Coming up on Kentucky Life... We'll explore the site of this week's show, Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park, and you'll come along as I help reenact the final battle of the Revolutionary War.

We meet The Local Honeys, a band working to preserve the traditional sounds of Eastern Kentucky.

We'll introduce you to some of the next generation of writers from the Appalachian Writers Workshop.

And we'll learn about an Appalachian style of dance that's been around for hundreds of years.

All that's next on Kentucky Life.

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

I'm your host, Chip Polston.

As we continue to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the State Park System here in Kentucky, our show this week brings us to Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park near Carlisle, Kentucky.

The salt springs here have attracted prehistoric animals, Indians, and pioneers such as the legendary Daniel Boone.

But most notably, this very site was the backdrop for the closing chapter of the American Revolutionary War.

We'll explore more of the history of Blue Licks a little later in the show.

But first, music has always been very important to Kentucky.

If you ask me, I really think some of the best music ever produced comes from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky.

As time goes on, music evolves as new generations add their own spin onto what came before.

A great example of this is The Local Honeys, a band started by Montana Hobbs and Linda Jean Stokley, the first two female graduates of Morehead State University's Traditional Music Program.

They aim to preserve the iconic music they studied, all while adding their own voices and new ideas into the mix.

Let's check it out.

One, two, three... █ █ █ █ Part of old-time music is communal sharing.

That's the kind of real crux of this music is that it has to be shared, it has to be played, or then eventually these tunes kind of die off in a way.

We both went to Morehead in the fall of 2009, but didn't cross paths until 2011, I believe, when we both were in the Oldtime Stringband together.

And as we were kind of cutting our teeth, there's something about specifically old-time traditional Kentucky music.

Not just bluegrass.

I'm a huge fan of bluegrass and country music, but it wasn't until I went to Morehead that I discovered the rich home music that had been documented by field recording initiatives.

I met a man named John Harrod, the encyclopedia of Kentucky Fiddle Music.

He kind of opened the door for me to learn more about the unknown figures and fiddlers and banjo players and songsters from the area.

I call it roots music or traditional music.

And to me, that's just music that people made because they needed to, and people who weren't necessarily professional musicians, music was always a part of their lives and they played music because they needed to, just like they ate and they worked.

Generally we think of Kentucky, we think of the fiddle and the banjo.

And the fiddle and the banjo got together way back in the late 1600s in the Chesapeake bay colonies with fiddle from Europe and the banjo from Africa.

But then as time went on, other instruments came into it from different places.

Mandolins, guitars, eventually bass guitars.

Dulcimers were there.

My understanding is dulcimers came from Germany.

In different places, you might hear different combinations of instruments, like one instrument or the other might dominate.

The music of our Appalachian region is very unique and that it's been a part of our communities for many generations.

It's a way of learning about who we are and where we're from.

Not just the Appalachian region, but the world beyond that, that the people, our ancestors and what they have contributed to our culture.

The Kentucky Center for Traditional Music at Morehead State played a very important role in preserving the music through the archives, digitizing archaic forms of media so that young people can study this music and people throughout the world have access to these collections.

And then the educational side of this program, teaching college-age students and beyond about the importance of community and music.

♪ Just another place...♪ The Local Honeys are one of my favorite artists, period, today.

Their passion for songwriting, that was one part of their experience at Morehead State that really excited me.

Them working with instructors who showed them the craft of writing a great song and continuing that tradition.

That's one of the unspoken traditions I feel like in traditional music.

We always talk about fiddle tunes, all these old Scots-Irish tunes and banjo styles from West Africa that have made it into the Appalachian Mountains.

But songwriting is, especially today, a really important skill.

I'm a very insular, like, I love home and so much of my songwriting is rooted from a very personal experience.

And I find that whenever we do share a song that I've written about something very personal, especially to our local region, that there's so much commonality, and there's something there that we can share and connect with others by just telling our stories.

I feel like we're so similar in all these ways, and we don't necessarily realize it until we just take an opportunity to share something about ourselves.

We don't really think about our voices as gendered voices.

That sounds a bit odd, but they're just the way we talk.

It's the way we speak.

It's the way we tell stories.

It's the way we sing.

So, we feel fortunate to be another part of that history that gets to nurture home and invest in home and sing of home.

But then also get to go travel around and take a piece of our home to audiences.

But one thing that I think we'll always hope to achieve with this project is to leave a meaningful body of work and then to keep the doors open for future generations or just anyone that feels like they want to learn and understand the really beautiful and complex home music of Kentucky.

█ █ █ █ The Appalachian region has produced quite a succession of famous literary works, from The Dollmaker to the works of Silas House to the Pulitzer Prize-winning Demon Copperhead.

And in Hindman, a small town of just under 700 people, a yearly workshop is forming the next generation of Appalachian authors.

While the Appalachian Writers' Workshop offers valuable lessons in the craft of writing fiction, poetry, and more, attendees say the thing that keeps them coming back every year is actually each other.

█ █ █ █ Appalachian stories and poems, they have that very strong sense of place.

I think when you have writers get together and they're being taught by other Appalachian writers, that's organic in the teaching and in the communication, and it can't help but spill over into the writing.

And especially when our sense of place is misunderstood or demonized by the outside world, for these writers to be able to embrace that and celebrate that, I think, is tremendously important.

Hindman Settlement School was founded in 1902.

It really started as a boarding school.

Over time though, it evolved into an organization that is all about meeting the changing needs of the region.

The Literary Arts Programs of Hindman Settlement School really date back to the school's origins.

Many of the founders were authors and writers themselves, but it's evolved into programs that work to help people tell their own stories and be authentic storytellers for Appalachia.

I am an Appalachian woman, born of coal dust and red clay, white trash with bluegrass reflecting in Irish eyes, wild curls drenched with the southern heat, sweating sweet tea and tobacco juice.

A voice that drips over the senses like warm honey with teasing sweetness and sticky heat...

The Appalachian Writers' Workshop is in its 47th year.

People come and stay on campus for a week, and they are in a genre class.

There's poetry, novel, short story, and then creative nonfiction.

The afternoon sessions can be anything from - George Ella Lyon has done a session on writing for children.

It can be craft-based, like writing dialogue.

We have publishing panels where publishers come and talk about their presses.

Our writers come from down the street in Whitesburg, and they come from Brooklyn, and they come from Seattle.

People who themselves have lived in the region or their families come from the region.

When people with that shared experience and history who can celebrate all the things about the region and honestly face the difficulties of the region, when you get folks together like that, there's power and affirmation in it.

I don't know how I could possibly separate my writing from place, especially in a region like Appalachia that is so rich with a story that is tied to place.

Specifically when I think of Cherokee, we have a story of where the mountains came from, right?

And so as a modern-day storyteller, I can't imagine forming a plot line that has nothing to do with the environment around me.

So I'm primarily a fiction writer, a novelist.

I am the first published novelist from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Issues of race, identity, class, all of those things are important to me, but also that intersection between mainstream American culture and Cherokee culture, what we have in common, what are the differences, and how we can kind of grow and learn from each other when we understand each other's cultures better.

I've been attending the workshop for seven years.

It's a magical place, you know?

It really is.

It's become a second home in so many ways for me.

A lot of these people I see once a year, so it really is a homecoming to friends and what feels like family.

But there's also this spirit of welcoming new people, so it doesn't get stagnant.

It doesn't feel exclusionary in any way.

It's just a joyous place of learning and community and sharing and so much laughter.

So much laughter.

I think people understanding what you're writing about, understanding the importance of what you're writing about, I think that happens here because it's Appalachian writers.

I feel like I don't have to explain myself here.

You can write about things, and it's a universal experience.

Even if we've all experienced something different, there's some commonality in what we're writing about because we're from Appalachia.

So, I typically write nonfiction, and I think that comes from using writing as an emotional processing tool.

I'm in recovery, so that was a big part of recovery in the 12-step work that I did was using writing.

And so, that kind of just, not by choice, made me a nonfiction writer.

It's really just whatever I get a burning in my gut to talk about.

Like, okay, I feel like I need to speak out.

This is my sixth year at the Writers' Workshop.

It's hard to articulate.

Just the spirit that's here when these 100 people are on campus, when these 100 writers are on campus.

I think from those connections and what tends to happen in this community is if someone gets a book deal or is published in a journal, I think their first instinct is to look behind them and see what writer's coming next and then pull them up.

We all take care of each other.

I think the voices of Appalachia are important, now more than ever, and diverse voices.

People who have experienced substance use disorder, LGBTQ+ community, BIPOC community, I think that's important work.

We seem to be in this almost like a third wave in Appalachian literature.

First, our stories were told by outsiders.

People came here and wrote about the region, wrote about the people, caused a lot of problems.

And then, we have that wave of Appalachian writers telling their stories.

And now, we're in this beautiful push in the last 20-ish years.

We're seeing the nuance and the variety of people and experiences that are here, and that Appalachia is not a monolith.

It's not all one type of person, one type of experience.

As our writers get their voices out in the world, they're setting the record straight.

They're showing the reality and the nuance of the region, and I think only good can come of that.

█ █ █ █ Located in both Robertson and Nicholas Counties, Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park was established by the General Assembly in 1927.

As we told you earlier in our show, the reason this area was to be commemorated was to observe it as the site of what's considered to be the last official battle of the Revolutionary War.

In addition to the battlefield area, Blue Licks has a 32-room lodge, a restaurant, and a history museum.

If you're looking for more activity, there are hiking trails, mini golf, and even access to the Licking River for boating and fishing.

And while you're exploring the area, be sure to also visit Daniel Boone's last Kentucky cabin, which is only a few minutes' drive from the park.

Let's take a look at our next story.

█ █ █ █ [flatfoot dancing] When you grow up in Eastern Kentucky, there are a lot of mixed messages that you get.

There's a lot of stereotypes and negative stigma associated with being from Eastern Kentucky, but there's also just a lot of incredible tradition and culture.

I think it's just really valuable to share my story of being somebody who's from Eastern Kentucky who grew up with a bunch of beautiful traditions.

And not only that, the arts are such a beautiful way to invite people into our world, to share our lives, and to break down those misunderstandings.

I am a Kentucky musician, dancer, and cultural educator.

The style of dance I perform is called Appalachian flat-footing or clogging.

And if you wanted a really simplistic difference between clogging and flat-footing, I would say clogging is often done in teams with synchronized choreography.

And flat-footing is what most people think of as a very similar style, but usually just performed as an improvisation with live fiddle and banjo music.

And so, too, that the flat-footing and clogging is an Appalachian thing, and comes out of that experience in Appalachia.

That spine of mountains coming down through Pennsylvania and Virginia and into Kentucky, and then kind of spread from there.

And so, you had Native Americans who influenced it.

You had African Americans who influenced it.

And you had Europeans, and they all kind of got together and figured out and did together, just evolved together, a kind of dance that was loose and fun and rhythmic to do.

People would go to a house, and they would take the furniture outside and dance, and they would dance all night.

They were just hungry for self-expression in that way.

So, I heard of people dancing on bridges, wooden bridges.

They liked the sound of it, the clogging and the dancing on the bridge, the sound of that rhythm.

So, they would walk for miles to dance on a bridge.

[flatfoot dancing] It's very simple and accessible.

A lot of times people will tell me, I'm too old, or I'm too out of shape, or I'm too heavy.

And I just invite people to try it anyway because it's a great fun way to exercise.

And it's not so hard that the average person can't access it, because this dance style, it's not made to be danced on the big stage.

This is made for porches and barn dances and living rooms and jam sessions.

And so, I think this dance style is for everybody.

I love teaching that flat-footing basic.

So it's step, lift, pull.

Step, lift, pull.

Step, lift, pull.

Step, lift, pull.

So if I add the toes...

It looks like that.

You can also add a sound on that step with the heel, like a little scuff.

So, if I add the - here it is playing with the toes and the heels.

And then you can add beats and leave them out.

So, that is one of the steps that helps you unlock having that conversation with the fiddle, mimicking the fiddle tune lines.

And that's just one step.

And there's lots of steps you can learn.

So I love teaching people how to do that.

Well, it's just like the tunes of Appalachia, the banjo and fiddle tunes.

It's something that's passed down.

It's something that connects you with people and history.

And so, that's what's exciting to me to feel a part of something.

And so, the dance tradition makes me feel a part of a long historical record, which binds many types of people together.

Europeans and African Americans and Native Americans, we've all been a part of this experience together.

So it's an American experience that we think of putting things together from different cultures.

It's really important to me to make it accessible to people.

I don't want this art form to die out.

I've spent a lot of time collecting this knowledge and I want to pass it on and preserve it.

When you learn a traditional style from somebody that grew up with it and can tell you the stories of the people and the places and the situations where they learned it, it adds a whole other dimension, and I think that's special.

So I'm proud to pass that on.

█ █ █ █ Every August, the Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park, the location for this week's show, marks the anniversary of an important conflict that took place right here.

The Battle of Blue Licks is recreated right on these grounds where the actual fight took place.

The reenactors here take their roles very seriously and recently gave me a chance to go into battle beside them.

So join me as I throw on some pantaloons and a three-cornered hat, grab a musket to commemorate what's considered to be the final battle of the Revolutionary War.

These reenactors do put a lot into providing a living look at the battle, which transpired right here.

And I was surprised by the number of people who showed up to see this historical interpretation.

The Battle of Blue Licks Reenactment Weekend is a major event at the park, and the staff is proud to memorialize such an important event.

[gunshot] We're here with Matthew Dollar.

He is the park naturalist here at Blue Licks Battlefield State Park.

Matthew, thank you so much for having us here today.

Chip, I'm over the moon for you being here today.

Thank you for coming.

We appreciate it.

So, what is Blue Licks?

For folks who don't know about it, what is this place?

The Battle of Blue Licks occurred August 19, 1782.

A lot of people consider this the last battle of the Revolutionary War.

It certainly was the last large military open field conflict where British and Native forces and Virginia militia came together.

The heat of the conflict is pretty close to where we're standing at right now.

You said it was Virginia militia.

Is that because this was considered Virginia at that time?

Yes.

So, 1782, the Virginia Territory still included, they were calling this the Kentucky Territory, but the Virginia Colony was still included with West Virginia and the Kentucky Territory.

So, statehood for Kentucky didn't come until 1792.

Got it.

Okay.

The significance of the battle here, why was it so important and why is it important to remember it?

A lot of the fighting for the Revolutionary War occurred on the Eastern front, but Revolutionary War soldiers were here in Kentucky fighting against tribal Indians that had sided with the British Rangers that came out of Canada.

So, we want to make sure that we maintain our part in the historic viewpoint of the Revolutionary War.

So how did the battle begin and how did it make its way to this area?

There was a guy named William Caldwell.

He was born in Ireland.

Whenever he was 34 years old, he ended up being a captain with the Butler's Rangers out of British Canada at that time.

He crossed the Ohio River in early August and made his way to Bryan Station.

He tried to overtake that settlement.

He was there for a couple of days with his 300 or 400 Native Americans.

They couldn't get in the fort, so they vacated that ambush and they made their way up to Buffalo Trace.

So, he got up here, probably right around where the campground area is, August 18th, and he camped out.

And the very next day, 182 guys got to the far side, the south side of Licking River over there.

One of them was Daniel Boone.

He was in this battle.

And they looked across and they saw some of the Natives that they felt like were the ones that had been there at Bryan Station that were trying to attack.

So, they made a decision to cross the river.

Those 182 Virginia militia made their way up this ridge, and eventually they started to enter a tree line, and they heard a war whoop.

And as soon as they heard that first war whoop, then they heard war whoop all up and down in ravines on either side of them.

And basically, Caldwell had set an ambush for them.

This battle didn't last very long, 10, 15 minutes.

It was an absolute devastation for the Virginia militia.

70-plus men got killed on the American side and just a handful on the British side.

So the Buffalo Trace, how did it get that name?

This Buffalo Trace historically was 8-10 foot wide, and that's better than tromping through the woods.

Right, right.

There's different salt licks from Big Bone down to Drennon Licks, Stamping Ground close to Lexington, and it loops up here to Blue Licks.

So, there was a very well-defined what we call a Buffalo Trace, but it was a wild game trail for any type of woodland creature that would be coming through there, hitting these different salt licks and licking up that salt to provide minerals for their bodies.

So that's why it got well-known as it did.

Well, it's a beautiful sight.

It really is.

So, well, I'm all kitted out for the reenactment.

I'm ready to go.

You think we're ready for this?

Yeah, man, I think we should do it.

I think we'll have fun.

Let's give it a shot here.

Okay.

█ █ █ █ [gunfire] So I clearly did not know what I was doing here, so I stayed on the hip of a guy who seemed to know.

And when he was felled by a redcoat bullet, I did what I thought was the most logical thing and hid behind a tree.

It really was powerful, though, being a part of something that had happened where lives had actually been lost.

And I appreciated the opportunity to walk in their footsteps.

While the park is built around the battlefield, it's grown into a regional destination with other things that it has to offer.

█ █ █ █ The park got established in 1928 as part of the park system and the Kentucky Department of Parks System.

But it was just a day park at that point in time, meaning that there were amenities here, but there was no overnight lodging, there was no food service.

Nothing of that nature.

Then in 1999, the park was turned into a resort park.

And at that point in time, we obtained the lodge, which is 32 rooms.

We obtained the dining room, which offered full-service, food service, and our cottages, which we have two-bedroom executive cottages.

We have a lot of different things in the museum.

Our collection is extremely large.

We have Indian arrowhead displays.

We've got the mastodon displays, which are the most interesting for most people.

There are many, many different displays of things to do with, like, clay pipes that have been found in the local areas.

The list just goes on and on.

The collection's probably over 2,800 pieces.

Blue Licks Battlefield State Park is a place where history is remembered, all while the beauty of the Bluegrass shines through.

All of our shows are fun, but I gotta tell you, being a reenactor of the final battle of the Revolutionary War here is the most fun I've had on a shoot in a long time.

It really gave me a front-row seat to history.

And if you've never checked out a reenactment, be sure to do so.

We've really enjoyed our time here at Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park.

And if you've enjoyed our show, be sure and like the Kentucky Life Facebook page or subscribe to the KET YouTube channel for more of what we like to call Kentucky Life Extras, 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.

█ █ █ █