Cruisin' The Heartland

Classic car and truck owners gathered from all over the state to downtown Elizabethtown, Kentucky on the morning of Saturday, July 28, 2012. Despite the hot weather, spectators came downtown to look at all the multi-colored vintage automobiles and motorcycles. The city of Elizabethtown, Kentucky held its third annual Crusin' The Heartland car cruise.

Vehicles built from the 1920s through the 1990s were parked along Dixie Avenue and Mulberry Street. Spectators could also find things in the parking lots such as a swap meet located in the NAPA parking lot and also next to the old ACE Hardware store parking lot. The City Hall lot became the spot to be if you were hungry. Ice cream vendors and several food stands such as Papa Johns Pizza and Old Kentucky Kettle Corn could be seen with long lines of hungry customers.

Participant turnout is also expected to be higher this year than in the previous two. According to Steven Townsend of Code 3 Images who was in charge of media access for the event, said that about 1,500 participants were expected to show where last year there was around 1,000.

Cars aren't the only part of the event. At There was also a showing of the Steve McQueen classic "Bullitt" inside the Historic State Theatre, and also a live concert featuring Antsy McClain the the Trailer Park Troubadours.

Other events included a shuttle service to the Swope Yesteryear Auto museum and a car cruise on Friday, July 27 on the square in E-town and Jerry's restaurant in Radcliff.

Above, spectators look a 1959 Chevrolet Impala owned by Stanley Lawson of Barbourville, Kentucky. Lawson's Impala featured the original 348 cubic inch V8 engine and four-speed transmission.

Chrome and polished aluminum accessories accent the original 348 cubic inch v8 engine on Lawson's 1959 Impala.

Greg Whelan traveled all the way from Meade County to show his 1978 Ford F-150 Custom. Whealan's truck featured a professionally built 460 cubic inch V8 engine and 42 inch Interco Super Swampers.

Whelan named his F-150 "Blackie II" because he previous owned a truck similar to this that he also named "Blackie."

Hundreds of people showed up for the annual "Crusin' The Heartland" car cruise despite the 95 degree heat.

A view from atop the H.B. Fife Courthouse shows the streets packed with vintage automobiles and hundreds of spectators looking over their favorite classics along Dixie Avenue.

Looking from atop the H.B. Fife Courthouse shows cars and spectators lining the streets almost all the way to the CSX Railway.

Automobiles of all colors could be seen along Dixie Avenue.

Food was also part of the event. Old Kentucky Kettle Corn was one of the vendors in the City Hall parking lot.

Automobiles weren't the only thing being shown. Above is a swap meet that was located next to the old ACE Hardware Store building.

Hanging on the window of Charlotte and Phil Dieckhoff's 1955 Chevrolet is typically what you would have seen at a 1950s drive-in restaurant. Also shown is a speaker that Mrs. Dieckhoff stated came from a former drive-in theatre in Vine Grove, Kentucky.

Last, but most definitely not least is a 1955 Chevrolet four door 210 owned by Charlotte and Phil Dieckhoff. Mrs. Dieckhoff stated that this car is a factory original with only 10,000 miles on it, and with all original trim and paint.

The original paint on Mr. and Mrs. Dieckhoff 1955 Chevrolet shines just like it did the day it rolled off the car lot.



Special thanks for helping make this blog possible are:
Steven Townsend, Code 3 Images
Neal Cardin, The News-Enterprise
Tom Williams, City of Elizabethtown
Hardin County Sheriff's Department

Let Freedom Ring: Stephensburg, Kentucky Fireworks Show

Hamburgers and hot dogs. Watermelon and cantaloupe. Those are the foods that come to mind the most when the words "Fourth of July cookout" are mentioned. Every year millions of people across the U.S. celebrate the birthday of our nation by having their families over for their traditional cookout, or simple get together.

Another part of the tradition for many is to attend the local fireworks shows. In almost every town or city across the nation, pyrotechnics shoot tons of explosives into the air which results in the beautiful red, white, and blue fire in the sky. Stephensburg, Kentucky happens to be one of those towns that carries this tradition annually. Every year hundreds of people come to West Hardin Middle School to see the sky lit up.

This year, for many places, had their fireworks shows either cancelled or postponed due to the record heat and dry weather during the summer months. Hardin County had been placed under a fireworks ban, which meant local residents couldn't shoot any locally purchased because the fire risk was too high.

Despite the triple digit temperatures and dry atmosphere, residents of Hardin County and the surrounding areas were able to see a fireworks show.

Above: Live music provided a start to the annual fireworks event in Stephensburg, Kentucky.

A local band covered songs such as "dreams" by Fleetwood Mac and "old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger.

The Fireworks event take place in the field behind West Hardin Middle School.

Nightlife: While The City Sleeps

There is something so mesmerizing with the way a streetlight throws its light onto the ground, illuminating some things, but yet casts shadows on others. The way the greens, whites, and oranges thrown off of marquee signs and streetlights makes everything so beautiful. I love taking photos at night because I love capturing the light patterns and the colors. Sometimes the world is prettier at night than it is in the day. On Friday, June 15, 2012 I went out and took some photos while the city was asleep and here is what I saw:



Above: Streetlights twinkle over Lincoln Boulevard in Hodgenville, Kentucky as it ascends uphill.



A car sits quietly while life on Lincoln Boulevard has stopped for the evening.



Arby's, Rally's, and McDonalds in Elizabethtown, Kentucky wait for their late evening customers while Dixie Highway lies quietly.



The historic State Theater has its marquee brightly illuminated. This section of highway has been illuminated by the colorful neon lights since 1948.



Traffic moves through the intersection of Ring Road and U.S. Highway 62 on the northeast end of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. This section of highway usually remains busy with traffic through the night hours.



Stadium lights shine brightly over the tennis courts on University Drive in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The courts are illuminated until 11:30 p.m. nightly.



The neon window sign at Duplicator Sales and Service cast its red haze onto everything that lies close to it.

Several of the places shown I had been before and shot photos there, but shooting photos at night is a fun adventure and I could go to the same places over and over. Usually when I do that I find something I missed on my last visit. Just these few photos are just a little sample of what is seen at night. Almost every corner on every street could be the inspiration of a beautiful picture.

A Rainy Sunday: A Photo Blog

Who said rainy days had to be dull, dismal days? The truth is, they don't have to be. A rainy Sunday can be just as just as fun as clear, sunny afternoon. You may get damp from the walk from the parking lot to the front door of the mall, or coffee shop but that's the fun part. To me a grey sky that's pouring it's regular dose of moisture is just an invitation to venture out into the world. The bookstores are a wonderful place to spend a rainy afternoon. It sets a fantastic mood to check out the latest novels while the raindrops on the windows distort the outside world into a smudge of colors. Today it rained all day long. I think there may have been few brief moments that the sky was dry, but they were short breaks. While I was out today I decided to capture he beauty of the rainy Sunday that it was.

Above: Droplets of water cling to blades of pompas grass inside one of the landscape squares at the H.B. Fife Courthouse Square in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Water is seen pooling on the sidewalk as the rain comes down alongside E-town Road in Hodgenville, Kentucky.

Raindrops bead up and run off a windshield of a car at Budget Car and Truck Sales in Radcliff, Kentucky.

Water pools up along Dixie Avenue in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and reflects the cars that pass by it.

Sonic Restaurant's sign is reflected in a pool of water on Dixie Avenue.

Water drips off rows of shopping carts in the Walmart parking lot late in the evening. The rows of carts extended beyond the cart corral which represented the busy afternoon of shopper traffic.

Flowers in the landscape squares at the H.B. Fife Courthouse Square repels the rain drops as they fall from the sky.

Water runoff flows down a ditch in Freeman Lake Park during a break in the rain.

The rain-slickened tennis courts reflect the stadium lights and the sky above it.

The Things I Like

Every year, you hear people making negative comments about the current season that they are living at the time. In the winter you hear, “I’ll be glad when summer gets here.” When summer comes, the same people who wished its return will say, “I’m ready to get summer over with now.” I get the impression that no one seems happy in which the season they live. I have a favorite season as many do but there are things that go with each season that I like.

Springtime has many “new” things to offer. I love the sight of the trees and the plants waking up after their winter’s hibernation. The bright green hue the grass has is so pretty. I love the smell that hangs in the air when the grass is cut for the first time of the season. The first mowing is always a big thing for me. I always mow the grass, and clean the lawn up, and I always come back outside when it gets almost dark and listen to the frogs in my pond. I have no clue why I always do but it’s just one of the things I love about spring.

There’s no replacement for the summer heat. Even though I don’t like the heat, and I don’t like summer all that much, life wouldn’t be the same without it. It has always been a tradition that during the summer months, I get up early on Saturday mornings and got to the local Farmer’s Market. That tradition started back when a was young, and I always looked forward to going there on the weekends with my dad. He has since passed on, but I still get up and go to the Farmer’s Market on weekends during the summer months.

The fourth of July is also a great summer event. I always find great joy in going to the fireworks shows. That tradition also started out when I was young, and it has evolved into an event to capture some great photos.

County Fairs. That’s it. I think almost everyone looks forward to county fairs. They have evolved from they used to be, but they hold a lot of excitement for many. I go for the food. To me, fair food ranks up there with gourmet cooking. Even right now I can almost smell the hot funnel cakes and can almost hear the pork skins sizzling, and can almost taste the fresh lemonade.

It’s not as easy finding things I like about the fall. I do like the colors the trees turn, but that really isn’t a big thing for me. I like the crisp October days when the cool breeze rattles the dry leaves that are still on the trees at that point. Caramel apples seem to have a great taste during this time of year also. Of course fall would not be the same without Halloween.

I have saved the best for last. I have shared a few things I like from each of the seasons, for my favorite season, I have been called weird, and strange for liking it.

Winter is my favorite season.

It starts out with Thanksgiving. It has always been celebrated in its tradition in my family like many other families have. I can’t think of a Thanksgiving that my family hasn’t celebrated it.

Then we move on to Christmas. I have always loved Christmas shopping. There’s something about going to the stores and seeing their holiday window displays, along with many of the exterior decorations that is magical in my mind. Even though the tradition of exchanging gifts in my family has been put to rest, we still have Christmas dinner. The smell of ham and dressing along with my mom’s jam cake which dates back to the 1800’s seems to linger in the air for days.

After the holidays, there’s January to look forward to. I love those cold snowy days. They’re just so inviting to throw on the trench coat, a hat and scarf and stroll downtown, or to the mall, or anywhere. I love the snowy nights and waking up in the morning and seeing the white blanket all over everything. I like to spend the cold Saturday afternoons going to the local plays, or the movies. To me, winter has so much to offer.

This is my input on how each of the season impacts me. I do admit there are days in each of the seasons that I dislike, but you will seldom here me wish for another season to come about.

So the next time you hear someone say on a cold winter’s day, “I sure wish summer would get here.” You can tell them, “I bet there’s something in every season you’d like.”