People

You may have seen them recently on Flag Day. Or, maybe you saw them out and about on Memorial Day. Regardless of when or where it might be, it’s hard to miss the teams of Boy Scouts from Troop 1 that place 153 American flags in local yards of those who participate in the U.S. Flag Holiday Fundraiser.

Gay Speirbhain has traveled all over, in both location and imagination. A Tennessee native and 50-year resident of New Mexico, Gay has made a delightful addition to Paducah’s creative community. But don’t let her southern charm fool you. She offers something more than a pleasant chat on the front porch and a tall glass of lemonade. She is as colorful in her folk art as she is at enchanting audiences with the stories she tells about her life growing up in the south and tales of her adventures as an artist living out west. 

Brandon Holder’s team of volunteers helps him out of the wheelchair and positions him on Cappy, the horse he will ride today. It takes a wide Velcro strap and a back brace to hold Holder in place. The 19-year-old, who deals with arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder characterized by stiff joints and abnormally developed muscles, has a smile the size of Texas on his face. Holder, who loves all things horse-related, comes to Carson Park every week from Benton to ride with H.O.R.S.E.S. The non-profit group “Helps Others Reach Success using Equine Services.” Joy and Bill Winebarger launched this therapeutic riding program in 2005.

Quick! What is the capital of Bhutan? What is the monetary unit of Estonia? What is the largest religious group in Monaco? Ok, how many did you get right? Now imagine going through that drill on a stage in front of thousands of people, TV cameras, and Alex Trebek. For most, it sounds like the makings of a bad dream. For Paducah teen Hunter Watkins, it was the culmination of a passionate pursuit as he competed at the National Geographic Bee in May.

Growth is slow at Louis Davis's business. For most, that would sound bad. But for Louis, that's just the nature of things. Business itself is booming. It's his product that has a rather lackadaisical temperament. Louis owns Paducah-based Plant Oddities, a part time hobby that quickly turned into a full time job.

The word HAMBURGER is distinctly German. The HAMBURGER SANDWICH is wholly American.

"This is the family dynasty," says Paul Parker as he thinks about his family's business and why we came back to Paducah after nearly two decades in Lexington. "I came back to carry that forward." The dynasty he refers to is Parker's Drive-In, a Lone Oak mainstay and hamburger haven.