Ken-Tucked Away
Thankfully, I’m married to a person who enjoys road trips and the occasional jump into small towns so I can map the place on my bike and find local trouble to get into.
By trouble I mean taking in the scene by sniffing out cultural values, imagining history, riding over geology, and talking with unsuspecting locals. The more out-of-the-way the place is the better.
Mt. Sterling, Kentucky fits the formula. What sold me on the place initially was the Dolly Parton-themed cottage I found on Airbnb. I had a $100 coupon for being a Super Host, so in the end we spent $33 to spend a night in a Main Street gem decked to the nines in bright colors, memorabilia, and images of the queen of biscuits.
Pwitty in Pink
We missed the narrow driveway because it was tucked in between a tiny plaza and a grim funeral home with an ugly car port and depressing car lot. The setting of the guest house is not a huge concern of the owners, apparently.
But inside it was every inch a Dolly house complete with wigs. As a wig fan myself, you might say I was tickled pink.
Two doors down1 sits a bright yellow church that reminded me of WestArt Community Center in Lancaster, a venue I’ve been volunteering at on my block. It seemed like an artistic oasis in the midst of a rather blue-collar and proudly historical southern town. So…
I walked in and was greeted by Savannah, a student at the University of Kentucky. She and her co-worker Sinclair, a ceramics artist, seemed surprised to see a skinny and excitable Yankee wearing pretentious spectacles and riding a gravel bike up to their door. They graciously gave me a tour of the sanctuary-turned-venue, the workshop spaces upstairs, and a nicely outfitted gallery where they were setting up a photography show with works by a NYC artist.
Keep in mind, Mt. Sterling is about 30 miles from Morehead State University to the east and the University of Kentucky in Lexington to the west.
Curiously, it’s not a bedroom community or suburb. It’s a distinct place with a unique identity, strong ties to its past, and a boatload of small businesses. Right up my alley!
Names of local corporations and donors are etched into the art center’s front doors telling the tale of a million dollar funding campaign. There must be someone in Mt. Sterling with a vision for elevating their Appalachian community through the arts. Someone, perhaps, besides the proprietor of the cottage of many colors?2
Becky and I walked around the historic square at dusk. I few rain drops began to fall, and the air smelt of forest. A local AM/FM radio station office glowed with neon while a speaker above the front door carried their broadcast. A feeling of safety and belonging passed through me in the stillness.
“Mommy, What’s a Radio Station?”
A wood-fired pizza joint aptly named Tomatoes and Flames had just closed, dagnabbit, so we drove a mile out to the interstate for a steak house meal at Cattleman’s, a regional chain. I hadn’t held a serrated knife and dug into a fine slab of cow in years. The owner of our Airbnb, Jordan, messaged that he and his partner often go there for the salad bar. It too was great, as were the appetizer rolls with whipped cinnamon butter.
Going out of town the next morning we tuned into 107.7 FM because we enjoy hearing local commercials; the ones that herald regional accents you can only get on the air waves. Their music format is “country classics,” but it really ought to be called “country commercials” because they were legion.
If you need a comfortable, clean, and cute place to stay while driving along Route 64 in horse country, we recommend you stay with Dolly. Say “Hey, Y’all!” to Jordan for us.
Did I mention he’s als the visionary behind the arts center? You might’ve guessed.
That’s life in a small town.
That’s a clue to a Top 40 hit.
Another lyric; I can’t help it.
Its on my bucket list. Just hope they can turn off the Dolly Parton music at bed time.