The HerKentucky 60 Things Project: Paducah


In last Sunday's Herald-Leader,  Cheryl Truman, with the help of many readers, listed 50 things that define Lexington.  We thought it would be fun to make a similar HerKentucky list, with 10 things that define our respective hometowns.  Up next? Sarah's list of things that define Paducah.



1. Rivers. They don't call it River City for nothing. Paducah sits at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers - just upstream from where the Ohio joins with the Mississippi and just downstream from where the Cumberland meets up with the Ohio. There wouldn't really be a Paducah without them. It defines industry in Paducah, with the barge business being a major employer in town. It has shaped our history, with floods being the events that mark time. It has truly shaped our town.

2. Quilts. I've covered this before. Paducah is the Quilt Capitol OF THE WORLD.  The city's calendar revolves around the Quilt Show in May, when the entire town shuts down to welcome quilters from across the globe. We have a Quilt Museum, quilt shops, quilt societies. Quilts are our thing.



3. The Arts. Our official tagline is "Distinctively Creative" thanks to the strong and ever-growing artists community in Paducah. In the 1990s, the city government began offering artist real estate in our LowerTown for CHEAP (as in $1 cheap) if the artist pledged to fix up the real estate and make his or her home in Paducah. The Artist Relocation Program was a huge success (even got written up in the New York Times!) and now we have a town that truly values the arts ... not to mention a truly cool regional arts festival.

4. The Market House. The centerpiece of our downtown. The Market House originally housed the town's market. Now, it is home to the Market House Theater and Museum, as well as the Yeiser Art Center. Surrounded on both sides by cobblestone streets, it was recently named one of the Top Five Most Romantic Main Streets in the U.S.

5. Barbecue. Again, I've covered this before. We love barbecue in Western Kentucky and particularly in Paducah. I know other places have barbecue. It's just not as good as our's.



6. Maiden Alley Cinema. Our local non-profit art house cinema would be awesome enough on its own but it also hosts the state's second oldest film festival every fall, which gets better every year!

7. The Downtown Food Scene. We've got the only other family owned and operated Doe's (a Southern institution). We have one of the oldest and BEST bakeries in Kentucky. We also have the best seafood, Italian, and Mexican - all within a couple blocks of each other. Not to mention, every Saturday in the summers the streets are shut down to cars and fill with people, performers, and music. 

8. The Lake. Kentucky Lake with all its splendor is only a half an hour away, which means it is an indelible part of most Paducahan's lives (and history). 



9. Whitehaven. If you roll through Paducah on I-24 (as most people do), then you this historic mansion will welcome you from high atop a hill above one of the main exits. Built in the 1860's, it is now a welcome center and houses memorabilia from the life of one of Paducah's most famous citizens - Vice-President Alben Barkley.

10. Noble Park. 135 acres of playgrounds, ponds, and trails. I like to think of Noble Park as Paducah's own little Central Park. It is a popular place for picnics and play dates all year round but it really sparkles in December when the city lights up the entire park for the holidays.

~ Sarah Stewart Holland 
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A New Tradition


Fall is in the air and the holiday season is about to begin. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. It is the season of traditions, which usually means time-honored rituals practiced for years. However, every once in a while, you attend a brand new event that feels like it's been a part of the community forever and you know instantly a new tradition has been formed.

This weekend the River Discovery Center hosted the Dragon Boat Festival and a new Paducah tradition was born. Local companies and organizations sponsored the dragon boats and then competed in a series of heats throughout the day.

Everyone was excited about the event but it didn't take two steps onto the riverfront to realize it wasn't just those directly involved in the event who came to cheer on the teams. I spoke with friend after friend who came down just to check out the races and participate in the fun.

The fun didn't start and end with the races either. Every team set up tents with decorations and mascots. Each boat also had to have a costumed drummer who then participated in a fashion show. There was food and corn hole and lots of kids throwing rocks in the river. Not to mention, money raised for a great cause and asset to our community.

And I knew immediately. A new fall tradition has been born.

~ Sarah Stewart Holland
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Barbecue on the River


Fall means festivals. School festivals. Church festivals. Festivals celebrating old wars. Festivals celebrating shrimp.

Paducah is no different. Fall brings street carnivals and fairs of one kind or another but the biggest one of all is Barbecue on the River. We already know Western Kentucky knows barbecue. Seventeen years ago, the organizers decided to capitalize on that passion and create Western Kentucky's answer to Memphis in May while raising lots and lots of money for charity.

Every booth is hosted by a charity around Paducah who then brings in the barbecue experts to smoke up the meet and hopefully win a trophy in the competition. All the festival goers benefit from the competition as we feed our faces with the best in smoked pork and chicken. The charity's benefit by keeping the proceeds to benefit their organization!


Over the course of three days, more than 30,000 people flood (no pun intended) the riverfront to take in the live music and food as well as the "Old Market Days."

Barbecue on the River didn't started until I was in high school. So, while it is a highlight of my year now, I don't have any happy memories of gobbling down barbecue at the festival as a child. In a way, I feel like that is a testament to the event that it has grown so quickly to become an essential outing as the seasons begin to change. I look forward to Barbecue on the River every year because it reminds me of all the ways Paducah grew and changed in the ten years I was gone and of all the new memories I have to create with my own children in the falls to come.

~ Sarah Stewart Holland
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A Kentuckian in California


I mean they have these in the BACKYARD!
I went abroad last week, y'all. Or at least it felt like another country.

I went to California.

Now, first let me say, it is not Californians with which I have a problem. Everyone was super sweet and accommodating and generous. Got nothing but love for all the fabulous people I met in California. However...let me share a rundown of observations from the Sunshine State that left me longing for the the bluegrass of Kentucky after only a couple of days.

* The June gloom was a real bummer, even if it did burn off by the afternoon.
* Everything is SO. SO. SO. expensive.
* There is an excessive amount of door locking that had me pretty paranoid by the end of the trip.
* I do not ever in my life want to spend that much time and energy thinking about (much less sitting in) traffic.
* Seriously, $4.15 for a *&%# gallon of gas!
* I'm not sure I want kale to be that large of a part of my diet.
* I do not miss living in an one industry town.
* A plethora of options is at the same time exciting and exhausting.
* Turns out being around a bunch of skinny tan people is not so great for the old self-image.
* Lunch should never cost $30 for ONE person. (Noticing a theme here?)

In full disclosure, there were some nice things. They have SIDEWALKS - a novel concept I know but one Paducah hasn't quite got on to yet. Despite the annoying and pervasive presence of skinny people, it was nice to always have fresh, healthy food options close by. The Coffee Bean is in fact delicious and I got to go to an H&M (Hallelujah!).

But...

My first full day back home I had to go to baby shower. It was about five minutes away (in fairness, everything in Paducah is about five minutes away) and as I rounded a corner and turned onto a highway surrounded by green fields and topped by big, wide open blue sky I found myself taking a deep, slow exhale.


~ Sarah Stewart Holland 




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Kentucky Places: Leigh's Barbecue

This is the best barbecue in Paducah the world.






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Reason #2 to come visit

So, the last reason I gave you to come visit was kinda gross...fascinating but gross.

Then Lydia wrote her awesome tutorial and I was reminded of the real reason you should come to Paducah. Such a good reason I ranked it #2! (#1 being ME...of course)

THE QUILTS!



Paducah is Quilt Capitol of ... wait for it... the WORLD!

We have a Quilt Convention. We have a Quilt Museum. We have lots and lots and lots of quilts.

So, what's the big deal you ask? A bunch of blankets. Who cares?

GASP!

Quilts aren't just blankets. Quilts are ART and until you've stood inches from tee tiny stitches which are not only exactly the same size but were done by hand.  Then you may not look down upon the art of quilting.



It's not just the incredible skill that is required.

(Side note: Upon graduation from college, I decided to make my now husband a quilt. I spent an insane amount of money on fabric for a quilt that ended up being about the size of a crib sheet and was pushed to tears in frustration. I've all but blocked the entire memory.)



Real quilters create incredible tableaus that put color and shape together in ways you can't even imagine.
The quilts themselves are beautiful. They are unique. They are definitely worth a visit.

~ Sarah Stewart Holland
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Pizza in Paducah

I love pizza. If given the choice, I would eat it for lunch and dinner everyday. I love it that much. I developed and nurtured my love of pizza growing up in Paducah. My parents and I would order pizza every Sunday night before we sat down for the latest episode of Lois and Clark. (Don't judge me!) My best friend and I would save and scrounge for the $7 it took to order a medium cheese pizza on weekends.

Due to my long and dedicated history of pizza consumption, I count myself as a Paducah pizza expert and here are my top picks if you're looking for a delicious slice while in River City.

  1. Pizza by the Pound They don't deliver and they don't have to. It's that good. Pizza by the Pound, a local institution since 1964, is home of the eight pound pizza. If you can eat it in one hour and in one setting, they'll give you $100. I just prefer a few slices of pepperoni that will only make you feel like you've gained eight pounds. 
  2. Pizza Inn Recently crowned the #1 Readers' Choice in the Paducah Sun, Pizza Inn is the best pizza buffet I've ever had. It was also our choice on Sunday nights growing up. They have the best thin crust pizza and the most amazing chocolate chip dessert pizza you've ever tasted. 
  3. Michael's New York Style Pizza The runner-up for Readers Choice, Michael's is great for big, saucy slices just like they sell in the Big Apple. I love the spiciness of their sauce and their crust is delicious. 
  4. Italian Village Pizza You can get a large pizza for $7. Enough said. (I have NOTHING to say about the music on their website.)
  5. Max's Brick Oven This is what I call fancy pizza. There is a time and place for fancy, brick oven pizza and when that time comes, you want to be at Max's. 
What's your favorite pizza in Paducah?
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