitors to Fort Boonesborough State Park this summer will find a much cleaner Kentucky River thanks to the efforts of the more than 100 people who showed up for the 21st annual Kentucky River Sweep Saturday. The group spent several hours picking up trash and debris that had collected along the banks of the river near the boat ramp and beach at the park and along the Clark County side of the river, near Lock and Dam No. 10. One group of about 15 teenagers came from Tennessee to help, while others were residents who lived along the river.

A Nicholasville man got more than he bargained for while out for an early morning joyride at the John Nickell Boat Ramp at the end of Ky. 39 at the Kentucky River. According to the Jessamine County Sheriff's Office, 21-year-old David T. Senethavilay borrowed a friend's car, traveled to the boat ramp and began to perform “doughnuts” before crashing into a metal pylon. “A friend of his who he spent the night with lets him take the car - he's from Nicholasville - and he was down here doing doughnuts and ended up on one of the pylons,” Sgt. Andy Neyman said.

CAMP NELSON — The historic community of Camp Nelson, which lies off U.S. 27 on both sides of the Kentucky River between Garrard and Jessamine counties, once was a booming place. A Civil War camp, established in 1863 to recruit Union troops, and became a haven for black families, many of whom had escaped slavery. It was named in honor of Major Gen. William Nelson. The draft of black soldiers in 1864 made Camp Nelson the most important recruiting station and training camp for blacks.

An elderly man from Lexington lost his life after a late model Cadillac he was driving plunged into the Kentucky River near the Valley View Ferry in eastern Jessamine County Thursday afternoon. The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. when Martin Paez, 90, of 421 Greenbriar Road, Lexington, drove his car into the river from the Jessamine County side, according to Jessamine County Fire Chief Mike Rupard and Jessamine Sheriff Deputy Allen "Doodle" Peel. "We got a call that a car had went off the road into the river," Rupard said.

For nearly 20 years, central Kentucky community leaders, water professionals, and many private citizens have known that we are faced with a water supply shortage. During this period, we have gone through several droughts that have been more of an inconvenience than back-breaking events. This may be Mother Nature's wake up call that she will bring a really bad one to our doorstep at any time. Her warning needs to be heeded without further delay. Ask your Atlanta friends about this.

A group of Eastern Kentucky University took their first step toward finding their big idea for the Kentucky River watershed. Last week, a group of students in the school's Center for Appalachian Studies mailed 200 surveys to officials in the 41 counties along the river for ideas and comments for future plans to preserve and enhance the river. A documentary about the river is already in the planning stages, as a promotional and awareness tool. "The survey these students put together will help shape the film," CAS director Dr. Alan Banks said.

BROOKLYN - A Junction City man drowned Friday apparently while attempting to swim across the Kentucky River near the Mercer-Jessamine county line. Jessamine County Coroner Bobbye Ballard identified the man as Sammy Jones, 34, who was visiting a friend who lives along the river near the Brooklyn Bridge and apparently tried to swim across. Chief Michael Rupard of Jessamine County Fire and Rescue said the emergency call was received around 10 a.m. Approximately 25 emergency personnel responded to the incident and helped drag the river, including officers from Burgin and Wilmore.

HARRODSBURG - The future of a small electricity generating plant on the Kentucky River is unknown, but not because no one is paying attention. A Louisville company is investigating the prospect of buying the operation from Kentucky Utilities, but the investigation is at a point where little can be said publicly. The Lock 7 hydroelectric plant has not been used since 1999 by KU and has fallen into disrepair. It reportedly would take between $4 million and $6 million to renovate it and bring it back on line.

Each year, the Kentucky River tries to claim more land and roadway along Four Mile Road. A backhoe operated by Clark County Road Department employee Jimmy Parker, center photo, pushes rock brought by a county truck into a section of the road that slipped into the river last week. Once the rock was in place, Parker used the bucket to compress the rock before the next load was delivered. The Road Department had just finished repairing an approximately 100-foot slip, bottom photo, when the new slip occurred.

Editor's note: This is the third of a four-part series that looks at rare species in our own back yard. From the Kentucky River in Mercer County comes one of the largest salamanders in the Americas - the Eastern hellbender. The salamander, which reaches 2 feet in size, has short legs and a flat head. It spends most of its days under rocks in river beds. Surveys show hellbenders have been spotted at Lock No. 6 and along the Kentucky River. The state also has hellbenders in the Cumberland and Licking rivers.

A Danville man was listed in critical condition this morning at a Lexington hospital as he fights to recover from a dramatic fall he took while hiking Sunday in Garrard County. John Davis, 22, fractured his skull in six places, broke his collarbone and suffered a partially collapsed lung when he fell more than 60 feet down a steep rock incline near the Kentucky River in the Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve, said his mother, Nancy Davis of Danville. “It was a rough night,” Nancy Davis said this morning from her son's room at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center.

About 60 parishioners gathered Sunday at Lake Mingo in Nicholasville to bless the waters in an annual ceremony that celebrates the baptism of Jesus. The Saint Athanasius Orthodox Church community traveled to Lake Mingo to celebrate the Great Blessing of Waters after its regular Sunday-morning liturgy. The service included Old Testament and New Testament readings, prayers, and hymns. “The prayers recount the history of the Jews and the history of Christ coming into the world, and they talk about the baptism,” Fr. Justin Patterson said.

A Nicholasville man got more than he bargained for while out for an early morning joyride at the John Nickell Boat Ramp at the end of Ky. 39 at the Kentucky River. According to the Jessamine County Sheriff's Office, 21-year-old David T. Senethavilay borrowed a friend's car, traveled to the boat ramp and began to perform “doughnuts” before crashing into a metal pylon. “A friend of his who he spent the night with lets him take the car - he's from Nicholasville - and he was down here doing doughnuts and ended up on one of the pylons,” Sgt. Andy Neyman said.

Editor's note: “The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come,” 1903, by John Fox Jr., is the fourth in a series of book reviews about works of Kentucky fiction. An unexpected number of the best Kentucky novels have come from the hills of the eastern part of the state. Some of these were written by natives, others by outlanders who, having migrated in, became fascinated with the people and their folky ways. A prime example of the latter is John Fox Jr. He was born during the Civil War at Stony Point in rural Bourbon County, which is south of Paris.

This is the last of three articles describing the John Holder Trail at the Lower Howard's Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve. As before, we will focus on the people who lived or owned land along the trail and the events that occurred there. The land referred to as the Benjamin Hieronymus place is located on a rise above the Kentucky River cliffs just west of and above Hall's Restaurant. It is bound on the south and west by Athens-Boonesboro Road, on the north by the Bush Mill Road (the Preserve entrance road)

The main branch of Lower Howard's Creek begins in Winchester and flows generally toward the southwest until it gets to Kitt's Hole near the Kentucky River. This deep pool takes its name, according to legend, from a man named Kitt who supposedly drowned there. From Kitt's Hole, the creek makes a sharp turn to the north then to the east, passing the mouth of Deep Branch, before finally turning to flow almost due south. This horseshoe bend encloses an area of about 15 acres called “Thompson Ridge” that is now included in the Lower Howard's Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve.

One of Clark County's hidden treasures is the Lower Howard's Creek Nature and Heritage Preserve. Until this year, due to conditions imposed by state agencies, the Preserve had only been allowed to provide guided hikes. That changed when the Friends of Lower Howard's Creek's petition to construct a public trail was approved. In April, the John Holder Trail was officially opened for public hiking. The trailhead is located beside Hall's on the River; the restaurant allows hikers to use their parking lot. Judging by the number of brochures given out, the trail is being used on a daily basis.

I-75 connector a bad idea Dear Editor: The $350-$400 million Interstate 75 connector project is a very bad idea for our environment, historical landmarks, future, and for us. Once paved, the pristine beauty of this area will forever be erased. The development will destroy fragile ecosystems along and within the Kentucky River. The new highway may even cross the Palisades, where many endangered species most certainly reside. Many historical features will be affected. One proposed route would shut down the Valley View Ferry.

Alvin “Cowboy” Harris, 89, of Wilmore died unexpectedly on Tuesday, Aug. 28, at the VA Hospital on Cooper Drive. A native of Estill County, he was born May 4, 1923, to the late James and Allie Metcalf Harris. He was the loving husband to Hattie Arvin Harris for 66 years. As a bricklayer, Alvin worked for many companies in the central-Kentucky area and was a member of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsman Union Local No. 1 and Bethel Christian Church. He loved rabbit and coon hunting, fishing on the Kentucky River and pitching horseshoes.