♪ >> People want to come to communities where they have somewhere to go somewhere to hang out, to be around other people.

You know, the 3rd space.

>> Well, the city of Owensboro turned their riverfront dream into reality.

>> We're asking is because Kentucky's gift to the world to see how the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and museum is sharing that guest.

>> Is frozen market cap of the world.

That's what we've always considered herself.

>> And then not just blowing smoke.

There's widespread acclaim for the city's specialty dishes.

Production of Kentucky Edition is made possible in part by the KET Millennium Fund.

♪ ♪ >> Good evening and welcome to this special edition of Kentucky EDITION.

I'm Renee Shaw.

Thank you for spending some of your evening with us this summer.

We took Kentucky Edition on the road.

>> Among the stops, Owensboro and its neighbor.

Henderson, both have rich histories and western Kentucky.

Our Toby Gibbs has more on how they were founded their farms and their famous faces.

>> Present-day Davis and Henderson County were once home to indigenous people.

It's believe their history in Davis County stretches back 12,000 years.

The last Shawnee tribes were forced to leave Davis County at the end of the 18th century.

Henderson County was also home to UT and Cherokee Tribes.

European settlers led by a man known as both William Smee.

There's and William Smothers arrived in Davis County in 17 97 and called the area yellow banks after the collar of some of the land near the Ohio River.

The town of Owensboro founded in 18, 17 was named for Colonel Abraham.

All one, the lengthy or spelling of Owensboro lasted until 18.

93 when it was shortened major Joseph Hamilton Davis was the namesake for what would become Davis County.

As for Henderson County and the town of Henderson Pioneer in land speculator, Richard Henderson the town of Red Banks in the 17 70's plans for the town of Henderson took shape in 17.

97.

The first post office went up in 18.

0, 8, It wouldn't become an official city until 18, 40 both counties became known for tobacco and whiskey.

Henderson County is one of Kentucky's top 3 counties for corn, soybeans and coal.

The counties have their share of celebrities.

Owensboro was home to governor and longtime U.S.

Senator Wendell Ford.

Although he is known for living in Versailles.

be happy.

Chandler was born in Henderson County naturalist John James Audubon lived in Henderson from 18, 10 to 18, 19 and teacher Mary Towles promoter of Mother's Day was born in Henderson in 18, 60 for Kentucky edition.

I'm told >> Thank you for that.

Toby Gibbs, the Ohio River is the backdrop of life in many of Kentucky's river cities, including Owensboro 20 years ago.

The back of the Ohio River and Owensboro was just that nothing more but big dreams and a decades long determination have transformed the area into the bustling riverfront.

It is today.

Clayton takes us to Owensboro is riverfront.

>> Winnsboro is Kentucky's 4th largest city home to over 60,000 people.

Bourbon and barbecue.

Aside, one of the city's hallmark says his beautiful riverfront, a gathering place for people of all ages.

But it hasn't always been that way.

>> In the early 2, thousands, our community just decided that it was time for us to start reinvesting in ourselves and then from economic development perspective in the downtown.

>> And this master plan was not about beautification.

It's not about revitalization.

It's the place making economic development placemaking.

>> that that being that people won't come to communities where they have somewhere to go somewhere to hang out, to be around other people.

You know, the 3rd space.

>> Which is really where people need to meet.

You have yet working at home and then you have your 3rd space places.

>> So we had a really an aggressive planning process where we brought a group in from around the country to look at different aspects about community and how we will make this happen.

And we had probably 55 town hall meetings to talk about what it would look like.

Have we would move forward having the fund the project, but it was done very intentionally to involve everyone in our community.

>> Turning this dream into reality was no small task.

It meant the city would need to implement a new tax to help fund the riverfront project.

It was a difficult decision by city officials and a point of tension among residents.

>> We had a major at town hall with around 800 people that started the whole thing and we had a crisis point.

We had an inflection point, which is what usually happens, you know, but instead of burying our heads in the sand, we said okay, what what can we do here to really start reinvesting in ourselves so we can compete for talent in the future.

With anything when you when you get a raise revenue and raised taxes, people are unhappy and that's natural.

And it's and it's right.

We all need to be very discerning when it comes to raising taxes and do it with very we understand the gravity of that.

Our community des, but it was a matter of how can we best fund this project that we know that we have.

Thank God for Senator McConnell.

Got us are 40 million happily step up and talks ourselves so that we can make this project happen and make make those dreams come to fruition.

>> Breaks as the community investment has paid off.

>> Since that time, I believe it's been 5 to one with at a private sector dollars to the public money that was put into the project.

So we're super excited about that.

And it's continuing every day.

You know, thanks for coming out the ground today.

If you if you drive around, there's a lot lots going on.

I love the look at the projects downtown and we look at the Smothers Park, which was named one of the the top playgrounds in the country.

It's an interactive, fully accessible park and kids from all over come look at our beautiful blue.

Britain has lights on it.

Just a lot of really cold feet features with that.

And then the other gathering spaces there are bars.

There are restaurants.

There are outside spaces that people can gather and be together, give a performing arts center.

But the Riverpark Center, we have the Bluegrass Museum, which is a fantastic venue.

>> And our convention center, that's bull with conferences and advance constantly.

So there's just a lot of opportunity.

That steps are just to continue to build on what we have now to make it an opportunity for more business investors to come and invest their dollars in our downtown.

>> For millennials and Gen Z-ers to come here and insight.

Tell us what they need from housing opportunities to entertainment options.

But but I think what we'll see is just more and more investment, more innovation and more people.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Thank you, Clayton.

One of Allen's Borough's most prominent residents was the late Senator Wendell Ford.

Senator for Dist served 24 years in the U.S. Senate from 1974.

To 1999. and was governor of Kentucky from 1971.

To 1974.

He died in 2015 at the age of 90, but his legacy lives on in Owensboro and beyond.

Our Kelsey, Starks takes us to the Wendell Age for Government Education Center in Owensboro.

>> He was just granted us lived right around the corner from us and his wife still does.

My grandmother still does.

>> To Clay Ford, he was simply grand dad.

But the rest of the country might remember the late senator forward as a country boy from Yellow Creek moniker.

He often used to describe himself, but a real-life persona.

His family remembers well.

>> It doesn't matter who you walk into a room with whether it be.

Kings and queens and presidents and and and people that had special titles or, you know, the anybody that you run into on the street and poor when he walked into a restaurant, he he went to the kitchen first, say hello to those people that were preparing things and and doing the difficult work on a day-to-day basis.

And those folks were just as important to him is anybody else.

But Senator Ford was an important force in Kentuckyian national politics.

>> He was the first Kentuckyian in history to be elected.

Lieutenant Governor governor and U.S. senator serving as Democratic with in Congress.

He's credited with crafting a compromise to break a 5 year deadlock on the passage of the family.

Medical Leave Act.

He also sponsored the Motor voter law that made it easier for Americans to register to vote.

But it wasn't any law that became his greatest legacy.

>> It's not that he wasn't a partisan and some aspects of retail politics and campaigning.

He was that was important to him and he fought for what he believed in.

Of course, but his.

But once the cameras were turned off and it was time to to get things done on behalf of Kentuckians.

If he didn't care.

What letter was in front of your name most often he he wanted to create relationships that would be beneficial to the people that we represent.

>> The art of compromise is at the center of the Senator.

Wendell H word, Government Education Center in his hometown of Owensboro establishments on his retirement in 1998. teaching young people the importance of 3 pillars.

He considered the foundation of democracy.

Civil discourse, cooperation and willingness to compromise.

>> For him, I think it was to inspire the next generation of young leaders.

The mission of the center, though, was built around those 3 core principles that guided him in his career that were so made him so unique that we think made him so unique.

This idea of civility and cooperation and compromise that we think is somewhat unfounded.

And in our leaders today.

>> In 2012, the program expanded to include the Ford Statesmanship Academy, a four-year program for local high school students to learn about state and local government.

But most importantly about leadership.

We have students who are >> engine ears and scientists.

We have students who work on the Hill.

We have students who work in business.

We have students who were running nonprofits.

We have some great success stories of students emailing us and calling us saying the principles that you taught me in that program are some of the most important I've ever learned.

I learned to listen to professors who are different to me, colleagues who are different than me, a viewpoint that I thought I could never sit and listen to or understand.

We're always going to be a nation.

A community filled with Republicans and Democrats and conservatives and liberals.

If we don't learn how to compromise and cooperate and be civil when it comes to crafting solutions to meet our community's forward.

And I think and Wendell thought that there was no hope for the future.

We want kids to know that they can make a difference in their communities and that they can make a difference in their friends lives and their lives and their children's lives in the future.

>> Just like involved, you don't have to be involved in politics, but you do need to be informed about what's going on in your community and the school systems and government.

Don't be shocked.

Don't be scared to step in because if you're if you're not willing to participate and who is.

>> For Kentucky Edition on the road in Owensboro, I'm Kelsey Starks.

Thank you.

Cause say our trip to owns but all included a stop at the Owensboro Innovation Academy Middle School where the students roll up their sleeves and learn by doing.

>> We like to refer to it as controlled chaos.

>> Here at Owensboro, Innovation, Middle School referred to by locals as I'd middle students engage in project based learning it's a teaching model the ISIS group projects and collaborative assignments to educate students.

>> Project based learning is very much student-led and so different groups will be at different points in a project.

And so you have them doing obviously different tasks to accomplish their end goal.

So it looks a little bit chaotic, but we know where everyone's that we give them benchmarks along the way like that.

The end goal.

But we have been to marks, which are a little like little checkpoints along the way.

>> I middle diverges from the more traditional instruction model here.

Students learn through hands-on activities.

>> We did a roller coaster project where we had to design and build a roller coaster using potential and kinetic energy.

And we watched like a video and then it we did the lab for it to learn about potential and kinetic energy than we had to find materials and build like a whole roller.

Cause you to get a marble from the top all the way down to the bottom into a cup.

>> Education and I middle isn't just about being book smart.

It's about being street smart, too.

>> We really try to incorporate what we call 21st century skills.

They're like those soft skills that employers are looking for.

Are you able to collaborate with a group of people who ate and able to effectively communicate both in writing and orally.

Do you have agency?

It's one of the things we grade them on.

It means like you're taking ownership.

You are able to self reflect are able to analyze your failures and like have a growth mindset.

>> The Tigers had a more of react during a like one of your job interview because they taught us with what the right hand to like the right to do.

A handshake at how much eye contact is too much or too little.

They gave us like a questions, asked about at a job interview are just to look up for that job.

>> Marc, More is the principal at I middle.

He says the school's unique teaching model provides choices for students and their families.

>> You know, there's our model with project baseline, the traditional model of women's brown middle school.

And it's great to have those options.

And we always tell parents that, you know, we don't want promote one school or the other.

It's where your child can learn.

The best is where we want to end up.

So there's been a positive reaction from parents present having the choice and then the parents who come and choose to go to They like the aspect that we kind of tried to teach to the whole child.

>> My in junior shared their biggest piece of advice for incoming students, something they both learned during their time and I middle.

>> Really all inspect in districts that are it's never wrong to ask a question.

>> Just be confident in yourself and communicate with your teachers like if you have a question, though, is going to think you're down to 2 different kind of learning for everyone.

That's there.

Just raise your hand and ask your question.

>> Principal Moore says he hopes students leave the school with the vision of the world greater than just themselves.

>> And always tell the students every year that there's no doubt that they're going to do great things individually.

But the greatest things are going to do, they're going to have it done working with and working with a group.

>> For Kentucky edition, I'm Clayton Dalton.

>> Thank you again, Clayton.

Kentucky is known as the birthplace of bluegrass music and home to the man known as the father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe.

The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Owensboro is preserving and honoring the legacy of Bluegrass music.

We spoke to the former executive director of the museum about a new exhibit highlighting the career of music icon Jerry Garcia and how it shows the wide influence of the music born in the Bluegrass State.

>> The address music is Kentucky's gift to the world so they can all be traced back to Bill Monroe, whose from right here in Western Kentucky near Owensboro.

>> it's interesting when you think about a genre of American music, no one debates, that fact the Bluegrass Music came from film and the from Kentucky >> trying to a coin people with really the the cultural Rita bluegrass music.

So there's a lot that that that happens here at the Hall of Fame, all focus on educating and encouraging people to engage and go deeper with story.

>> The idea of I think a museum and generals as an educational with the Jerry Garcia exhibit kind of envisioned.

We had 2 different camps, but we are going to be Hatton visit the museum and things that the one being our traditional bluegrass fans that normally come to see the museum, but then also the Grateful Dead fan base that that heads were going to be visiting as well.

And I felt like we were going to navigate a path between both worlds.

But hopefully the Bluegrass fans while they're going to learn he was very dedicated to the banjo and playing bluegrass and was a very committed to it.

And then on the other side, the Deadheads are going to learn a little bit more.

Maybe they'll walk away.

Learning about Broken Arrow button scrubs.

I think.

>> Every culture has its folk music to some degree but there's something about bluegrass music that's just.

Very compelling.

I think it that feels authentic.

I think we're bluegrass music really shines is it's all about the human connection around the song around the music.

He there's a listener or as a >> Garcia mean, we didn't really have to search too far in his background to find that one bres connection that was in his first shot, our music that his plan for grass and folk music in the early 60's.

And then the grateful that started in 1965.

But beyond that, he continued to play the banjo and also decide projects produced albums, notably old in the way.

Was a kind of a bluegrass supergroup with David Grossman, Peter Rowan and John Kahn.

Investor Clementson.

3 of those guys are in a Hall of Fame already.

So it just made perfect sense to do an exhibit on his blue grass roots and how much they're such a connection there.

We wanted to tell a chronological story and really kind of it.

Explain how much he started in bluegrass, but he never stopped, you know, so he kept going and bluegrass all the way up until the end of his career.

And when he passed the great thing about having these temporary gallery spaces is that we can have a little fun with it.

And maybe tell a story that's outside of that court said that in court history of P****** on the branches.

And so that's what I feel like we've done with this exhibit.

So it's really kind of like I said, a path that we were trying to go down between both worlds and hopefully everybody has something new to learn from it.

>> It's astounding to me how many people really connect with grass music.

And it's just a joy to do that.

And host people from all over the world because they want to come here to experience it firsthand is right at the head waters.

You know, right at Ground 0.

>> No >> trip to Owensboro would be complete without sampling its world famous barbecue.

The city hosts the International Barbecue Festival.

Every May, but you can try their specialty any time of year.

Our Larry Rogers takes us to 3 places in town that are favorites among locals and tourists alike.

>> This is barbecue country where we are and it's old school, traditional barbecue country.

>> For John Foreman barbecue as a family tradition.

>> But great, great grandfather happy.

He was a blacksmith.

Blacksmithing turned to barbecuing.

And in 1918, Old Hickory was born.

>> It's been more about pride.

You want to make your dad proud and continue what he billed.

He really took it to another level.

>> Across town at Moonlight Barbecue, in another example of generations passing on the torch.

>> My grandfather bought restaurant here in 1963.

I've been working here since grade school, a worker, my whole moonlight well known for its massive buffet where you can try a little bit of everything.

>> The recipes that your reading here, the food you're eating here is like the heritage about Winnsboro is a heritage of our Bosley family.

That heritage includes mutton and 2 dishes.

You'd be hard pressed to find anywhere, but Owensboro let this is really a signature dish for Davis.

Can.

>> Purdue is a stew.

It's made from a beef and chicken.

>> Winnsboro being an old sheep crossing.

That's kind of how much it came to be.

Is it Owensboro is Dave Kirk says today's culinary landscape, but the city dates back to the Welsh immigrants who settled here with their shape.

They're taking down the Ohio River and then they bring him back.

And of course, they would make grew up in on Bro, you grew up around Chatham and and Wiseman.

Greg Floyd is the new guy in town South Barbecue opened just shy of 30 years ago.

Have a lot of joy in providing the southern comfort food include something you don't always find it.

A barbecue restaurant.

>> A lot of people enjoying the project and every day, 7 days away, go through a lot of fried chicken, even though we're barbecue restaurant.

>> These 3 help make Owensboro famous sports, cultural tradition of Hickory smoked BBQ.

Everything's unique.

They're all in different parts of the city and visitors to hit all 3 were all similar but different.

It's an art.

I would call and arts that John Foreman took to cable television.

21 barbecue pit masters back in 2013.

And what's really set us apart over the years.

Our attention to detail.

There's little things even created his own sauces.

One inspired by Owens, Burrows Bourbon Heritage called Bourbon Key.

We're really proud of it.

And the food that you're eating I like the food that's on the back side.

That's the food that you had on your grandmother's table.

Metric Bosley says it's not just about the food, but the event and experience of eating barbecue.

>> When you come in here and sit down, you're visiting with family and you see friends and you talk to other tables.

That's the dining experience that I think is being lost in America.

>> What it's found here in Owensboro through hard work and perseverance carried on for decades.

>> Our crews come in 05:36AM.

in the morning to put a buffet at 11:00AM.

We've been cooking all night long.

So while you're sleeping, we've been here.

>> There's always variables.

The weather.

You know, how hot is it outside?

How cold is it out once again to get down to tonight?

All these things play a part in what you do.

>> And it's not only for the people who come to Owensboro all South.

Also caters taking their barbecue on the road as enjoy that.

We look forward to those challenges, especially the large ones.

We do what we do.

We love what we the sentiment echoed by all 3 barbecue mainstay.

We've become an ambassador for barbecue.

We become an ambassador for Owensboro and I don't take that lightly for Kentucky edition.

I'm Laura Rogers.

>> Thank you, Laura.

For more than 40 years, the Owensboro dance theater has shared performance art with hundreds of thousands of people in the region.

Owensboro native our own Kelsey Starks takes us inside ♪ >> yet when join Johnson first moved to Owensboro from Indianapolis in the late 1970's.

She planned to continue her budding career as a dance teacher ♪ what she didn't plan was to create one of the most impactful nonprofit organizations in the region.

>> I had no idea.

That this would be what it is.

No, I never would have bought it.

I was a dance teacher.

You know, to chance she expected around.

25 kids to show up for her dance classes in that first year of Johnson's dance studio.

>> 100 signed up instead.

>> Then more joined the next year in 1982, the Owensboro Dance Theater was created.

The only nonprofit pre professional dance company with a studio in the region.

Today they perform 3 annual shows with staff in every school district reaching.

35 1000 people every year.

And we've got to wear.

>> We are able financially we we have guest artist, professional dancers come in.

We have 4 for not crack or and then our in concert.

We have 3.

And that gives them.

I look at wow.

They can do that.

I can do that.

And I never would have thought paying thousands of dollars to have professionals come in here.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 2 Cam Ramirez.

Johnson was in the very first company of the Owensboro dance theater in 1982.

>> And went on to dance professionally in Chicago and Colorado.

>> At a very young age, I had open-heart surgery and my mom wanted a way for me to get stronger and healthier.

And so the doctor said putter and son.

So that's what she did.

And Evan Danson on my life a half.

>> As many people here do can return to her Owensboro routes.

Now she teaches at Johnson Stan Studio and serves as an outreach coordinator bringing much more than just dance classes to area schools as was front and center.

>> I do outreach to into the schools.

And so what I do is I go in and teach stance.

And then I'm a certified health coach.

And so we go in and I do health and wellness with dance.

And then we're also we get grant money to be bringing in it.

It's called the Tower Garden and it's a garden that we grow and the kids it's got mask science.

And to back it up so they can do to lessen plans.

We have lesson plans that help them grow and then we have dance to it.

So they get that variety M health and wellness and nutrition.

Just moving their bodies.

>> The Owensboro Dance Theater outreach program now serves over 65 area schools and community centers across 16 Kentucky counties.

All free of charge.

>> You know, it's a small town, but once road and Cedar and Johnson says has so much to offer a Maine, you know, in bad times of when I would go to different places to live or whatever you didn't have this community that you have here in Winnsboro.

>> Among the alumni gracing these walls.

>> Our professional dancers, teachers, radio City Rockettes.

And in fact, now every single teacher at Johnson, Stan Studio was once a student here.

>> There's a lot of people that they come here to raise children.

I think it's a small community.

And they back what they have.

When they always have from.

And they've been very good to the arts.

>> But there are thousands of other alumni who didn't go on to become professional dancers.

Are teachers, but the impact of finding dance, discipline and confidence at a young age.

It's something that lasts forever like this reporter whose picture still hangs on these walls.

Just the people want.

>> No, and I would never of now.

And then like 8 kids that through.

And it's just like it does.

It makes me very proud.

And and very humble.

I try to be very humble about it.

You know, it's surprising me come back to the door.

You know, I love dance.

Obviously, but it's more about the people.

>> For Kentucky Edition on the road in Owensboro, I'm Kelsey >> Good to get a little background about Well, thank you so much for watching this special edition of Kentucky Edition.

Thank you for joining us until we see you again.

Take really good care.

So long.

♪ ♪