Home | Back

KHS offering many activities for Candlelight Tour

Share_print Print Story    |    Comments    |   

Special to The State Journal
November 8, 2009

Salute military treasures and Kentucky traditions during Candlelight Tour events at the Kentucky Historical Society (KHS) Nov. 12-14. The KHS events are part of Candlelight Tour weekend, presented by Whitaker Bank and Downtown Frankfort Inc.  

KHS will kick off its Candlelight Tour activities at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Visitors will have the opportunity to view a new KHS exhibition, “Kentucky Military Treasures: Selections from the Kentucky Historical Society Collections.”

The exhibition spans nearly 200 years of conflicts – from the War of 1812 to more recent engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq – and shares the personal stories of Kentuckians who fought and sometimes lost their lives in these battles. 

Family activities will also be featured. Rally your family’s troops and craft holiday sun catchers and make holiday cards for military personnel. Visit with 13-year-old Taylor Pace, who started a business in 2002 making homemade bears and selling them to benefit military families. Pace’s bears will be on sale for $2 at KHS on Thursday.

View the Kentucky Military Treasures Tree, featuring ornaments made by local schoolchildren and children of military personnel.

A full line-up of entertainment is available on Thursday, including performances by the Kentucky National Guard Brass Quartet; the Swing Canaries, a trio of female vocalists who sing the songs of groups such as the Andrews Sisters and the Girls of the Golden West; and the Franklin County High School Jazz Band.

Attendees can also watch demonstrations by local artisans; tour “A Kentucky Journey,” the KHS permanent exhibition; view a large Lionel holiday train display; and watch a new KHS Museum Theatre performance about the Vietnam War. 

KHS Candlelight Tour events continue through Saturday, Nov. 14 with the following schedule of events:

Friday, Nov. 13

Ongoing 5-9 p.m.: “A Kentucky Journey,” the KHS permanent exhibition, “Kentucky Military Treasures: Selections from the Kentucky Historical Society Collections,” Large Lionel Train display, holiday sun catchers and card-making for military personnel

6 and 7 p.m.: Performances of “Look for My Picture” by the KHS Museum Theatre team

Saturday, Nov. 14

Kentucky Military History Museum at the Old State Arsenal opens, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., first-floor tour of building and the grounds.

Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History

10-2: Lionel train display 

1-4: HistoryZone

1 and 3 p.m.: “Look for My Picture” by the KHS Museum Theatre team

All KHS evening Candlelight events and first-floor tours of the Kentucky Military History Museum are free and open to the public. To find out more about KHS Candlelight Tour events, visit www.history.ky.gov/candlelight. >

 

Free tours of arsenal

Kentucky Historical Society history campus visitors will be given the chance to step back in time as they tour the Kentucky Military History Museum (KMHM) at the Old State Arsenal when it reopens for free public tours beginning Saturday, Nov. 14.

Constructed in 1850 for $8,000, the Gothic-style building is located on Arsenal Hill and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building has been closed since November 2007 for extensive renovations.

Restoration work will continue well into 2010 and the building will likely be closed again at some point to make way for more extensive work. In the meantime, visitors can explore this historic structure and learn the history of the building and its grounds. The first floor of the KMHM will be open on a temporary basis from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday. Tours are free and open the public.

 “This will be a nuts and bolts type of tour,” said Bill Bright, curator of the KMHM. “We’re inviting people to a behind-the-scenes look at the renovation process. This building is really KHS’s largest military-related artifact. Every piece of it tells a story.”

The building once served as a warehouse for military equipment and munitions for the Kentucky State Guard. During the Civil War, it housed a cartridge factory that employed many women and became a point of defense for the Capitol. The building was used as a storage facility until being tapped as the KMHM in 1973. Today, the KMHM is operated by KHS in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Military Affairs.

Visitors to the KMHM will also be able to view a KHS Museums-to-Go panel exhibit that tells the story of the building and see a part of the old cartridge factory. Parking is located adjacent to the building at 125 East Main St.

 

State Employee Appreciation

Feeling a little underappreciated? If so, KHS, Commonwealth Credit Union (CCU) and the Frankfort Transit Authority have the antidote.

KHS’s Second Annual State Employee Appreciation Event is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first day of Candlelight Tour, Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.

State employees can enjoy: complimentary appetizers, free admission, free entertainment, special discounts, and free gift wrapping for up to three gifts per person, courtesy of CCU.

In addition, this year state employees can catch a ride to the Center on Frankfort’s new hybrid buses. Betty Burriss, Frankfort transit superintendent, said this event will be the buses’ maiden run and is intended to introduce Frankfort residents and state employees to the new fuel-efficient models. The flex-fuel buses were purchased just weeks ago with grant funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The buses will run a continuous loop every 15 minutes between several state office buildings and the Center for Kentucky History beginning at 11 a.m. on Nov. 12. Fees are minimal, at only $1 per person round-trip or 50 cents for employees 55 years of age and older.

For the second year, CCU is a partner with KHS and the KHS Foundation in sponsoring the employee appreciation event. 

 

 




Comments
By Posting to this site, you agree to our Terms of Service Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed. State-Journal.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.

Login above or Register to comment.
 0 Total Comments Home | Back