By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnists
Marvin Bartlett likes to collect those “little” stories that ring powerfully, especially those discovered around his adopted state, Kentucky. But even more than collecting them, he joyfully loves to share those stories.
In his new book, Spirit of the Bluegrass: Strange, Surprising, and Sentimental Stories from Kentucky, readers will get a heapin’ passel of true-life narratives of “Commonwealth” interest. A television news reporter since 1985, the Lexington resident is the anchor and managing editor for WDKY (Fox 56), being there from the beginning of the news operation in 1995.
He knows a good story when he sees one.
“I just believe, and hope, that if something is interesting to me, it will be interesting to other people as well,” said Marvin. “I look for stories that might make even lifelong Kentuckians say, ‘I never knew about that.’”
Though Marvin spends a lot of time at the news desk these days, going on the road to do Spirit segments is both invigorating and enriching. “It is invaluable to me as an anchor to be able to picture the places we mention in news stories—to know what a downtown looks like, or how far it is to get to a place from Lexington and what you pass on the way,” he said. “I get to talk directly to people who live in the communities we serve, and they give me ideas for other stories, and sometimes insight into local politics, goals and concerns. It’s also great that they see me there to present their homes in a positive light. “Spirit of the Bluegrass” is an antidote to bad news.
In the Spirit book, Marvin puts in print what he has been doing for years, presenting regular television features by the same name at Fox 56, and earlier at another station. Partly inspired by his adoration for the popular former CBS series, “On the Road with Charles Kuralt,” he has put his own stamp on an endeavor that encompasses all parts of Kentucky. The “Bluegrass” in the title, Marvin makes clear, means “all of Kentucky, not just the region around Kentucky.”
The 229-page offering features more than 200 people and 70 color photographs. It is divided into the following four main sections: “Spirited Places;” “Holiday Spirit;” “Spirited People;” and “Unexpected Spirit.” Following are some samples from each.
In Spirited Places, Marvin took a visit to Penn’s Store, at Gravel Switch, “a gathering place for this community that straddles three county lines—Boyle, Casey, and Marian,” and where we learn about the “Great Outhouse Blowout” event. Another trip sent him outside the town of Bloomfield, in Nelson County, to show us an odd grouping of John Deere tractors standing half-buried inside the white-planked fences of the Jerry and Linda Bruckheimer farm. Other “spirited places” are the Mother Goose Inn, in Hazard, and Kentucky’s Stonehenge, the work of Chester Fryer, former mayor of Munfordville.
Holiday Spirit includes “Lawn Mower Brigade,” an event on the Fourth of July in Wilmore, with Marvin providing a “groan alert” for his punny way of telling the story about a group of people using push mowers in an entertaining, choreographed way in the annual parade celebration. Down in Eastern Kentucky, readers will take a “hike up an Owsley County mountain to see a life-size image of Abraham Lincoln carved in sandstone.”
There are certainly “Spirited People” abounding in the state, and Marvin has found them. In Millersburg, Mary Lou Rankin has reigned for years as the “Apple Pie Lady.” Those pies (actually turnovers) “are made to be handheld, filled with dried apples and a secret mixture of spices,” explained the author. She’s known to sell as many as 400 a day at local festivals. The “Be Kind Sisters,” of La Grange, have raised over $50,000 for charities with a sign-making project that has gained national attention. And in Lexington, John Short has been affectionately, with tongue-n-cheek, designated as a member of the “Sports Radio Hall of Fame” for his long loyalty to local call-in sports talk where he always predicts a UK Wildcat win.
The Unexpected Spirit section takes a look at people who regularly dress up like Abraham Lincoln, or a man who dresses his automobile body with small toys, or another who holds religious services for “geeks.” How about the unexpected idea of taking a collection of antiques at a place near Falmouth and turning it into a tiny town look-a-like, called Punkyville?
There are plenty of other captivating stories covered, including an add-on section at the end of the book called “More to Adore.” Mentioned are events such as the World Chicken Festival, the Kent Family Magic Circus and places to visit such as Wendt’s Wildlife Adventure, near Carlisle, and the iconic Valley View Ferry on the, established in 1785 and still in use.
For lovers of Kentucky life, this book is an essential resource, promoting fun conversations and demonstrating the innate creativity and individualism of some pretty special folks throughout the state.
Spirit of the Bluegrass is available widely to pre-order on online sites such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It will soon be in stock at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Lexington, where Marvin will have a signing event on May 6, at 7 p.m.