Coming up on Kentucky Life.

A group called Guns.

To Gardens Louisville has teamed with a local.

Blacksmith to turn surrendered guns into.

Gardening tools.

The International Festival.

Celebrates Kentuckians that make up the diverse.

Population of Bowling Green.

Lexington-based designer Soreyda Begley is using her.

Talent and skill to bring attention to the issue of.

Sustainability and fashion.

And we'll explore the history of the Black Patch.

Tobacco Wars and the civil unrest in Princeton.

Kentucky, in 1906.

All that's next on Kentucky Life.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Hey, everybody, and welcome to Kentucky Life.

I'm your host, Chip Polston.

Welcome to the spectacular Palace Theatre, here on.

4th Street in Louisville.

Now, I once saw Jerry Seinfeld perform here.

He walked out on stage, took a look around and said.

“You know, I wish you could have made the place a little.

more ornate.” The Palace was opened as a movie theatre.

Back in 1928, and was built during the Golden Age of.

Hollywood, back when 4th Street was the main.

Entertainment district in Louisville.

Now, it's hard to imagine looking around here now.

How Close this building came to being demolished after it.

Sat abandoned and decaying in the 1970s.

But a major renovation project brought the Palace.

Back to its former glory.

Between the lobby highlighted by a ceiling.

With 139 plaster faces of composers, philosophers.

And playwrights, to the blue ceiling in the theatre with.

Twinkling stars meant to look like the nighttime sky.

The Palace is an absolute gem.

And we look forward to sharing it with.

You during our show.

But first, Craig Kaviar is a Louisville blacksmith who.

Has mastered his craft through years of hard work.

And dedication.

Now, he's partnered with the.

Louisville Chapter of Guns to Gardens to transform.

Weapons surrendered by community members into.

Gardening tools.

Let's take a closer look at Craig's.

Process and what it means to literally turn.

Swords into plowshares.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ They will beat their swords into plowshares and their.

Apears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation.

Nor will they train for war anymore.

My name is Craig A.Kaviar.

I'm a sculptor blacksmith creating architectural.

And sculptural ironwork and metalwork actually in.

Louisville, Kentucky.

I moved here with my wife, and initially we lived in.

Taylorsville.

But pretty soon I realized that I.

Probably needed to be in a big city to make a living.

And we spent a year driving around, looking at buildings.

Saying, “Will that make a good blacksmith shop?

Will that make a good blacksmith shop?” Until we found this place.

When I was in high school, I apprenticed to a sculptor.

From there, I went to art school in Boston, the Boston.

Museum School.

And while I was at the school, I realized that.

Making functional art, it might be an easier way to.

Make a living than just artwork itself.

And I took a job as a blacksmith at Hancock Shaker.

Village in Massachusetts.

I actually went there to apprentice to a blacksmith.

But when I arrived, he had quit weeks before.

And so, they just plugged me in as the blacksmith.

I had a little experience but not much.

So, I've been learning on the job ever since, and that.

Was in 1976.

I'm working with a group called Guns to Garden.

Louisville.

And they have gun surrenders where people.

Surrender their guns, and the group had asked me to.

Turn them into hand hoes and artwork.

Guns to Gardens offers people the opportunity to.

Get rid of unwanted guns safely and anonymously with.

The assurance that they will not be resold or end up.

Back on the streets.

It's inspired by a verse from the Prophet Isaiah.

In the Old Testament, about beating swords into.

Plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.

So our vision is to transform weapons of death.

And violence into instruments of.

Beauty and new life.

I hope to help eliminate some of the gun violence.

That is going on with in not just Louisville.

But especially down here in the western end of Louisville.

Where most of the violence is centered and where media.

Sometimes centers the violence.

So, to be able to do this event, I hope people in this.

Neighborhood will come out and be able to turn in their.

unwanted firearms for a good cause, and to help the.

Community as well.

We personally know people that have lost people.

To gun violence.

There are more guns than people in this.

Country right now.

And so we're not about to take away anybody's guns.

But we feel that, you know, having less guns makes us.

Safer actually.

Once the guns are cut up.

I receive the various parts of them.

And this is a part of a rifle, and this part will.

Be taken off.

And then I put it in a coal forge, heat it up till.

Around 3,000 degrees when the metal just.

Barely begins to melt.

And then you hammer.

It together and it actually welds.

This is the first way man learned to weld metal.

Then I punch a hole through the center of it and I use.

The drift to open it up and make sure I fit a hammer.

Handle into it.

Then I go back to the two ends of it, and one of them.

I forge out flat for a hoe, and the other one I make.

A split and make a fork on the other side, and it turns.

Out to a lovely tool.

So I have a Chambersburg air hammer, which is the.

Cadillac of air hammers.

It was made in Chambersburg, Massachusetts, and it was.

Actually made for a battleship during World War II.

And I see it as part of my swords-to-plowshares equipment.

I also have a press that I bought when the Powder Plant.

Across the river went out of business.

The power hammer is sort of the heart of my shop.

It's what allows me to work on a architectural scale.

I'm a peaceful kind of guy.

I believe that we ought not to have so many.

Weapons in this world.

I have tools here in my shop that had been used for war.

And now is used for making art.

I see that as a transition that is focused in the.

Bible, where it says that you will take your swords.

And hammer them into plowshares.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Kentucky's third largest town is becoming.

Increasingly well-known for its diversity.

With a population of just over 70,000, Bowling Green.

Has the most refugees per capita in Kentucky.

And over 100 languages are spoken in the city's school.

Districts alone.

Each September, the city's diversity is on display at.

The International Festival, a gathering for Kentuckians.

New and old, to celebrate the many cultures that make.

Up Bowling Green.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The International Festival of Bowling Green is like my.

Favorite day of the year.

It involves music, celebrations, entertainment.

Food, and education about the many different cultures.

Represented in a small city like Bowling Green.

It's a presentation of the cultural ethnic diversity.

From around the world.

It's a place to meet other cultures, to see the.

Different costumes, try the different food, to listen to.

Different music.

We have three different stages that are going on.

From 9:00 to 6:00.

The performances range from dancing to bands.

To even poems, to singing.

You have the international bazaar that's going on.

Which includes many different international food.

Vendors selling authentic ethnic food representing.

Their cultures.

We have a section with children's.

Activities where we have many different crafts that.

Are culturally appropriate and celebrate cultural.

Diversity.

And then we have our cultural displays.

The very first International Festival in Bowling Green.

Was celebrated in 1986.

Bowling Green was not as diverse as it is today.

And it has become today Bowling Green does have the largest.

And it has become today Bowling Green does have the largest.

Per capita number of refugees than any other city.

In Kentucky.

There are over 100 different languages.

Spoken by students between Warren County Public Schools.

And Bowling Green.

Independent.

School Districts.

We have participation from South America, from Central.

America, from all over Europe.

You'll be surprised at how many different cultures are.

Represented.

People come here to represent their own culture.

To represent their traditional clothing.

To represent history of their countries.

What caused the problem to leave the countries or why.

They are here, you know, something, what is unique.

From where they are coming from.

We were among the first, the Bosnian refugees who came.

To the Bowling Green, you know.

War started in early ‘90s.

I didn't wanna join, you know, in any side of the war.

And decided to leave.

We were chosen by the United Nations Red Cross services.

Program.

And they just told us, while we were in a.

Refugee camp, we are coming to Bowling Green, Kentucky.

It's nice to see the new people coming here because.

Diversity is really good for everybody, you know.

But there is a sad side of the story.

You know, people are coming as refugees, people have to.

Leave by force, and we are always trying to help them.

To ease the transition.

The International Festival is a great opportunity to.

Present their culture, a great opportunity to.

Represent themselves where they're coming from, because.

Even we are coming from the Bosnia, we live here.

You know, Bosnia is always kinda in our hearts.

It means a lot that you can represent that, you know.

Educate people about different parts of the world.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I'm originally from Taiwan.

I started the Chinese Music Club in 2011.

We mostly play Chinese traditional, like folk songs.

And traditional songs.

I play an instrument called guzheng, that's a Chinese.

Long zither.

So, it looks kind of like a horizontal harp, and the Sound is very soothing.

So, pretty much everybody hear and they say, “Oh.

I want to play that one.” I actually never learned any.

Instruments until I moved to Canada.

When I was 29 years old, I was a little bit homesick.

So I wanted to learn.

Something that I am familiar with.

I hear it, I saw it when I was growing up.

In a way it helped me to connect where I'm from.

My heritage, but I actually feel more connected to.

People here.

I am actually quite amazed by how big our international.

Festival is.

There's a lot of people from somewhere, but we are.

Working together.

We are all living together in the same community.

We all come from a different place but we can all be.

Together and have fun.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ My favorite part of the festival?

Oh my gosh, everything.

Everything is my favorite part of the festival.

It makes me so happy to be in a community, like Bowling.

Green, where I get to be myself.

You know, I get to celebrate with so many wonderful.

People and see their resiliency.

I know that many of our stories are stories of.

Hardship, because it's not easy immigrating to a new.

Country.

And to see us celebrating in an.

Environment in peace and rejoicing, and all of us.

Together in one space, it's just beautiful.

You know, that's what it's really meant to be.

We support each other, we give each other a hand.

And being able to see that at the International.

Festival, this is just the best part of.

My whole entire year.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Lexington-based fashion designer Soreyda Begley's.

Journey started in the sweatshops of Honduras.

Now, Soreyda uses her experiences and talents in.

Dressmaking to bring awareness to the issues of.

sustainability and fair trade in the mainstream.

Fashion industry.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Sustainability for me is important because I come.

From a system of living where you are so integrated.

Into your environment, into nature.

And I feel like for many reasons, like for physical.

For mental health, and for empathy it is important for.

people to be connected to nature, and to understand.

That we are just a tiny part of this whole system.

And everything that we do has repercussions, like you just.

Cannot separate yourself from what is happening with.

The planet.

And so through fashion, I've been able to.

Also speak about the issue.

I'm a fashion designer as a trade, I guess.

I was trained to be a dressmaker.

Soreyda sometimes refers to herself as a dressmaker.

Rather than a fashion designer.

And she's always done this because she has a real.

Sympathy for all of the people that she grew up.

With, that she knows if they were here or somewhere.

Where they had a chance to do other stuff, who knows.

What they could be, what kind of artists they would.

Become, what kind of scientist or what kind of.

Business person.

But you're so limited sometimes in your.

Options because of this particular setting in which.

You were born.

And I think for Soreyda, and for many of us that's seen.

That, that becomes the focus of the inequality or the.

Unfair part of the whole story.

I was born in Honduras, that's in Central America.

And I'm the second of six children.

I start working in the factories when I was.

14 years old.

As long as you are, you know, old enough or.

You look like you're old enough you can go and work.

In the factories.

The conditions were very bad.

And I didn't realize, at the time, because I just didn't.

Know better.

There is that pressure that you really cannot just get.

Up and go to the bathroom or go eat because you have to.

Keep the production going.

And the supervisor will be screaming at you to hurry up.

If you weren't going fast enough and just throwing.

Things at you and just, you know, grabbing things from.

Your hands, just a very hostile environment.

And stressful.

So yeah, that's basically what is described.

As a sweatshop.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The reason why I stay in fashion, it was to do my.

Sctivism.

After I moved to the United States, I began.

To speak up about the conditions in which most of.

The clothes that we wear or that we buy at department.

Stores is made.

There's something that I feel people think about.

Being something so distant from them.

So for many years since I moved to Lexington, I've.

Been going around to public schools or universities or.

To different events and speak about my experience.

And also the impact it has on the environment, and in.

Our own psyche, because we find ourselves thinking of.

Everything as disposable because it's so accessible.

There is no value on the items that we purchase.

These garments are gonna be up there for 500-plus years.

I mean, there is an entire mountain in South America.

That's made of clothing that's been disposed.

And so, thinking about, you know, clothing and the.

Impact that it has, it also includes the people who are.

Manufacturing this clothing, and the people.

Who are wearing it.

I teach a class in sustainable development.

And when we talk about sustainability, you usually.

Talk about the three legs of sustainability: economic.

Environmental, and social.

And I think Soreyda is particularly aware of the.

Social sustainability, the ways in which things have to be.

They have to work for the people that are.

Participating in them.

I mean, you have to be able to make a living, you have.

To be able to honor your traditions, you have to be.

Able to live the type of life you want to live.

For one thing, I try to use natural fibers.

Organic, if I'm able to purchase them or find them.

And I do one-of-a-kind pieces.

There's no mass productions in what I do.

And I also try to repurpose things.

This is hemp and repurposed polyester fabric.

And this is cotton and it has this mesh detail in the back.

It's gonna try to make it fresh and cool.

Parks & Recreations gave me a grant to do a window.

Display at the Downtown Arts Center, here in Lexington.

And so I did this mini collection of traditional.

Dresses from Latin America, one dress per country.

Well, I did the little embroideries in the sewing.

Machine, and the little pleating over here just.

Trying to make it as authentic as possible.

It represents, you know, the Latino culture that some.

Children who were born here probably never are gonna.

Have the opportunity to see a full garment, but they can.

See the miniature version.

From the time that I've known Soreyda, she's gone.

From, you know, one thing to another thing to another.

Thing, and they've all had this certain continuity.

And they grew out of each other.

And I see that still happening.

And the threads that are always there are the social.

Justice thread or the fairness thread or the.

Sustainability thread.

And those are sort of academic words in a way.

And it's just really about people.

Our final story takes us to Princeton, Kentucky, a city.

Known for beautiful homes, some steeped.

In rich history.

But while many of these homes hold wonderful.

Memories of Christmas celebrations and birthdays.

And family gatherings, there is occasionally the memory.

Of a gathering that was not so wonderful, specifically.

One night there when tragedy struck the community.

In the early evening of December 2nd, 1906.

City leaders of Princeton, Kentucky, gathered together.

At the home of Robert Garrett to discuss violence.

That had occurred in their town the night before.

Violence that would spread to other cities in the region.

Now known as the Adsmore Museum, Garrett's.

Refined home seems an odd setting to discuss angry.

Farmers wearing hoods and costumes, rampaging through.

The town and burning buildings, starting what.

Would be known as the Black Patch Tobacco Wars.

They called these raiders the Night Riders.

The Night Riders had come into town, had blocked the.

Roads into town and out of town, had taken control of.

The law enforcement, the telecommunications.

So, that the town was shut down while they did their.

Business, and their business was to burn the tobacco.

Warehouses that were loaded with tobacco to be sold to.

Duke Tobacco.

The Night Riders had grown from a collection of farmers.

In Western Kentucky and Tennessee, a tobacco growing.

Area known as the Black Patch region.

The limestone content in the soil is especially.

Conducive to growing certain types of tobacco.

And the tobacco that it was especially good for was the.

Tobacco that you would see hanging in barns being.

Smoked.

And hence this area was known.

As the Black Patch.

The Black Patch farmers officially had organized as.

The Planters' Protective Association in an effort to.

Control the supply of tobacco being sold to.

Tobacco companies.

Back in the early 1900s, tobacco was mainly.

Controlled by the Duke Tobacco Trust, out of North.

Carolina.

That was James B.Duke.

He bought most of the tobacco.

He set the price or his company set the price of the Tobacco.

Well, he had a monopoly on the tobacco.

So, he was paying less and less for tobacco.

And it got to be where the farmer, when he sold his.

Tobacco, did not even make enough to recoup his cost of.

Producing the tobacco.

Not all farmers joined in.

And the initial anger of PPA members toward tobacco.

Companies turned to the nonparticipating farmers.

And their families destroying crops and fields to prevent.

Their tobacco from going to the large companies.

But then it got to be where that wasn't working, so they.

said, “Okay, we've organized militia-like.

We're going to raid various towns when we know that.

Their tobacco warehouses are full of tobacco and we're.

Gonna burn them.

We are going to, you know, diminish the supply of.

Tobacco so that they're going to have to pay us a.

Reasonable price, and then we can sell our tobacco.

Dr. Thomas Amoss of Princeton.

Became leader of the Night Riders.

And he led the military-style attacks.

First on Princeton, then on Hopkinsville, and finally.

Russellville.

And during the attacks, Night Riders would.

Wear face coverings to keep their identities secret.

It was not Ku Klux Klan at all, even though they both.

Maybe wore some type of a face covering.

The face covering could have been a feed sack, it could.

Have been a pillow case.

It could have been some, you know, cloth wrapped.

Around their head.

It was a variety of things.

Mothers and daddies, men and women will do almost.

Anything if their family is hurting.

And that's what happened, families were hurting.

And they didn't have an answer and they tried to handle it.

The best way they could.

Eventually, Kentucky Governor Augustus Willson.

Would send troops into the region fulfilling a campaign.

Pledge to stop the violence that had captured the.

Nation's attention.

This government presence to stop the violence would.

Combine with anti-monopolistic court.

Rulings that would end large tobacco companies.

Controlling the price of tobacco, allowing farmers to.

See more money for their product, reducing their.

Anger, and eventually bringing about the end of.

The Black Patch Tobacco Wars.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ We've had a terrific time here today at the Palace.

Theatre in Louisville.

It really is one of the most amazing venues in the state.

Now, if you've enjoyed our show, be sure to.

Like the Kentucky Life Facebook page or subscribe.

To the KET YouTube channel for more of what we call.

Kentucky Life Extras, that's where you'll have access to.

Lots of other great videos.

Until next time, I'll leave you with this moment.

I'm Chip Polston, cherishing this Kentucky life.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪