Shutterbugs: Brush up Nature Photography at Digital Camera Workshop!
Digital photographers, here’s your chance too sharpen your skills at a nature photography workshop coming to beautiful Lake Barkley State Resort Park on April 17th. Award-winning nature photographer Curt Hart will lead the workshop which begins Saturday at 9a.m. Hart has captured more than 100 species of birds and wildlife with his camera and will share his techniques and expertise with workshop participants during the full-day workshop.
From Lake Barkley State Resort Park:
The program includes classroom instruction, time in the field, critique and editing processes. The fee is $75 and lunch is included. Class size is limited so reserve early for this popular event. Call 1-800-325-1708 to reserve a spot or for more information. This workshop is recommend for DSL camera owners.
The workshop is a perfect excuse to plan a family/friend weekend getaway at Lake Barkley in the heart of far west Kentucky. The park is the largest resort park in Kentucky’s system and the lodge affords a spectacular view of the lake through massive windows. Mid April falls in the thick of spring and is a magical time to be being surrounded by natural beauty and capture the landscape in photos.
Besides the lodge, the park includes cottages, the Windows on the Water Restaurant, a seasonal campground, 18-hole golf course, fitness center with indoor pool, marina, fishing, tennis courts, hiking trails, gift shop, and recreational and nature programming. It’s near Cadiz and the Land Between the Lakes at 3500 State Park Road just off I-24. Exit at Highway 68 and go west toward Cadiz and the park.
For more information contact Nick Edmonds at nick.edmonds@ky.gov or call the lodge at call 1-800-325-1708.
If you’re anything like us (us being my family and myself), you love the outdoors so much that you sometimes resent the walls of your house and the windows of your car. It’s darn near impossible not to feel this way when you live in such a beautiful place, right? The birds, the squirrels, the trees, the flowers – all that Kentucky and this area have to offer keep outdoorsy people craving more.
Get Out! Outdoor Adventure in the Ohio River Region is right up our alley. If you recognize yourself in the words above, you really have to check out their wonderful online magazine.
From Get Out’s About Page:
The editorial mission of Get Out! Outdoor Adventure in the Ohio River Region is to inform, entertain and inspire all citizens of the Ohio River region to pursue an active, healthy lifestyle through outdoor adventure and to learn more about how to be stewards of our natural environment.
GO! is a web magazine by and for people in the region who participate in outdoor adventure activities such as hiking, cycling, paddling, climbing, skiing, backpacking, wildlife watching, photography and so on.
2010 GO! Readers’ Choice Awards
Kentucky was beautifully represented in Go!’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
- Cumberland Falls, Kentucky was chosen Best Overall Destination
- Louisville, Kentucky was chosen Best Adventure Town
- E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky was chosen Best Urban Park
- Pine Mountain Trail, Kentucky was chosen Best Backpacking Trail
- Mammoth Cave was chosen Best Cave
Congratulations to all of the people involved in keeping these remarkable places remarkable. We have a lot to be grateful for and proud of here in Kentucky and a lot of work goes into our landmarks, parks, and tourist attractions. It’s not much, but I for one want to offer a HUGE thank you to all of the workers. You all rawk, man!
Read more about the Readers’ Choice Awards. Each destination sounds like a place worth spending some quality time, if you ask me!
Image Credit: The beautiful picture of the Magical Moonbow of Cumberland Fall’s State Resort Park is courtesy of http://www.parks.ky.gov.
One of the most popular and beautiful Classical ballets of all time, “Swan Lake” – along with its incredible score by Tchaikovsky – have left audiences breathless for years. The costumes, the music, the sets, the performances… in a word, Magical.
The Louisville Ballet will conclude its 2009-10 season with performances of Swan Lake on Friday, April 9 at 8 pm and Saturday, April 10 at 2 pm and 8 pm in Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center.
Tickets start as low as $25 and are available at the Kentucky Center.
What a super cool idea for all of you mad hatters! Kentucky Derby hats is one of Kentucky’s most beautiful and popular traditions, dating back over 100 years!
Now, thanks to Dee’s in Louisville, you can wax creative and create your very own, highly unique and original Kentucky Derby hat. By taking a “Derby Hat Decorating Class” at Dee’s Crafts in Louisville, Kentucky, you can ensure that your hat turns out exactly how you want it to.
Dee’s own designers will help participants create awe-inspiring and head-turning hats for Oaks, Derby, Easter, and other special spring occasions.
Apparently these hat decorating classes were so popular last year that the Shelbyville Road store (5045 Shelbyville Road) is holding three classes this month. Future hat designers can choose from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 13th, or 6 to 8 p.m. March 17th or March 24th.
There will be unadorned hats in many shapes and sizes to choose from or you can bring one of your own. The decorations, of course, must be purchased at Dee’s and will include a gorgeous selection of feathers, ribbon, and flowers.
The fee is $20, plus the cost of materials. Class size is limited, so call to register asap. Call (502) 896-6755.
Dee’s is at 5045 Shelbyville Road – Louisville, Kentucky.
Lake Barkley State Resort Park is geared up and ready for Spring. After Old Man Winter’s especially cantankerous mood, aren’t we all?!
Lake Barkely SRP is throwing out the welcome mat to welcome spring’s arrival in southwestern Kentucky with a celebration of nature and nurture for every member of the family on March 19-21.
This celebration is an ideal time for a weekend getaway to enjoy and celebrate one of the most beautiful spectacles in the world: Springtime in Kentucky.
The celebration begins Friday evening (March 19, 2010) at 6:30 with the “owl prowl.” A guide will lead you to prime owl habitats, allowing participants to listen and learn more about these beautiful birds. The hike is $1 per person but children 5 years and younger prowl free.
Saturday marks the official beginning of a full day of spring. Lake Barkley SRP will continue the spring celebration with an 8 a.m. lap swim at the park’s fitness center. At 9 a.m. the park naturalist will lead a leisurely hike in search of the first signs of spring along the ground, in the trees and other surroundings.
The archery range is open from 1 – 2:30 p.m. with an instructor available for beginners.
Learn tips on attracting birds to your own backyard beginning at 3 p.m. and you’ll even learn how to construct your own recycled hummingbird feeder. Birdwatching and recycling are two things near and dear to my own heart – so kudos to Lake Barkley State Resort Park for this activity.
On Sunday morning, you can join the naturalist for a migratory bird hike.
More About Lake Barkley State Resort Park
Lake Barkley State Resort Park is the largest state resort park in Kentucky and visitors will find that there is something for everyone to do and enjoy. The park features a lodge, cottages, the Windows on the Water Restaurant (an exceptional restaurant – click the link for my own review), a seasonal campground, 18-hole golf course, fitness center with indoor pool, marina, fishing, tennis courts, hiking trails, gift shop, and recreational and nature programming. See? Everything you could hope for!
The park is located at 3500 State Park Road in Cadiz. From I-24, take the Highway 68 exit west toward Cadiz.
For more information about the Spring weekend celebration of other amenities at the park, contact Mary at mary.schmidt@ky.gov or Nick at nick.edmonds@ky.gov.
You can call the lodge at call 1-800-325-1708.
The Kentucky State Park System is composed of 52 state parks plus an interstate park shared with Virginia. The Department of Parks, an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, operates 17 resort parks with lodges — more than any other state! For more information on Kentucky parks, visit http://www.parks.ky.gov/
It’s a girl!
The first baby gorilla born in North America this year was at the Louisville Zoo. The adorable bouncing baby is a girl.
She was born February 6, 2010, to Louisville Zoo’s 20-year-old western lowland gorilla Mia Moja. While the baby continues to cling tightly to mom nearly all the time, ZooKeepers have been able to get several close looks to determine and verify the baby is a girl.
A naming contest for the baby is being planned and I’ll post more about the contest when I get more information.
Below is an excerpt from the Louisville Zoo’s press release:
“I’m excited, either way—boy or girl,” Gorilla Forest Keeper Michelle Wise said. “On the night the baby was born, Mia Moja made a big fluffy nest out of hay and a soft, pink blanket and settled herself and the baby into it. I think maybe she was giving us a hint at the time with the pink blanket!”
This is the second gorilla ever born in the Zoo’s 41-year history. (The first was male Azizi born to Makari on December 4, 2003, a year after Gorilla Forest opened in May of 2002.) The father is 22-year-old silverback Mshindi. It is Mshindi’s first offspring and Mia Moja’s second. She proved herself a good mother with the birth and subsequent raising of Olympia, who was born in 1996 at Zoo Atlanta and still resides there.
Mia Moja and baby are continuing to bond and baby is staying awake longer, looking around and being very observant with her big, brown eyes.
Since there are only 354 western lowland gorillas in 52 zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, each birth is a celebration of life and a step toward preserving the species.
“We hope the community will come and see the precious baby,” Louisville Zoo Director John Walczak said. “This remarkable baby girl is engaging and inspiring—a true ambassador for her relatives in the remnant wild. Because of her, we hope visitors will be motivated to learn more about conservation and preservation, which are at the core of our mission to better the bond between people and our planet.”
Western lowland gorillas are a critically endangered species and the wild population has declined rapidly over the past decade. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are approximately 100,000 western lowland gorillas in the wild. However, there is no truly accurate census as these elusive apes inhabit some of Africa’s densest and most remote rainforests.
Mia Moja became pregnant as part of a recommendation from the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP), a collaborative effort of North American zoos designed to encourage a healthy gorilla population in captivity and to ensure that the population remains viable, genetically-diverse and self-sustaining.
Female western lowland gorilla Kweli (pronounced “quay lee”) is also housed with the baby, Mia Moja and Mshindi. She arrived at the Louisville Zoo in 2008 from Cincinnati.
This birth brings the total gorilla population at the Louisville Zoo to 12. For more information on the Louisville Zoo’s gorillas in Gorilla Forest, visit www.louisvillezoo.org/collection/exhibits/gforest/gf-meet.htm.
Even during cold weather, visitors can view the gorillas inside Gorilla Forest’s comfortable, climate-controlled sanctuary. But note, in Gorilla Forest the animals rotate through the exhibit spaces on a daily basis so baby, mom Mia Moja, father Mshindi and Kweli will not always be visible.
Starting Monday, March 1, the Zoo will be operating on its spring and summer schedule. You will be able enter the Zoo daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (exit by 6 p.m.) For more information, visit www.louisvillezoo.org.
GORILLA BIRTH INFORMATION
* A gorilla’s gestation period is about 8-1/2 months
* Labor can range anywhere from 20 minutes to 2.5 hours
* Gorilla babies usually weigh at least 4 pounds and are about the size of human babies
* Nursing usually occurs in the first 24 hours
* The baby will begin eating solids at 2 months of age
* The mother may first put her baby down for extended times at 3 months of age
* The baby may begin weaning as early as 4 months of age
* A baby begins to crawl away from mom and starts exploring at 4-5 months of age
Michael and I went to the beautiful Lake Barkley Lodge last night for the Lake Barkley State Resort Park Presents Comedy Dinner Theater featuring Marty Pollio. The food was delicious and the laughs were constant.
Marty Pollio is a tremendously talented Louisville comedian. You can read more about him in my previous post and learn even more by visiting his website. In fact, I insist that you visit Marty Pollio’s website. Not only is he a total riot – he apparently shares one of my own great passions: cooking! He has tons of delicious-sounding recipes on his website. I’ve actually been saving a lot of them this morning to print out and try. Italian food… come on, it doesn’t get any better.
I am so grateful to the Lake Barkley State Resort Park for putting together this Dinner and a Show evening. What a brainstorm! I’d love to see more of Kentucky’s wonderful state parks doing the same. And if they bring in Marty Pollio, I’ll want a ticket to each and every show.
As you know, I’m a huge fan of the Variety! Music, Memories, and More shows in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. On the way home last night, I thought how amazing it would be if they’d bring Marty to the Badgett Playhouse. I nearly laughed out loud at the thought of him interacting with Bill Minihan and Steve Sherling. I’d give up 6 months of Starbucks to see the three of them on stage together. If you know me, you know that’s as good as offering up your first born.
Marty Pollio has “it” – that certain something that a comedian either has or doesn’t have…. they own it or fake it. He’s like a cleaner, Italian, juggling Dane Cook. Let’s see Mr. Cook juggle 4 balls at once!
As luck would have it, my husband was one of the faces in the crowd that Marty interacted with. My husband, who is as big a ham and character as anyone, played along beautifully. As a mother who loves her daughters more than her next breath, I do have to clear something up. When he asked Michael how many children he had and if he was proud of the way they turned out- he shook his head NO! For anyone there, know that he was (of course) playing around.
He also said he wasn’t there for their births – he was there (and green) for all three. Liar.
Anyway, aside from getting my husband into all kinds of trouble, Marty was just spectacular. He had everyone laughing hysterically and his juggling and miming were simply unreal. How does anyone juggle like that? I’d struggle with 1 ball, let alone 4.
If you are reading this article and are looking for a hilarious clean comedian for an event or show – here’s your guy. Just promise me one thing: Let me know when he’ll be there because I’ll be headed that way. I might even let “you know who” come along. And sit in the back.
A few links you’ll love:
How to Juggle and Other Cheap Tricks (Marty’s How To)
Marty Pollio’s Italian Recipes
Friday night, my Husband (Michael) and I took his brother and his wife to Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. We see shows at Badgett on a regular basis and wanted them to see what they were missing out on. Some of our favorite Badgett Playhouse shows have been (you can click each title for my review)…..
- The Fabulous 50’s Show
- Bus Stop (I still smile when I think about this one – outrageously good)
- The Variety! Show Christmas Spectacular
- The Greater Tuna Shows (only for people who want to laugh so much their sides ache)
- The Variety! Music, Memories & More Show
- It’s a Wonderful Life (loved it!)
I’m certain I have other reviews floating around the site (along with the standard praises for catfish at Willow Pond and our State Park system). What can I say, we love to smile, laugh, and have a great time. We also love (make that LOVE) the concept of supporting fellow Kentuckians and businesses in our beautiful state. Why take our hard-earned money to other states on a regular basis?
Outrageous!
The fact that there are so many wonderful places to eat, smile, and laugh within the Bluegrass helps our cause considerably. The men and women at Badgett Playhouse 
take a great deal of pride in the shows they produce and the building in which they perform them. You can tell in each and every detail that there is a great level of pride and integrity. From the musicians, singers and dancers to the uncommonly friendly women at the ticket office, the usher, and concession stand workers… each individual obviously has one goal: To make this particular night one that each guest will remember with a smile on his or her face.
Like my car driving to Starbucks, they hit their mark every time.
Here’s just a tiny illustration. After the four of us sat down Friday night, we were looking around – taking in the beauty of the theater and the decorations. An older (I mean, older, older, older) gentleman came through a side door. The usher went directly to him to help him find his seat. That might be kind of expected, but then he offered to let the little guy hold onto his arm. I thought that was very considerate, very friendly, very Kentucky.
I have to tell you this quick little story: As the usher and the little old (old, old, old) man were passing in front of us, I caught the older gentleman’s’ eye and gave him my biggest, “By gosh, you’re cute!” smile. He returned it. Then, he stopped in front of me and my husband and said in a voice that started off faint, then rose at the end, “Whoever said these were the golden years…. didn’t know what the hell he was talking about!”
Some things, I’m convinced, only happen within the state borders of Kentucky.
Something else I’m convinced of – If you have never been to a show at Badgett Playhouse, you MUST head directly to their website, view their schedule and order your tickets right away. If the trip is one you can make in a day, go early and eat at one of the spectacular nearby restaurants. Another one of my favorite things about having Genuine Kentucky is that I get do a lot of restaurant reviews. If you click the link, you can find plenty of restaurants in the vicinity – I have pages of restaurants reviewed, so you’re sure to find one you’ll love.
If you can make it to one of the Always, Patsy Cline shows, you won’t be disappointed. The story is a beautiful and emotional one and the two ladies (Erica Delkou as Patsy Cline and Sara Minihan as Louise) who make up the cast do a wonderful job – they’ll make you sing along, laugh, smile, cry, and leave with a heart filled with wonderful memories.
You can read my original review of the Always, Patsy Cline show at Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers, Kentucky. The only things that have changed between that particular show and this one was the singer portraying Patsy Cline (Patsy is now brought to life by Erica Delkou – pictured on the left) and the wonderful addition of Eddie Dunlap on the steel guitar (he did an outstanding job and I hope he’ll be featured in many upcoming shows).
Sara Minihan (pictured above – on the right) was outrageously hilarious, as always, but don’t let her comic talents take attention away from her voice. She has an outstanding singing voice. In Always, Patsy Cline you only get a hint of this talent, so you’ll have to grab tickets for some of the other shows as well! She’ll blow you away in the Variety! Music, Memories, and More Show, Pickin’ and Grinnin’, as well as The Fabulous 50’s Show with her singing and dancing. If you ever get a chance to see her in Bus Stop, you won’t want to miss that either. I know there are only so many shows they can put on at the Badgett Playhouse, so I’ll try to ease up with my campaigns for more Greater Tuna shows and the return of Bus Stop. (Do you think the airplane banners, megaphones, and Goodyear blimp were overkill?) One of my other absolute favorites, The Fabulous 50’s Show, is featured prominently on the schedule. You can’t miss this one.
Something else that’s fascinating about Sara…get this, the lady makes the gorgeous costumes that you see in these shows. No wonder she dances as well as she does, with that much talent coursing through your body, it must be hard to stand still.
I was also very impressed with the singer portraying Patsy Cline – native Texan Erica Delkou. Erica has a beautiful voice and I would absolutely love to hear her sing more. She made the Patsy Cline classics seem contemporary, like you could hear them on the radio today. Walkin’ After Midnight and Stupid Cupid were a few of my favorites, though they were all memorable and beautiful.
The band -Thomas Michael, Eddie Hall, Scott Durham, and Eddie Dunlap – made the evening complete. I wish I had a cd of the evening right now to listen to, actually!
Always Patsy Cline will be running through March 20. Pickin’ and Grinnin’ will run from March 27 – May 1. Click the link for more information on Pickin’ and Grinnin’.
I’ll keep you informed on upcoming shows and announcements. I do know there are upcoming dates for The Big Band Show, The Fabulous 50’s Show, Pickin’ and Grinnin’, and the Variety! Memories, & More Show. Smoke on the Mountain will be back in September. Also, at the risk of getting way ahead of myself, It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play will return in November and, yes as a matter of fact, I’m already looking forward to it. It’s another CAN’T MISS show.
Act now for a chance to see Lake Barkley State Resort Park Presents Comedy Dinner Theater Saturday night, February 27. Over 100 tickets have been sold already, so time is of the essence.
Beautiful Lake Barkley State Resort Park will host a dinner theater Saturday night that’ll provide many laughs, great food, and fun memories. The laughs will be courtesy of television and film star Marty Pollio. The comedian has performed on the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno and has appeared on Jerry Lewis Telethons. He has also performed part of his act in the movie “Punchline” with Tom Hanks and Sally Field. Marty had a recurring role on “Night Court” and guest starred on “Empty Nest” and “Blossom”.
The dinner and show is $25 a person for advance reservation until Feb 24. The ticket price will be $30 a person after that date. There is limited seating for this dinner and show, so call now!
Call for more information: 1-800-325-1708
The beautiful weather we’ve been enjoying the past few days has everyone thinking about grilling out, baseball, and summer fun in the sun. Fortunately, we have plenty of places to choose from here in Kentucky to enjoy all the fun we can handle. Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, Kentucky is a great option. Resorts and Lodges.com didn’t just rank Green Turtle Bay in their Top 10 Kentucky Family Resorts, they ranked them #1.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to visit Green Turtle Bay, watch the video above to get an idea about what you’ve been missing.
