Best of Lex 2009

It’s been an exciting week for me. Last Friday, I attended the big Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) bash held at Spendthrift Farm. I saw a lot of old friends and met new ones as we chatted, drank, ate, and chatted and ate and drank some more.

I went with my Editrix from Ace Weekly, who always makes the perfect date for such occasions. She takes photos, and posts them on Twitter (via Twitpic) and I move from room to room, chatting it up with old friends from my days as a writer for The Thoroughbred Record, like Evan Hammonds, who is the Executive Editor for the Blood-Horse. I worked for him before heading over to the Record and always look forward to seeing him at the Derby or Keeneland, or any other venue that involves Thoroughbreds.

So now we are a week removed from all that, and we’ve watched Kanye be rude, Serena lob expletives, and our President is being besmirched by all the haters that President Carter correctly identified as racists, “not just in the South, but all over America.” Thank goodness it’s Thursday and I can move on with my life. We can all move on, right? Let’s hope so!

The good news is that tomorrow night, Ace Weekly will throw its annual Best of Lex bash, for the winners of the poll that is The Poll to win in Lexington. So I am here to congratulate my Lambchops, people and groups about whom I wrote this past year. This is just a sample of all the winners, so please grab an issue of Ace Weekly or find it online at http://www.aceweekly.com/ and check out all the winners.  However, I feel oh, so lucky, to have the opportunity to get to know these wonderful folks who won:

Best Arts Non-Profit  - Art In Motion

Scott Diamond and Yvette Hurt have put together a vast organization of architects, builders, UK workers, and artists to build artistically appealing bus shelters, such as BottleStop (made from Ale-8 bottles) and ArtStop (a metal sculpture by Garry Bibbs).  Glad people are sitting up and taking notice of Art in Motion!

Best Place to Hear poetry - Al's Bar (Holler Poets Series)

Holler Daddy, Eric Sutherland and his band of poets never fail to entertain, provoke thoughts, and endear themselves even further to the appreciative audiences you will find at Al's Bar (Sixth & Lime).   If you have not yet been to Holler, what are you waiting for? 

Best visual art exhibit in last year - Side by Side - Thanks to Nick Kouns and Diane Mason for their idea to incorporate art with healthcare.  In April, artists met with children at Cardinal Hill to create gorgeous works of art.  This project is one of the sweetest and thoughtful movements I have ever had the pleasure to cover.

Best Local Theatre Production (Indoor) - Long Time Travelling (by Silas House) - AGL's Artistic Director asked me to follow this play from "page to stage," so I could watch the process unfold.  It was a stroke of genius on his part, and I hope Actors Guild of Lexington gives him credit for putting together a great cast and directing the ensemble in this world premiere performance of Kentucky native Silas House's piece.  Good for everyone, cast and crew and most of all, Silas! 

Best Local Theatre Production (Outdoor) - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Summerfest) Bob Singleton (Dr. Jekyll) responded right away when I wrote and asked him to comment on this production, and I was happy to see the crowd be so appreciative of the performance.  When my photographer buddy, Tom Eisenhauer, and I arrived in the mid-day heat, rehearsal was in full swing. I was so impressed at the dedication of all the actors and crew - it was a hot, hot day and they were giving it their all.  Glad to see their hard work paid off.

Best Visual Artist - Arturo Sandoval  - Sandoval's "Millenium Quintet" made the perfect centerpiece for this year's Chamber Music Festival at Fasig-Tipton. 

Best thing to happen to the suburbs this year - Legacy Trail - This nine-mile long pedestrian and bicycle path will lead from the Isaac Murphy Garden on Third Street all the way to the Kentucky Horse Park and is to be completed by the opening of the Alltech World Equestrian Games about a year from now. 

Best local radio show - Trivial Thursdays (WRFL) with Mick Jeffries, host -  I was delighted when Mick asked me to be a guest on his two hour morning show. We talked about Art in Motion, Summerfest and Rosemary Clooney, amongst other topics.  Here is a link to the podcast of that show:  http://podcast.trivialthursdays.com/

Best local blog (non-corporate) - Mick also won this category with his Mingle Freely blog.  I was proud to see that my blog, right here in KimmyVille, won 2nd place.  Thanks so much, dear readers, for your support!