Kentucky Tourism Arts & Heritage Cabinet

Governor Andy Beshear has joined leadership from the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet to announce the unveiling of the 2021 Kentucky Official Visitor’s Guide. With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic now within reach, state officials are preparing to welcome visitors back to the commonwealth as vaccinations are distributed nationally.

In recognition of Black History Month, Governor Beshear and Secretary Berry announced today that Kentucky will now be home to the newest sites on the historic the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville and the SEEK Museum in Russellville, Kentucky mark the latest additions to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail making Kentucky home to 5 sites on the historic trail. Three additional trail sites are also located in Kentucky: Berea College in Berea, the Louisville Downtown Civil Rights Trail and Whitney M. Young Jr.’s birthplace in Simpsonville.

JoAnna Oldfield and James Moore practiced together for about two years before starting to perform live in May 2016. That perseverance paid off for the Americana duo, known as JOANNA~JAMES, as they became one of four Americana music acts adjudicated into the Kentucky Arts Council’s Performing Artists Directory.

The Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea salutes photographer Mary S. Rezny as the creator of the Kentucky Governor’s Awards in the Arts, given to eleven Kentucky Governor’s Awards recipients at a recent ceremony in Frankfort.

The Governor’s Awards in the Arts are the Commonwealth’s highest honors in the arts, recognizing individuals, organizations and businesses that have made extraordinary and significant contributions to the arts in Kentucky.

Owsley County Farmers Market will debut “Homegrown Handmade” as part of its 2017 grand opening June 3 in Booneville.

“Homegrown Handmade” is a result of a grant the Kentucky Arts Council received last year from the United States Department of Agriculture to incorporate and maximize the arts in two Kentucky counties at well-established farmers markets.

“A lot of people are really excited about this,” said Glenn Baker, community education director for Owsley County Schools and one of the local organizers of the grand opening.

Winter is a season of nesting for many Kentuckians. Hot cocoa and a book by the fireplace is more appealing than getting outside in the wet and cold.

However, for those who enjoy solitude and having lakes completely to themselves, winter is the best time to get outside and fish. Contrary to the stubborn belief of many anglers, fish bite all winter long.

Carter Caves State Resort Park will present a weekend of outdoor adventure with its eighth annual Winter Adventure Weekend Jan. 26-29, 2017.

Guests will be able to enjoy hiking, paddling trips, recreational tree climbing, cave tours including wild cave trips, winter survival, rappelling, ice climbing a zip line and other adventures.

A list of trips is available for beginners and advanced winter adventurers alike. All of the trips and events are led by guides.

Lydia Bailey Brown will serve as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Arts Council. Bailey Brown was nominated by Don Parkinson, Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary, and approved today by the Kentucky Arts Council Board.

Hunters who illegally transport deer or elk carcasses into Kentucky from states infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD) risk prosecution.

Hunters must not bring whole deer or elk carcasses from infected states to taxidermists or processing operations in Kentucky.

CWD is a contagious and fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk and other cervids native to North America. Currently, there is no evidence that CWD can be transmitted to humans.

Now that water temperatures are settling downward for the fall, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is resuming its trophy bass propagation program.

The program only accepts trophy-sized largemouth bass from anglers. In return, anglers receive a free replica mount of the fish. Bass accepted for the program are used as broodstock to grow a new generation of large fish.

The Great American Dulcimer Convention will celebrate its 40th anniversary Sept. 23-24 at Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Pineville.

The talent will include Anne MacFie, Heidi Muller, Ted Yoder, Nancy Barker and Josh Noe, February Sky, and Miller, Miller and Meyer. Concerts wills be offered on Friday and Saturday evenings.

The concert fee is $10 per person. Free workshops will be offered during the day Saturday.

Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park will commemorate the anniversary of the Revolutionary War battle with its annual re-enactment weekend on Aug. 20-21.

The re-enactment commemorates the 1782 battle that included Daniel Boone and other pioneers along the Licking River. The outnumbered pioneers lost as they went up against British soldiers and Native Americans. Among the 70 pioneers who died was Boone’s youngest son, Israel.

Five Kentucky State Park resorts will receive an estimated $3.13 million in safety and aesthetic improvements over the next two years, officials announced.

The funding comes from $18 million approved this year by Gov. Matt Bevin and the General Assembly. The improvements include structural repairs, painting and interior and exterior upgrades. The work for the “Refreshing the Finest” campaign will be carried out during 2016 and 2017.

Morehead State University's Steven Middleton, instructor of mass communication, has created a documentary, “Commonwealth Curiosities: An Ode to Kentucky’s Unique Attractions Volume Two,” which will air on the Kentucky Educational Television (KET) family of networks in July.

In a return to the curious, Commonwealth Curiosities Volume 2 embarks on another adventure around the state of Kentucky. The program showcases not only roadside attractions, but also the people who dedicate their lives to these unique and often overlooked places.

Summer is arguably the most popular time to fish as muggy, hot days push people to the water for relief and relaxation.

Many anglers, especially those who seek game fish such as black bass, trout or striped bass, release their catch.

“Catch and release works and is a good thing,” said Dave Dreves, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “But, if you don’t handle the fish properly, your good intentions can be reversed.”

Cabinet of Tourism, Arts and Heritage Sec. Don Parkinson announced today that Kentucky’s tourism industry has experienced the strongest overall economic impact growth rate the state has seen since 2005. 

Kentucky's tourism industry generated $13.7 billion in economic impact during 2015, an increase of five percent over the previous year. The industry supported more than 186,000 jobs, including 6,200 jobs created in 2015.

The Jesse Stuart Lodge at Greenbo Lakes State Resort Park is closed until further notice due to safety concerns.

Kentucky State Parks Commissioner Donnie Holland made that decision after receiving the draft of an engineering report that concludes the building is no longer safe for occupancy.

“The lodge has been closed to visitors and guests for the past six months ago after an electrical fire that caused smoke damage to the main lodge and some of the resort’s 36 guest rooms,” Commissioner Holland said. 

Organizers of the Kentucky Century Challenge are pleased to announce that the challenge will return for a fourth year.

The Kentucky Century Challenge is a compilation of four cycling events in Kentucky - the Redbud Ride, in London; the Horsey Hundred, in Georgetown; Bike Morehead, in Morehead; and the Hub City Tour, in Elizabethtown.

New for 2016 is the Bike Morehead ride which, along with London, is headquartered in a certified Kentucky Trail Town.

A 41-year-old Mount Washington native is the new host of the Emmy Award-winning “Kentucky Afield” television show, a production of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

Chad Miles, who grew up pan fishing the Salt River and hunting rabbits and squirrels, will become the seventh host of the nation’s longest continuously-running outdoor television show. He succeeds Tim Farmer, who retired in December after hosting the popular show for the past 20 years.

Just in time for the Easter season, Jim Shields, of Lexington, will sign copies of his new children’s book “Welcome Baby Bunnies!” on Saturday, March 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea.

State arts leaders gathered Jan. 20 for Arts Day in Kentucky, an annual celebration of the Commonwealth’s arts community and the vital roles it plays in the state’s livelihood. The day is also an opportunity for arts leaders to thank members of the Kentucky General Assembly for their continued support of arts funding through the Kentucky Arts Council.

The largest collection of Kentucky artists under one roof will gather for Kentucky Crafted: The Market, March 7-8 at the Lexington Convention Center.

Now in its 33rd year, The Market is the Kentucky Arts Council's signature event of the year for artists under the Kentucky Crafted brand to display and sell their work to a broad base of consumers and wholesale buyers. More than 200 Kentucky Crafted and selected out-of-state artists will exhibit their work for sale at The Market.

Generations of hunters have honed basic hunting skills and techniques and provided tasty table fare by stalking the forest for squirrels.

For a young Chris Garland, squirrel hunting provided a gateway into the woods and remains a family tradition.

Aline Dolinh, the Southeastern United States representative in the National Student Poets Program (NSPP), will join Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X Walker and six former poets laureate for readings during this year's Kentucky Writers' Day ceremony.

Three times a year, the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea holds review sessions to consider works and products by Kentucky artisans who are not juried members of the Kentucky Arts Council programs or the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen. 

Applications for the next review are due April 30.

Application categories are visual arts (crafts, and two-dimensional art), books, music, storytelling and other recordings or films and Kentucky Proud food products.