Race Track

William Sturgill was a high school and college offensive lineman, so he understands the role of being a team player in a non-glamorous position. Now he's in a similar position as a jackman for the No. 34 car that David Ragan drives for Front Row Motorsports that will be competing at Kentucky Speedway Saturday night. Sturgill, 29, didn't grow up a die-hard NASCAR fan in Lexington even though he admits his family did sometimes watch NASCAR events. That included his sister,¿Jenny, who now lives in Danville with her husband, attorney Patrick McClure, and their two sons.

BURGIN - If a local businessman has his way, go carts will be trading paint on a new race track in a matter of months. However, some Burgin residents are leery of what the track would mean for the community. Real estate agent Dwight Cotton said he plans to open a small dirt track for go-carts on around 40 acres of land he owns off of Ky. 33 in south Burgin very soon. "We are looking to be able to start practicing in April and hopefully racing in May," Cotton said. "We are really watching the economy to see what is conducive under these circumstances, but it will definitely start very, very small.

BURGIN - Burgin City Council gave first reading of a new noise ordinance Monday that lays out acceptable decibel levels inside the city limits. The push for a new law began several months ago after concerns were raised over a possible race track on Ky. 33 toward Danville. The ordinance prohibits motors, compressors or other mechanized equipment that operate at levels higher than 70 decibels when measured at a distance of 300 feet from the source during the daytime and 50 decibels at night.

The traffic lights at the intersection of Lake, High and Main streets are not just causing problems for Main Street traffic. Traffic on the side streets are feeling the effects of the light that went up last fall. Nicholasville resident Mike Vaughn, who lives near the corner of Oak Street and Central Avenue, spoke to the city commission about his concerns at last Thursday's workshop. "I have had just as much traffic on Central Avenue as there is on Main Street," he said.

As the son of a son of a gambler, people ask me for betting advice. Although I started going to race track before I was able to walk, I don't know that much about the horse industry. I go the track a few times a year and bet small amounts. Most of my equine knowledge was gleamed when I worked on the clean up crew at the Kentucky Horse Park. I can tell you what horses make the biggest mess. Although there are people more qualified to give Derby tips, like political or financial commentators, I won't let lack of expertise stop me. I came to the conclusion in the mid 1980's that I wanted to live my life in Kentucky, I needed to know how to bet on horses.

One member of the Kentucky House of Representatives stands to reap a substantial financial windfall if Kentuckians approve casino gambling and the Louisville race track Churchill Downs receives a casino license. First, however, the House must approve a casino gambling amendment for the ballot - one that this representative has indicated she will vote to approve. Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville), a liberal-left member of the Democrat caucus in the House, filed her required annual financial disclosure statement with the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission on February 14th.

April 9, 1982 "With Christ in the Upper Room," an Easter drama, will be presented at the First Christian Church, East Hickman Street, at 7 p.m. Thursday. Portraying the disciples in a re-enactment of The Last Supper are Bill Shearer, Sterling Saunders, Jerry Riddell, Jim Pennington, Ruey Blackburn, Bill bean, Bruce Coates, Jim Snapp, Van Graham, Miller Gaunce, Jim Little and Luther Ransdell. The Rev. Joe Aspley will portray Christ. The presentation is open to the public. D. John L. Gray of Winchester was elected president-elect of the Kentucky Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons at the recent annual meeting of the Kentucky Dental Association.

When Jack Cline looks out over the 1,200 acres of pasture at Mercer County's Shawnee Farm and observes the mares grazing with newborn foals at their sides, he knows there's a lot of learning going on. The foals generally stay with their mothers for five months and the mares put their stamp on their young. "It's scary how much they're like their mothers," says Cline, who has been the farm's manager since 1985. Animals pass along personalities just like people, he says.

GRAVEL SWITCH ? Toilets today have some pretty nice features. In Japan, toilets can have motorized lids, massaging seats, noise-cancellation technology, built-in handwashing fountains, even wireless control panels. At Penn's Store in Gravel Switch they have a single outhouse, but that outhouse is perhaps more celebrated than any other single toilet. The outhouse has been in place at Penn's ? the oldest operating family-run store in the U.S. ? for approximately 18 years. The owners held a dedication party for it in 1992, at which Nashville country music star Chet Atkins stopped by and performed.

William Sturgill was a high school and college offensive lineman, so he understands the role of being a team player in a non-glamorous position. Now he's in a similar position as a jackman for the No. 34 car that David Ragan drives for Front Row Motorsports that will be competing at Kentucky Speedway Saturday night. Sturgill, 29, didn't grow up a die-hard NASCAR fan in Lexington even though he admits his family did sometimes watch NASCAR events. That included his sister,¿Jenny, who now lives in Danville with her husband, attorney Patrick McClure, and their two sons.

As a sergeant in the Kentucky Army National Guard, Brian Mangum figured taking some “local high school personnel” in Sparta as a token of appreciation for their support was a natural fit and knew he certainly could figure out the logistics to deal with the inaugural NASCARÃ?¿Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway. The National guard recruiter lined up officials at Casey County and Garrard County high schools, including football coaches Sam Marple and Mark Scenters, to go see the race and wanted to make sure they did not miss anything - including a prerace opportunity with popular driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mangum knew traffic might be a problem - no way he could have anticipated the nightmare it turned out to be for so many - and planned accordingly.

GRAVEL SWITCH — After 17 years of drag-racing toilets, it looks like the annual Outhouse Blowout at Penn’s Store might be running out of steam. In previous years, the historic general store’s latrine-based competition attracted an average of 2,500 people — enough to fill the field in front of the store with hundreds of vehicles. This year, heavy rain in the early morning caused the cancellation of many musicians and vendors, and scared off a lot of regular attendees, Penn’s Store owner Jeanne Lane said.

GRAVEL SWITCH ? Toilets today have some pretty nice features. In Japan, toilets can have motorized lids, massaging seats, noise-cancellation technology, built-in handwashing fountains, even wireless control panels. At Penn's Store in Gravel Switch they have a single outhouse, but that outhouse is perhaps more celebrated than any other single toilet. The outhouse has been in place at Penn's ? the oldest operating family-run store in the U.S. ? for approximately 18 years. The owners held a dedication party for it in 1992, at which Nashville country music star Chet Atkins stopped by and performed.

The Kentucky Equine Humane Center, a charitable organization that takes in horses, donkeys, mules and ponies which owners are no longer able to keep, has joined its ranks among the masses experiencing trouble with the hard-hitting economic woes as more and more horse-owners are working with a shrinking income. "Horses are an expensive luxury," KyEHC executive director Lori Neagle said. Even with owning a farm and a relatively healthy horse, costs range between $2,000 and $3,000 a year.

Dear Editor, We recently moved to Alta Avenue and are appalled by the numerous cars that speed up and down the road on a daily basis. Alta Avenue is not a motor speedway - it is a residential neighborhood with lots of children who would like to play outside. Unfortunately, many dangerous drivers are speeding up and down the street, which makes it very difficult for concerned parents to allow our children to play in the front yard. The speed limit is 25 miles per hour, not 60. Nearly every third car is going twice the speed limit with little regard to who is on the sidewalk.

BURGIN - Burgin City Council gave first reading of a new noise ordinance Monday that lays out acceptable decibel levels inside the city limits. The push for a new law began several months ago after concerns were raised over a possible race track on Ky. 33 toward Danville. The ordinance prohibits motors, compressors or other mechanized equipment that operate at levels higher than 70 decibels when measured at a distance of 300 feet from the source during the daytime and 50 decibels at night.

BURGIN - If a local businessman has his way, go carts will be trading paint on a new race track in a matter of months. However, some Burgin residents are leery of what the track would mean for the community. Real estate agent Dwight Cotton said he plans to open a small dirt track for go-carts on around 40 acres of land he owns off of Ky. 33 in south Burgin very soon. "We are looking to be able to start practicing in April and hopefully racing in May," Cotton said. "We are really watching the economy to see what is conducive under these circumstances, but it will definitely start very, very small.

JUNCTION CITY - Victor Lee of Stanford won the Pete Abell Memorial in dominating fashion Friday, leading from wire to wire in the 40-lap super late model feature at Ponderosa Speedway. Lee claimed the $3,000 first prize and added to his lead in the O'Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series with his fifth series victory in 11 races this season, including his second at Ponderosa. Lee opened an extremely large lead over Tim Tungate and Mike Marlar by lap 10. He held almost a full straightaway lead on the 3/8-mile clay track by lap 15, with five lapped cars between him and his closest pursuers.

TODAY CHILDREN'S THEATRE LEXINGTON - Join Lilly on her journey with her purple purse as the Lexington Children's Theatre perform their next play, "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. " Lilly loves everything about school, even her teacher Mr. Singer until he takes away her purse because it makes too much sound when she opens it. Discover what happens as she tries to take revenge on her once favorite teacher. The play is adapted by Kevin Kling and is based on the book by Kevin Kenkes.