First of all, we recently had to move our websites and blogs to a larger server.  While it tickles me UK blue to have enough visitors and traffic to necessitate such a move, a few posts and updates were lost in the transition.  For example, a long, glowing review I recently posted about the amazing and delightfully fun shows at the Badgett Playhouse in Grand Rivers, Kentucky are as long gone as cheap gas prices. 

I’ll rewrite the review and post it as soon as possible, but I wanted to go ahead and post about the Always Patsy Cline show.  I’ll actually be seeing it this evening, so I’ll add the review tomorrow.  I’m really excited because if it’s anything like the Variety! Music, Memories & More show or their hilarious Greater Tuna show, we’re in for quite a treat!  Ever single person involved with these shows is remarkable.  So much talent!

I’m also looking forward to  Bus Stop.  I believe the first show for Bus Stop, this season, will be September 4th, which means I’ll be reviewing it on September 5th.  Why wait, right?  I’ve been blown away by everything associated with Grand Rivers, Kentucky - from the best fudge in the world to the amazing shows at Badgett Playhouse.  Speaking of fudge, I’d better start getting ready so we can leave early.  I REFUSE to visit the Land Between the Lakes region without loading up on fudge.  It’s just not happening.  

Click HERE for a schedule.  Be sure to take the quick survey - as a thank you, they’ll e-mail you a coupon for a free bag of popcorn.  It’s delicious, too, by the way !

If you need me, I’ll be the brunette eating popcorn and enjoying the Patsy Cline show.  I’ll be the one with Fudge on her breath.

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Is this sign a classic or what?!  There’s a similar sign when you enter Hartford, Kentucky from the other direction as well.  I guess they’re pretty proud of their soreheads.  Everytime I find myself passing through this quiet little Kentucky town, their sense of humor makes me smile.

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“The decision to transfer is in no way an indication of my experience playing for UK,” Jasper explained in a release issued by the university. “I feel at this point in my life, it is important for me to be close to my family, and I intend to transfer to a school closer to the West Coast where I can see my family more often and they can see me play.”

Derrick, who averaged 4.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game at UK, will have to sit out for a season if he transfers to another Division I school.

It would have been exciting to watch Derrick grow in Gillispie’s system but wanting to be closer to home is always an understandable desire. We certainly wish him nothing but the best.

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While the victory and the money earned are as sweet as Cracker Barrel’s Peanut Butter Pie, the best part is this: The victory is a giant step toward making the Ryder Cup in….where?….. his home state of Kentucky.

At 47, Kenny became the oldest winner of the Memorial. He’ll take it.

Congrats, Kenny!

***As you’ll notice, the “Champ” is in this week’s featured video (see the sidebar).

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Far Out Space Places Visit the most extreme destinations in our cosmic neighborhood. Scale cliffs on Mars, chill on Neptune and visit the original landing site of the Apollo astronauts. See “Far Out Space Places” daily at 10am and Sat. & Sun. at 4pm. $2/$4.

Explorers of the International Space Station If you’ve always wondered what it’d be like to live on a space station, here’s your chance! See “Explorers” daily at 11am. $2/$4.

Kentucky Skies I love this one. You can find out what to look for in that night’s sky! You’ll earn the constellations, lore of night sky, and a lot more. See “Kentucky Skies” daily at 1pm. $2/$4.

Search for Life in the Universe Host Leonard Nimoy (Spock from Star Trek!) narrates the ingredients necessary for life on our planet, as we consider the possibility of life on other planets. See “Search for Life in the Universe” daily at 2pm. $2/$4.

Blown Away: The Wild World of Weather See views of our earth’s weather through spectacular footage that’ll take your breath away. See “Blown Away” daily at 3pm. $2/$4.

Greek Mythologies and the Night Sky This one’s pretty much what you’d expect it to be….fascinating! See “Greek Mythologies and the Night Sky” Fridays at 8pm, doors open at 7:30pm. $2/$5. Evening program only.

Summer Nights See one of the daytime shows, then go outside to the observatory for a look at the real night sky. Show Schedule: Search for Life 6/7; KY Skies 6/14; Blown Away 6/21; Explorers 6/28. See ” Summer Nights” Saturdays at 8pm, doors open at 7:30pm. $2/$5. Evening program only.

You’ll want to find a way to see each of the events listed. They’re incredibly fascinating for people of all ages. The wonderful thing about the Golden Pond Planetarium is that children think they’re just having an awesomely fun time, we know they’re also learning! But shhhhh… we won’t let them in on the secret.

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There are some really amazing golf courses in the Land Between the Lakes Region of Kentucky. The ones below will give your golf game all it can handle! Click each Golf Course to visit its website (when applicable) and/or call the number for more information.

Kenlake SRP in Aurora, Kentucky (If you go, be sure to eat at Willow Pond!) -  9 hole/par 30  (270-474-2211)

Benton Country Club in Benton, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 72 (270-527-9673)

Marvel Golf Club in Benton, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 71  (270-354-9050)

Lake Barkley State Resort Park in Cadiz, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 72  (800-295-1878)

Calvert Country Club in Calvert City, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 72  (270-395-5831)

Mineral Mound State Park in Eddyville, Kentucky  - 18 hole/par 72 (866-904-7888)

Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park in Gilbertsville, Kentucky - 18 hole/par72  (800-295-1877)

Drake Creek Golf Club in Ledbetter, Kentucky - 18 hole/par ? (270-898-4653)

Mayfield Country Club in Mayfield, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 70   (270-247-1862)

South Highland Country Club in Mayfield, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 71  (270-247-2918)

Miller Memorial Golf Course in Murray, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 71  (888-313-9862)

Oaks Country Club in Murray, Kentucky - 18 hole/par72  (270-753-6454)

Edwin J. Paxton Park in Paducah, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 71  (270-444-9514)

Deer Lakes Golf Course in Salem, Kentucky - 18 hole/par 72   (270-988-4653)

The following Golf Clubs/Golf Courses have websites you can visit for additional information.  (60 Second Rant: A Golf Club, Restaurant, Store, any business of any kind without a website and/or blog in the year 2008 is just nuts.  They’re shooting themself in the foot with a loaded gun.  It’s honestly equivalent to NOT being listed in the phone book.  Granted, not everyone knows how to design or “put up” a website.  There are people who do, though.  In fact, there are people who will do every second of the work for you.  You simply have to tell them what you want and write them a check.  Within a week (on average), you can have a website or blog you can be proud of!  When I Google a business and discover that they don’t have a website, my opinion of them drops just a little.  A lot of times, I move on to the next one on my list.   If you’re a Kentucky business of any kind, e-mail us and we’ll help get you on the web!  If you have any questions at all, we’ll be more than happy to answer them for you.)

 Marvel Golf Club

Calvert City Country Club

Deer Lakes Golf Course

More information can be found on these and other courses HERE.

Click HERE for free, gorgeous Kentucky screensavers and wallpapers from Kentucky State parks.gov.

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I had the sublime pleasure of eating at Willow Pond in Aurora, Kentucky last night. It was the first time for me, but you can be certain that it won’t be my last. When we were leaving, our very friendly waitress told us to “Come back soon,” I nearly fell over myself assuring her that we would do just that.

Before moving on to the food, I want to give a little more credit to the waitress.  Although she was very young, she was actually one of the best servers I’ve had in a while.  She couldn’t have been older than 18 but she did her profession proud.  She was personable, sweet, checked on us often, and had an amazing knowledge of the menu and food.  A great restaurant wants their staff to represent them well.  After all, the service is as associated with a restaurant nearly as much as the food is.

If this young lady was an indication of the other servers, the owners of Willow Pond “get” that.

Like I said, I’d never eaten at Willow Pond before, even though I’m a frequent visitor to Land Between the Lakes.  You hear so much about some of the other restaurants in the area - some of them are as famous as the lakes, themselves.  Willow Pond may not have the publicity (apparently they don’t even have a website), but what they do have is…well, everything else.

This is the sort of restaurant that makes you want to try everything on the menu.  Everything.  Was.  Amazing.  We started off with Green Tomatoes as an appetizer.  They were deliciously battered and deep fried.  So southern!  They were piping hot, firm, thickly cut and served with an also delicious Ranch Dressing.  We knew, instantly, that we were in for a memorable meal!

I ordered the Catfish meal which came with a choice of baked potato, fries, or wedges.  I chose the baked potato, which I was very happy with.  Unlike a lot of restaurants, Willow Pond served a baked potato that was large - just like you’d want it to be!

You also get perfectly seasoned and wonderful white beans, the best hushpuppies you’ll ever eat.  The menu boasted of the hushpuppies, “The best hushpuppies you ever put in your mouth!”  They weren’t lying!  Hushpuppies are one of those things that I always sample first.  A lot of restaurants treat hushpuppies as an after thought, something they hope people won’t pay too much attention to. 

Willow Pond treats them like the stars they are! 

As a matter of fact, I think that’s what separates Willow Pond from others.  They don’t just focus on their catfish or other meats (they also serve chicken, steak, and shrimp) - they, obviously, treat each and every menu item as though it were the cornerstone of the restaurant.  Even the coleslaw was the best I’ve ever gotten at a restaurant!  You’re given a choice between vinegar or mayonnaise coleslaw, and I guarantee you that you’ll love the vinegar one.  I’ll probably try the mayonnaise coleslaw on my next visit.

The catfish was beyond amazing.  It was seasoned perfectly and had a traditional Southern style breading made from cornmeal.  The breading was just right - enough to add to the flavor but not so much that the catfish flavor was lost in the mix.   It passed the “no need for tartar sauce” test I always give fish.  For the sake of this review, however, I did sample the tartar sauce - perfect, of course.  It had a dill flavor that made me almost wish the fish needed it.  But, alas, it would have been a crime to have covered up the flavors going on with this catfish.

You’re served all the beans and huspuppies (did I mention how freaking amazing these hushpuppies are?!?!) you can eat with your meal.  Again, our lovely young waitress didn’t allow us to run low on anything.  

Some of the other menu items are below:

SPECIALTIES:

• Blackened Fish
• Frog Legs
• Country Fried Shrimp
• Ribeye
• Sirloin Tips
• New York Strip
• Grilled Chicken Breast
• Chicken Tenders
• And a lot more!

APPETIZERS:

• Cheese Sticks
• Onion Rings
• Green Tomatoes (!!!)
• Jalapeno Poppers (our waitress said she loved these)
• Fried Dill Pickles
• Breaded Mushrooms
• Sampler Platter

DESSERTS:

• Fruit Cobblers (We had the Blackberry cobbler and it was amazing - even the ice cream was something to write home about.)
• Pecan Pie
• Brownie
• Cherry Cheesecake
• Turtle Cheesecake (Next time, my friend!)

Willow Pond also features some beautiful salads, burgers, sandwiches, and a children’s menu (”For the Lil’ Tadpole”) which includes Pizza Sticks, Fish Strips, Grilled Cheese, Shrimp, and Chicken Tenders.  Each is served with fries and huspuppies.

But don’t get me started on those hushpuppies again.  I’m actually dying for one now.

I’ve saved something deliciously unique for the closing.  Each table has, of course, the standard Salt, Pepper, and tartar sauce.  Willow Pond, however, has something else that we flipped for.  It’s a sweet pepper relish to put on the beans.  You will not believe just how delicious it is.  Fortunately, the gift shop in the front of the restaurant carried this relish, so a jar came home with us!  It is delicious, of course, on beans, but it’d also be pretty amazing on cornbread, or on a hamburger or hot dog.

Willow Pond is a restaurant that you MUST visit. It’s located on HIghway 68 East near LBL and Kenlake State Park.  Parking is available for buses, vans, and motor homes.  Call for questions, comments, or reservations - (270)474-2202

Hours:  (Mid-March to October.  Winter Hours Vary.)

Monday - Saturday Open 4 pm. 

Sunday - Open 12 Noon

Tell them the Catfish Addicts at Genuine Kentucky.com sent you, then enjoy a meal you won’t soon forget!

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Owner of Kentucky Speedway, Jerry Carroll, has been invited to remain involved with its operations.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has stated that he would like for Speedway Motorsports to bring a bigger auto race to the track. He even talking about bringing a Sprint Cup race to Kentucky Speedway.

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Here’s another beautiful picture that makes a great wallpaper for your desktop. It, too, is courtesy of Michael. It’s a gorgeous sunset he captured in Lyon County, Kentucky.

Click the smaller image above to access the larger one, then set as your background.

Enjoy!

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Ford turned down an offer from Providence earlier this month, but Oklahoma State may be more to his liking.  Oklahoma State’s looking for a replacement for Sean Sutton who resigned under pressure.  During Sutton’s reign at the helm, the Cowboys were 39-29. Oklahoma State finished this past season with a record of 17-16 and lost in the first round of the NIT.  They were in the NIT both years under Sutton AND lost in the first round each time.

How has Travis Ford compared at UMass? . In three years at UMass, Ford has a record of 62-35 with two NIT appearances.  Ford has also been a head coach at Eastern Kentucky of the Ohio Valley Conference and NAIA Campbellsville University.  He led Eastern to the NCAA tournament in 2004-2005.

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