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Arts and writing contest invites Kentuckians to celebrate their ‘New Kentucky Home’

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Submissions are being accepted for the New Kentucky Home Arts and Writing Contest, and all Kentuckians are invited to participate.

According to a release from the Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet, Kentuckians of all ages can submit artwork, photos, videos, poetry, and short essays via social media by June 18 to participate. Kentucky Governor and First Lady Andy and Britainy Beshear say the contest is an opportunity to celebrate what makes the commonwealth special and reflect on both Kentucky’s history and its future.

The Governor and First Lady provided three prompts to inspire participants:

-What do you love more about your “New Kentucky Home”?
-What moment or person in Kentucky’s history inspires you?
-What is your dream for Kentucky?

To participate, post your work or a photo of your work to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or multiple platforms. Tag the Governor and the First Lady in the post. Include the hashtags #NewKentuckyHome and #TeamKentucky, and if you are a student hashtag your age group. The deadline to submit is June 18.

Winners in each age group will receive a complimentary two-night stay at Kentucky State Parks and a one-year membership to the Kentucky Historical Society.

State plans to complete 911 upgrades by end of 2027

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Kentucky is taking steps to modernize how emergency calls are handled.

During his Team Kentucky Update Thursday, Governor Andy Beshear discussed the statewide transition to Next Generation 911. The Governor said the transition will improve speed, accuracy, and inter-agency collaboration across the 117 911 call centers in the state.

“This is about saving lives through better technology, ensuring every Kentuckian no matter where they live can reach 911 quickly and reliably,” Beshear said.

Kentucky Office of Homeland Security Executive Director Amy Hess said the data through legacy 911 systems is primarily restricted to voice, caller ID, and limited location information. She said Next Generation 911 replaces the legacy systems “with a secure, highly reliable digital infrastructure.”

“It transforms emergency access by allowing text, voice, photos, and video calls from any compatible device,” Hess said. “This gives dispatchers and first responders far greater situational awareness of what they’re facing before they arrive on scene, creating a vital tactical advantage in life-threatening scenarios.”

The new systems have been implemented in 19 call centers to date, and full implementation is expected by the end of 2027.

30th Annual Children’s Fair coming to Freeman Lake Park Saturday

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An annual summer staple, and an event near and dear to Quicksie and the Wolf, returns to Freeman Lake Park Saturday: the 30th-Annual Children’s Fair, held in partnership with the Heart of Kentucky Association of Realtors.

“There’s so much stuff to do, but what I think the most important thing is, it’s completely free,” said HKAR realtor Jenny Geist. “It’s for kids, ages one to 12 and everybody in between, because we all like free stuff, and that’s wonderful. There’s going to be all kinds of vendors that are going to be there. They’ll have games, different booths, and activities.”

The fair runs at and around the Ernie Williams Pavilion at the park from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

The Children’s Fair was the creation of Lydia Drexler and Quicksie Co-Founder Marilyn Evans. In addition to games, inflatables, balloon art, face painting, and more, the popular “Mascot Idol” will return as D.J. Tiger, Wolfie, and their area friends compete for the trophy.

“It’s completely free,” Geist said. “Just hop in your car and come on. Don’t bring anything else with you. We don’t want you to worry about money that day. Completely free, but please come join us, and let’s keep our fingers crossed for wonderful weather.”

Find the flier with more information about the Children’s Fair on the Quicksie and Wolf Facebook pages.

Heart of Kentucky Chorus invites community to upcoming shows

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If you are looking for plans this Saturday evening, the Heart of Kentucky Chorus invites you to hit the road with them in celebration of America.

The chorus will be performing at the First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown Saturday at 7 p.m.

“Our title of our show is ‘An American Journey’, and we’re singing patriotic songs,” said chorus member Jim Lever. “We’re also singing about things that happened like the birth of the automobile culture and the railroads, that kind of thing.”

Tickets are $10, with children 12 and under free.

The chorus will also be performing on June 11.

“That is a dinner and a show, so the dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the show is at 7 p.m., and that is at the Venue on Main on West Main Street in Vine Grove,” Lever said. “Admission for that dinner and show is $35.”

Proceeds from the event support the Living Waters of Guatemala Partnership, which aims to install water purification systems for communities in the Central American country. Visit the Heart of Kentucky Chorus Facebook page for ticket and reservation information.

Beshear order adds more qualifying conditions to Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program

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Additional conditions have been added to the list of recognized conditions for the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program.

Governor Andy Beshear on Tuesday signed an executive order “directing Team Kentucky’s Office of Medical Cannabis to issue an emergency regulation further clarifying qualifying conditions for medical cannabis in Kentucky law.” Included in the order are sickle cell anemia, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s, terminal illnesses, and more.

According to a release from the Governor’s Office, Beshear says the law is meant to provide “a safe alternative form of pain relief for Kentuckians suffering” so the executive order makes the law more clear to help more Kentuckians have access to medical cannabis as an alternative to opioids. Beshear noted that the added conditions have always been within the scope of the Medical Cannabis Program’s six permissible diagnoses, but the order provides patients and medical providers clear confirmation.

32 medical cannabis businesses are up and running in Kentucky, including Green Leaf Dispensary which opened in Elizabethtown on June 1. More than 500 medical cannabis practitioners have been registered under the program, and more than 23,700 Kentuckians have been approved for medical cannabis cards.

Find more information on the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program at kymedcan.ky.gov.