Wilmore

I have a little bone to pick with the University of Kentucky athletics. I am a big Wildcat fan, especially of the men’s basketball team. I was living in North Carolina during the infamous 1992 UK/Duke game of Christian Laettner fame. My husband videotaped my then 2-year-old cheering, “Go Duke” in a moderately successful effort to annoy my father, but I was staunchly rooting for UK even in dangerous times. My current interest is heightened by the feel-good story of a local youth who hit the big time at UK. Jarrod Polson is a fine young man from a wonderful family.

The curtain goes up Friday on a musical take of a popular Christmas production in Wilmore. The Bluegrass Arts Association is presenting a musical version of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” in the McKenna Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary. Director Janelle Gore said the adaptation follows traditional dialogue but the music is what makes the production different. “It is very traditional for those hard-core Charles Dickens fans - it sticks very closely to the original script - but the music is what makes it special,” she said.

Much of the look and feel of Wilmore has changed some over the last 30 years, but one thing that has stayed the same is the person behind the scenes watching over the small town. Colleen Brandenburg, 78, has been Wilmore's city clerk and treasurer for 31 years, and regardless of what changes the city and the job go through, she said she has always enjoyed being there for her community. "I feel very protective of Wilmore," she said. "I'm a bit prejudiced, but I think we're the best town around.

A Wilmore man died yesterday evening when his car veered off the road and struck a tree on Long Shun Road across from the Nicholasville water treatment plant. Benjamin Sims, 36, was driving a 2000 Nissan Pickup when he left the roadway and struck the tree just before 6 p.m., Jessamine County Sheriff's Office chief deputy Allen Peel said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No other cars were involved in the accident, and Sims was alone in his truck, Peel said. Investigators have determined that speed contributed to the accident, the deputy said.

The Wilmore Fire Department is looking for a few good men - or women - to step up and volunteer to serve the city they live in, chief Jimmy Powers said. Currently, the department has 17 volunteers, including female firefighter Heidi Heater, who have dedicated their time and sacrificed for Wilmore, but Powers said the city needs more. “We're looking for someone dedicated and who is willing to give their time,” Powers said. “But we're family oriented, and that comes first with us.” The 34-year firefighting veteran said those looking to apply should be family oriented as well, but they should realize that at times it will take them away from their loved ones.

A mapping oversight by the city of Wilmore has left the city’s population count in the 2010 census nearly a third lower than it actually is, according to a city official. Wilmore’s population was 5,905 in 2000, according to that year’s census; the 2010 census data lists the city’s population at 3,686. Dave Carlstedt, Wilmore’s director of utilities and public works, said an oversight in annexation reporting led to the low count and that the city’s population is probably close to 6,000.

Wilmore native Joshua Descoteaux is one of 50 finalists to be a contestant in the 2012 Major Leauge Baseball Fan Cave, a concept that started last year and mixes baseball with music, popular culture, media, interactive technology and art. More than 22,000 people enterd the contest. Through Wednesday, Feb. 22, fans can view video submissions from all 50 applicants on MLBFanCave.com and vote for their favorites. Major League Baseball will select 30 finalists based on fan voting, quality of the original submissions, and the ability of the contestants to generate buzz and interest in their campaigns.

To the editor: There’s a cost to good bargains. Those of us in towns like Wilmore need to realize this. Fitch’s IGA hasn’t drawn a profit since the late-1990s — when the Walmart and Kroger up the road were supersized. Losses accumulated when the Dollar General, which sits next-door to Fitch’s, began selling groceries. The Tennessee-based chain told town officials it wouldn’t sell groceries when it opened 10 years ago. Now, groceries fill almost half of its shelf space.

Dale Dunkelberger estimates he has delivered 860 babies in his career as a doctor - that's one baby per week for 16 and a half years. And just about all of those deliveries were in the 1950s and '60s for his patients in Wilmore when he was the town's primary physician. Before coming to Wilmore and opening his practice in 1952, Dale had done quite a bit of adventuring. He met his wife, Edith, while waiting to register for classes at Houghton College in New York. The two married on Dec. 28, 1943, but by then, Dale had enlisted in the military, and he had to return to service.

Wilmore's pizza mainstay is taking it to the streets, opening a second location right across Main Street that will offer delivery in addition to Italian fare at lunch and dinner. Tastebuds II Go had a soft opening Monday at 334 E. Main St. in Wilmore and will soon have a grand opening. It is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with phone orders accepted starting at 10:30 a.m. Rusty Zoph purchased the original Tastebuds pizzeria and soda shoppe in Sims Pharmacy from former owners Gary and Beth Hoenicke in June.

Improvements added on to the Wilmore Streetscape Improvement and Pedestrian Mall Project in an effort to take advantage of almost $200,000 in left-over federal grant money might prove more costly to the city than originally thought. The construction company in charge of the project, the Lexington-based Allen Company, submitted higher per-unit prices on some items in the project than what was charged for the streetscape portion, Wilmore Utilities Director Dave Carlstedt told the Wilmore City Council at its meeting last Monday.

As the 43-year practice of the Ichthus Music Festival making its home in Wilmore ends, many in the quaint community say they can't help but feel disappointed. Wilmore resident Jon Beck, who has attended the festival many times, said that, while he's happy the event will continue, it just won't be the same. “it's like they're keeping the tradition alive but killing it at the same time,” he said. Ichthus organizers announced earlier this month that the festival will continue in 2014 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Fayette County, and will be held in September rather than in the summer.

Nicholasville United Methodist offers food ministry A free meal is provided by Manna Ministries each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The meal is a restaurant-quality meal served at 303 W. Maple St. in the community center of Nicholasville United Methodist Church. The meal is open to the public for anyone in need. Takeout meals are available after 12:30 p.m. Volunteers are always welcome and can contact the office at 859-885-4481. Saint Athanasius offers bread ministry Saint Athanasius Orthodox Church, located at 926 S. Main St., offers free bread to families and individuals in need in the Nicholasville area.

The cost of health insurance for the city of Wilmore soon will increase, but actual renewal costs are not yet available, according to a presentation given to the Wilmore City Council on Monday. Pat Duncan with Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) Insurance Services told the council that renewal rates might not be ready until June. The city must renew its insurance July 1. Duncan told the council that the increase is due to the Affordable Care Act. Several provisions of the act are set to take effect in 2014, which will raise costs, Duncan said.

The Wilmore Fire Department's sole ladder truck will be 30 years old next year, and it's breaking down. Though it runs, it needs more than $37,000 in repairs. The department has two other engines; the newest is six years old, the other 18 years old. It has no rescue truck or utility truck. The department also lacks a cascade unit to fill its air cylinders, and a gear washer, according to Wilmore fire chief Jimmy Powers. The need for the new trucks and other equipment was part of a presentation of the department's budget request for the upcoming fiscal year given Monday by the department to the Wilmore City Council.

Ever since it opened its doors in 1982, the Community Service Center of Wilmore-High Bridge has met the needs of many throughout the community. For years, the center has been located above Wilmore's City Hall, but what started out as a simple clothing bank has morphed into a lot more, leaving the center in need of a new location, according to executive director Connie Sunda. “We assist needy residents with food, clothing, rent and mortgage assistance, and utility assistance,” she said.

Wilmore Elementary fourth-graders celebrated the past, present and future of the trees right in their backyard last week with the help of The Providence School, Confrontation Point Ministries and the county's state forester. It was a broad sampling of the Wilmore community that turned out April 10 for the Arbor Day celebration a couple weeks early. Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater spoke to the class, community member Mary Miller helped educate students on types of trees, and state forester Kent Slusher helped them plant a tulip poplar - the Kentucky state tree.

The April 15 meeting of the Wilmore City Council has been canceled and rescheduled for April 29 at 6 p.m. at Wilmore City Hall.    

Wilmore Elementary fourth-graders celebrated the past, present and future of the trees right in their backyard on Wednesday with the help of The Providence School and Confrontation Point Ministries. It was a broad sampling of the Wilmore community that turned out for the Arbor Day celebration a couple weeks early. Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater spoke to the class, community member Mary Miller helped educate students on types of trees, and state forester Kent Slusher helped them plant a tulip poplar - the Kentucky state tree.

A new cell-phone tower on Wilmore Road received approval Tuesday from the Joint Jessamine County/City of Wilmore Joint Planning Commission. The New Cingular Wireless/AT&T tower will be located at 1701 Wilmore Road, on property owned by the First Assembly of God Church, according to attorney Todd Briggs, who represented New Cingular Wireless at the meeting. The tower will be 110 feet tall and will sit on a concrete elevation. With the addition of a 3-foot lightning arrester, the entire structure will be around 114 feet, Briggs told the committee.