Local Group

An auction Saturday at the Dix River Country Club organized by Bringing Little Hearts Home raised $15,340 to be donated to the Kaywood and Debbie Morris family to help them in their effort to adopt a child from China. Overseas adoption has become increasingly more expensive and the total cost could reach over $30,000. Bringing Little Hearts Home is a charity organized by Lincoln Realty owner David Meade to assist prospective parents with the financial barriers associated with adoption.

The first of what potentially could be a series of events set in and focused on downtown will be presented Sept. 25. “Eat Drink Danville: Oktoberfest Block Party” will feature beer, bratwurst, cheeses and other food — all out on the street. Danville/Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Adam Johnson said he’s real excited about this fundraiser for the Heart of Danville, the local Main Street program. The event is sponsored by the CVB, the HOD, V-The Market and Beer House.

A recent fishing trip to Canada was highly successful for a group of 10 men and boys from Danville, and not just because of the number of fish the group caught. One of the biggest benefits of this trip was the camaraderie of the folks involved. Also, the adults reveled in the enjoyment and the reactions of the youngsters that were along on this trip. Seeing the joy on the faces of the young folk really gave the adults a huge amount of satisfaction. How long does it take to get to Canada from Danville?

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) recently announced it again will provide funds for Kentucky Horse Organizations and Associations. KEEP created the local funding program as part of its grassroots efforts to help horse organizations around the state. The grants program includes four categories: 4-H and FFA clubs, horse shows and trail rides, equine breed and color-breed associations and educational activities. Each category has a funding limit and specific criteria applicants must meet to be considered.

By ANN R. HARNEY Everyone in Danville regards Rosemary Hamblin as a good cook. Now everyone on the Yakima Indian Reservation has sampled dishes prepared by one of the owners of The Tea Leaf. She was among nine members of Danville First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who made up the first adult mission group from that church. They spent a week at the Yakima Christian Mission on the reservation. Less than a month after returning from a mission trip to a reservation in the state of Washington, the participants got together last week to discuss the trip and talk about a possible trip next year.

Anna Ray Street was just a little girl when she was first introduced to knitting. With three brothers away fighting in World War II, her mother taught Anna Ray and her three sisters how to knit squares that would eventually be turned into blankets as part of the war effort. "My mother was knitting, so she just taught us girls to knit, too," Street said. When the war ended, so did Street's knitting hobby. But when she learned about a local knitting group, she decided to dust off the knitting needles and give it a try. "I had to learn all over again," Street said.

HARRODSBURG - Local singing group High Heels and Sneakers has released its first CD, titled “The Originals.”        The band features the rhythm and blues style of Cole Curtsinger, the country-rock sound of Christina Walton, and the gritty, soulful voice of Katie Hardin. “The Originals” features each singer performing an original song. Hardin's single is “Don't Worry about Me”; Curtsinger's is “Cinderella Love.” Both songs were written by Nashville music producer and songwriter Ron Browning.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first day in a seven-part series that looks at how students, teachers, families and businesses, even a local city, are leading the charge for a more environmentally-conscious society. To see all the stories and videos from this series, click here . The fact that the Dix River watershed has been selected by the state and federal Environmental Protection Agency as one of the top five priority watersheds in Kentucky is a bittersweet designation.

An attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon led Lexington runner Will Bailey to try a bigger challenge. In March 2011, Bailey ran marathons two weekends in a row, one in Carmel, Ind., and one in Deadwood, S.D. The two marathons, plus the hundreds of training miles, made Bailey realize he was built for distance. On Feb. 18, Bailey will begin his longest run ever. For 196 days he will run 38 miles a day in an attempt to run across the United States, hitting all 48 contiguous states.

Dear Editor, The opportunity to coordinate with summer staff writer Abby Piper and to read her enjoyable, informative articles in The Advocate-Messenger has been a pleasure. Her passionate interest in physical activity is matched by her dedicated professionalism. During her spare time, she also volunteered to help us organize an editorial format for our local group's advocacy statements and position papers. As she returns to her college studies, we'll miss her talented contributions.