A special publication of Lacy Elementary School s Volume 3, Issue 3 s March 2013

BY LYNN ELKINS AND GRACIE FAUST

Did you know that there is a westerntown just three miles from Lacy Elemen-tary? The name of the establishment isCopper Canyon Ranch. It is owned byTim and Carole Emery, and there havebeen four movies shot there. The ranchstarted twenty five years ago, and theybuilt it themselves. It was their dream!

The idea of this western town camefrom Tim. He is an actor, and he built thetown “on a penny dream.” His buddyflipped him a penny and then they startedbuilding. His dream became a reality. Infact, that same penny is under one of the

current buildings, and there are penniesscattered all over the town. That is wherethe name Copper Canyon originated.

Copper Canyon is open by appointmentonly except for Halloween. They will hostschool field trips, birthday parties,church groups, reunions, corporateevents, family outings, western wed-dings, company picnics, and more. Allevents are coordinated to meet the spe-cific needs of the group. They try to com-bine education and recreation. Theyshow how the buildings were made of oldlumber, and the foundations of the build-ings are sandstone rocks. Some of thelumber is over 100 years old and has been

salvaged from old barns.Mrs. Emery came to the school for us to

interview, and this is how we found outall the information. The busiest time ofthe year is fall and summer. One of thebiggest events is in October, and it takesplace every Saturday. During this month,the ranch opens at dark and stays openuntil midnight. Some of the events arehaunted hayrides and staged gunfights.Their comedy and stunt show is guaran-teed to entertain all ages from 5-95, andthis can been seen throughout the year.

The cost of visiting the ranch is $5.00 ifyou just walk around. However, the price

Copper Canyon brings old western feel to Christian County

Kentucky’s Hidden Secret

BY MARY CAMPBELL

Thinking about my topic forthe Lacy Ledger, the past ofLacy school came to mind. Iwondered about how thingsused to be, from the structureof the school to the curricu-lum taught. I took my searchto two teachers that have beenat Lacy Elementary for a totalof 55 years. The ladies areMrs. Kay Harrison and Ms.Sherry Covington, and Ilearned a great deal aboutLacy from years ago fromthese two ladies.

I asked both of them whenthey started teaching at Lacy.Ms. Sherry said, “I have beenteaching at Lacy for 26 years.I had owned and operated achild development center/daycare for 62 children for sevenyears. I sold my business, in-terviewed one day and washired, and then I began teach-ing the next day.” Mrs. Kaysaid, “I was managing theApple Orchard in 1975. Mr.Hershel Myers, the principalat Lacy, brought me an appli-cation to be an aide at Lacy. Iapplied, got the job, and beganmy career first as a kinder-garten aide. I them became adirect service aide, and threeyears later, I went to the com-puter lab. Technology wasbeing introduced into the

Lacy haschangedthroughthe years

BY EMILEE DRAGOO

As we were discussing ourtopics for the Lacy Ledger,Whitney Westerfield came tomy mind. I was interested inhim because I knew he was apast student at Lacy Elemen-tary, and he has just beenelected as a state senator. Wecontacted him, and he came tothe school for me to interview.I had an abundance of ques-tions for him, and he answeredeach of them thoroughly.

Mr. Westerfield has fivebrothers and all six of themare graduates of Lacy Elemen-tary. Both of his parentsmoved to Hopkinsville toteach. They met and eventu-ally married. They lived inHopkinsville and later boughta farm on Old Fruit Hill Roadthat Mr. Westerfield has somany memories of as he wasgrowing up. He graduatedfrom Christian County HighSchool in 1999 and from theUniversity of Kentucky in2006 where he obtained hisBachelor of Science degree.He then went to Southern Illi-nois University School of Lawfor his J.D.

After college, he served forover five years as an AssistantCommonwealth Attorney andlater he had his own privatesolo law practice in Hop-kinsville. He has always beenactive in the community cur-rently serving on the board ofthe United Way of the Pen-nyrile, and he is the immedi-ate past Board Chair. He is alsoa member of the KiwanisClub. He is married to the for-mer Amanda Hall, and sheteaches at Heritage ChristianAcademy.

I was curious about Mr.Westerfield’s years at Lacy El-ementary. It was interesting to

hear him talk about how thebuilding had changed and theteachers that used to teachhere. He remembered the play-ground equipment, some thatis still here, and how much funhe had on the merry-go-round,which is now gone. One ques-tion I asked was about what heconsidered to be the best partof Lacy. He said, “The best partwas attending Lacy Elemen-tary. It was fun, it was myschool, I was a Wildcat. I amstill a Wildcat and will alwaysbe a Wildcat. I remember myfirst grade year, and myteacher was Ms. Dora Holland,who is still my all-time favoriteteacher.”

My next questions dealt withwhat he hoped to accomplishwhile he was in office. He toldme, “I filed my first bill, SenateBill 47. The bill allows officersto collect a DNA sample upona felony arrest. The currentlaw states they only take DNA

after a felony conviction. Thisnew bill would assist in resolv-ing unsolved crimes by estab-lishing a data base. However, ifthe person was found notguilty or the case was dis-missed, the information wouldbe removed. Sen. Mitch Mc-Connell passed a bill in theSenate on the first day of Jan-uary, known as Katie’s Law,which provides for the fundingof bills like mine.”

Another issue he is con-cerned with is human traffick-ing. He told me, “I want tomake sure the victims aren’tprosecuted. I want to protectthe innocent. I would also liketo make some adjustments toHB1, the pill mill bill, as wellas deal with the issues in-volved with synthetic drugs.”Mr. Westerfield serves onmany committees such asAgriculture, Budget ReviewSub-Committee on Justice,

Former Wildcat Sen. Westerfield remembers Lacy Elementary fondly

BY LEA COOK

In our writing class, we werediscussing topics for our arti-cles. Our teacher told us an in-teresting story about a missing1953 ring from Lacy Junior HighSchool that had been found.Since I like mysteries, this storyappealed to me.

When I read the story, I foundthat Mrs. Debbie Olp, who wasmy second grade teacher, wasinvolved in finding the owner.Geoff Baggett, also known asthe Kentucky Shooter, wasusing his metal detector in ruralChristian County. He does thisas a hobby. He found the beauti-ful sterling silver class ring.When he saw the initials in thering, he decided that he wasgoing to find the owner. Since heknew someone, Mrs. Olp, whotaught at Lacy, he decided tocontact her.

Mr. Baggett contacted Mrs.Olp and the search began. Mrs.Olp said she was surprised andexcited when she received thephone call. She told me, “I didn’t

know anything about the his-tory of Lacy, but I knew some-one who did, Diane Hight, whois Lacy Elementary’s book-keeper. I went to her, and welooked in old yearbooks that arein the school’s vault. There wasnot a 1953 book, but we looked ina 1952 junior high yearbook.The initials were EWG. Theonly person who had those ini-tials was Ed Grace. Mrs. Hightremembered that her mother-in-law had been in school at thattime, and she gave her numberto Geoff.”

According to the blog Mr.Baggett posted, he called GlenisHight, Mrs. Diane Hight’smother-in-law. He said she re-sponded immediately that theperson was Edgar Wayne Grace.She also told him that Mr. Gracewas deceased but she would dosome more checking. Mrs. Olpwas continuing on the searchtoo, and she had the name andnumber of Ed Grace’s sisterwho still lived nearby. MissGrace had been contacted so

Man returns Lacy classring lost for 55 years

Former Lacy student, Sen. Whitney Westerfield, stands with Emilee Dragoo.

Geoff Baggett (left) found a 1953 Lacy Junior High School class ring that belonged toEdgar Wayne Grace. Baggett gave the ring to Edgar’s sister, Helen Grace.

SEE WESTERFIELD, PAGE 2SEE LOST RING, PAGE 2

SEE CANYON, PAGE 2

SEE PAST, PAGE 2

Total solar eclipse

coming to Christian

County in 2017PAGE 2

Safety is top priority at 800Motorcross Park

PAGE 3

The Copper Canyon Ranch features a six-gun theater, haunted hayrides, staged gunfights and a comedy and stunt show.

ETHE LACY LEDGER

2 THE LACY LEDGER MARCH 2013

The Workforce/Education DevelopmentPartnership Committee and the

Christian County Chamber of Commerce are proud of the

partnership between the Lacy Wildcatsand the Kentucky New Era!

(270) 885-9096www.christiancountychamber.com

FROM PAGE 1

for all large eventsvaries due to the eventand the amount of par-ticipation that they pro-vide. There are alsorefreshments that canbe purchased during theevents. This is a familybusiness, according toMrs. Emery, and some-thing that they plan oncontinuing.

The ranch is also con-cerned with safety.Rules are implementedin every activity they do.

They stage live gun-fights, and they use realguns but blanks for am-munition. They stressthat the guns are real,and they should not bepicked up by anyone elseexcept the actors.

Copper Canyon has asix gun theatre and isreferred to as “Ken-tucky’s Hidden Secret.”It is a frontier town ofthe 1880’s that featuresHollywood stunts,music, and comedy. Infact, the four moviesthat have been filmedthere are Hatfields andMcCoys: Bad Blood,Gun Town, The Lash-

man, and RevelationTrail. The last moviementioned will comeout in October 2013, andit has taken eight yearsto produce.

In conclusion, Mrs.Emery said, “CopperCanyon Ranch has al-ways been our dream.We always said Holly-wood would be here oneday, and it already hasbeen.” Thus, no longerwill Copper CanyonRanch be “Kentucky’ sHidden Secret.” Formore information, call270-269-2416 or go onlineto www.coppercanyonkentucky.com.

FROM PAGE 1

schools. I became theschool’s technology coor-dinator and began to go totrainings to learn moreand to keep up with allthe changes. Later I be-came the district STLPcoordinator.” Ms. Sherrybegan her career teachinga 1st/2nd grade splitclass, then second grade,next 2nd/3rd grade split,and her next year, shebegan teaching kinder-garten and has taught itfor 23 years.

My next question dealtwith the actual structureof the building. I askedthem how it had changedsince they began at Lacy.Ms. Sherry explained,“Lacy has changedtremendously, especiallythe kindergarten area.The school has been re-modeled, and the class-rooms have changed overthe years. However, theybuilt a new kindergartenroom that accommodatedthe needs of the childrenwhen they added the pre-school rooms. The secondgrade rooms have been re-done, and at one time, theart hallway was a sepa-rate building. After the

second fire, it was re-vamped and added to thebuilding so Lacy Elemen-tary was under one roof.”Mrs. Kay told me, “At onetime the computer labwas a classroom. How-ever when they rewiredthe room, the computerlab has not changed. Atone time, all the specialclasses, art, music, PE,writing, were on a cartmeaning the teacher ro-tated to the rooms. Thebuilding has changed tomeet the needs of the stu-dents.”

I was also curious abouthow instruction hadchanged. Mrs. Kay said, “Istarted with no comput-ers. However, now wehave I-pads, lap tops, I-pods, regular computers,internet, etc., that are allnetworked. We still teachbasic keyboarding skills,but we are in the age ofimmediate information.Mr. Bentzel believes intechnology, and we allmust keep learning andexperiencing the new ad-vancements.” Ms. Sherrysaid in regard to kinder-garten curriculum, “I amnow teaching first gradecurriculum to kinder-garten from when I firstbegan teaching. There aremore academic demandsplaced on kindergarten

students. In addition,years ago kindergartenwas not tested, but nowthey take achievementtests and the MAP test.”

Additionally, I asked ifthey were previous stu-dents of Lacy school. Mrs.Kay said, “No, I am not,but my husband and chil-dren went to Lacy, andnow some of my grand-children are at Lacy.” Ms.Sherry said, “I went toLacy in 7th and 8th gradeafter the first schoolburned.”

At the end of our inter-view, I asked them if theyhad anything else theywanted to say. Mrs. Kayhad this to say, “Lacy Ele-mentary is my family, andI think it is the bestschool in ChristianCounty. I feel privileged towork here and to be ableto come back after beingsick last year. The kidskeep me going.” Ms.Sherry added, “I have en-joyed my stay at Lacy, andI never want to work any-where else. There arewonderful people andwonderful students atLacy, and they have be-come a part of my imme-diate family.” LacyElementary has beenblessed to have these twowonderful ladies. Theyare extraordinary!

FROM PAGE 1

when Geoff called her, she knew whathe wanted. She was Miss Helen, Ed’solder sister. She explained that Mr.Grace had died suddenly at the age of51 of a heart attack. She did not re-member the ring but she would like tohave the ring to give to Mr. Grace’sadult children someday.

Mr. Baggett made arrangements tomeet with Miss Helen to give her the

ring. They meet at her workplace, andhe gave her the long lost ring. He de-scribed it as “an awesome day and anawesome turn of events.” This chainof events took place in only 48 hours,and Mr. Baggett, who is also the pas-tor at Crossroads Church in Cadiz,calls the ladies who helped him as my“Official Research Team.” What amystery! The ring had been in theground for at least 55 years and to re-turn it to the owner’s family in such ashort time is amazing. As Mr. Baggettsaid, “It just goes to show you whatdoing the right thing can do.” I agree100% with Mr. Baggett.

FROM PAGE 1

Capital Planning, Judiciary, Trans-portation, Natural Resources and En-ergy, and Veterans/MilitaryAffairs/Public Protection.

The next question was why hewanted to be a Senator. His answerwas, “I want to pass laws that are con-sistent with my values that are goodfor Kentucky. I want to meet with lotsof people to talk about ideas for whatkind of laws we need. I smiled when Icast my first vote. However when Iwas sworn in, it was bittersweet. Myfamily was with me except for my dadwho had died in an accident on Sep-tember 11.”

I was also curious about formerpoliticians that had inspired him tobecome involved in politics. He said,“I would have liked to have metRonald Reagon, and I would still liketo meet with either one of the Bush

past presidents. I would have liked totalk with Harry Truman and pick hisbrain over issues, particularly overWorld War II. I would even like to meetPresident Obama.”

My last question was about the pos-sibility of Lacy Elementary closingdown. He told me, “I don’t want Lacyto shut down. The community is tiedto the school.” He also told me thatRep. Dossett is trying to keep Lacyopen as well. I agree with the idea thatLacy Elementary should stay open.

In conclusion, after talking withSenator Westerfield, I feel Kentucky isin good hands. I have the same values,have the same beliefs, and feel the Sen-ator can accomplish a great deal inCongress. Senator Westerfield’s clos-ing remarks say it all: “I want to be abetter steward of Kentucky’s re-sources. I believe God leads us to dowhat we should. I worked hard to getthis job and will continue to work forthe citizens of Kentucky.” For moreinformation, go to www.whitneywesterfield.com.

PAST

LOST RING

CANYON

WESTERFIELD

BY MATT FLOYD AND JOHN SCHMITT

Are you aware that a total solareclipse will occur in 2017? Do youknow that the most visible sitewill be right here in ChristianCounty? Our next question is, Doyou know what a total solareclipse is? A total solar eclipse iswhen a new moon is between thesun and the earth, and theshadow of the moon hits theearth. The eclipse will occur onMonday, August 21, 2017, at 1:24p.m. The day will eventually getdarker and darker until theeclipse occurs. There will be avery bright light in the midst ofall the darkness.

From our research we learnedthat NASA uses a special formulato determine where the eclipsewill be the most visible. They uselongitude and latitude to deter-mine the exact location. Theexact center of the path of total-ity will be 36 degrees, 58.5 north,latitude, and 87 degrees, 39.3 westlongitude. Using a GPS system,the Kentucky New Era found theexact spot for the eclipse to be inthe middle of Mary Jane Cor-nelius’ hayfield on PrincetonRoad, about halfway between theStone Quarry Road and Dr.Hatcher Road. However, anothersource revealed the spot to be on

the farm of Mark Cansler on theGracey-Sinking Fork Road. Bothof these locations are off thePrinceton Road.

Because a total solar eclipse israre, thousands of people willcome to this area to see this mag-nificent sight. In fact, in 2008 itwas reported that about 10,000tourists gathered in towns inboth China and Russia to see it.There will be a 48-hour rush oftourists, which means more peo-ple and more traffic. Plans are al-ready being made toaccommodate other issues. Sincethe eclipse is on a Monday, a deci-sion will have to be made whetherto close schools and some officesfor the day. There will also be theproblem of hotel rooms. Somepeople have already tried to bookhotel rooms but some reports saythey will not book rooms fouryears out although there are nowreports that some rooms havebeen booked.

Another problem will be how tokeep the street lights from com-ing on so we can get the full ef-fect. Individually, eye protectionmust be used because watchingthe eclipse without eye protectioncould be harmful to a person’s vi-sion.

When the eclipse occurs, the

starts will be visible. Differentsources have stated variouswidths of the eclipse. Our re-search has shown anywhere from70 miles to 100 miles wide. How-ever, there is one thing for cer-tain. We are in an area that wecan clearly see the total eclipse.We also learned that this is thefirst total solar eclipse on Ameri-can soil since 1991, the first on themainland since 1979, and the firstone to sweep across the entirecountry since 1918.

In conclusion, this is definitelygoing to be a spectacular event inHopkinsville. In the words ofMrs. Debbie Cathcart, our fourthgrade science teacher: “The solareclipse that will occur on Monday,August 21, 2017, will be the great-est solar phenomena to happen inChristian County during our life-time. What a time to live in Chris-tian County, because the longestduration of this eclipse will be 2minutes 40 seconds in the Bain-bridge/Sinking Fork area. Peopleworld over know that Hop-kinsville, Kentucky, is the deadcenter for viewing this once in alifetime event.” We completelyagree with Mrs. Cathcart.

Research from Kentucky NewEra and various sites on the Internet.

Total solar eclipse coming to Christian County

BY VANESSA BROOKS

Being a new student at Lacy Elementary, I wanted towrite my article about the new teacher at Lacy, AllyssaWithrow. She replaced Ms. Lauren Scott who moved toTennessee to get her Master’s Degree. Ms. Withrow taughtthe first semester at a Christian school inLouisville. There she taught a 3rd/4thgrade split class.

I asked her why she came to Lacy Ele-mentary. She said, “I came because I knewsome of the teachers here, and they really,really liked it.” I then asked her if sheliked it here. She replied, “I love it at Lacy.Everyone is so nice and helpful.”

I was curious about how she knew aboutthe position. She told me, “Mrs. Haley, whoteaches kindergarten, told me about theopening. I went to Murray State University with her, andLacy sounded like somewhere I wanted to teach.” I askedher how she liked teaching second grade math. She an-swered, “I love teaching second grade and teaching math.My second grade teacher inspired me to become ateacher.”

In addition, Ms. Withrow told me she likes hanging outwith her friends, reading, and playing volleyball when-ever she can. However, she spends a lot of time on herschool work. Her family lives in Springfield, Illinois, andshe has three sisters and one brother. Two of her sistersare named Amanda, one of them is her step-sister.

In conclusion, Ms. Withrow said, “I am so glad that Icould be at Lacy this semester.” Lacy students are gladthat Ms. Withrow is here too and hope that she has a greatrest of the school year.

New teacher happy tobe at Lacy Elementary

Withrow

BY SPENCER HARNED AND ALEX LATHAM

Having an interest in go karts, this wasthe ideal article for us to write. Todd’s GoKart Sales and Service has recently beenopened. In fact, it has only been in busi-ness for two months. The business repairsor fixes go karts, lawn mowers, and gardentillers. In addition, he sells go karts.

The owner of the business is ToddParker. He currently works at Lee Brickand Block where he has been for elevenyears serving as the plant manager/main-tenance. We asked him why he started thisbusiness, which he does on the side. Hesaid, “I have a love of go karts. I have beenworking on machines for years. I do it all,electrical, hydraulics, engine repair, what-ever is needed. I think it is fun.”

Once the go kart is fixed, it is test drivenbefore it is sold or returned to the owner.The test driving is done by Alex Latham,who is Mr. Parker’s son and co-author ofthis article. Mr. Parker looks on craigslist

and Facebook to find go karts and thensells them. However, he does not alwayshave a go kart available to sell, so it is im-portant to call and check. Since December,he has fixed fifteen go karts. He buys hisparts through Rotary Dealer and buys lo-cally.

In our interview we learned that gokarts could be spelled two ways. Karts canbe spelled with a “k” or a “c.” Mr. Parkerchose to use the “k” because it stands out,and it sparks interest. He advertises byword of mouth and with his businesscards which is what started our conversa-tion about the spelling.

To conclude, if you are interested in gokarts, Todd’s Sales is the business youneed. Whether you need a go kart repairedor if you want to purchase one, call Mr.Parker at 270-881-8358. He is located at10308 Pilot Rock Road, and his email ishopblock@hopkinsville.net. RememberTodd Parker “buys, sells, and repairs gokarts.” Give him a call!

Todd’s Go Kart Service fixes, sells machinery

MARCH 2013 THE LACY LEDGER 3

WE FRAMEGRANDCHILDREN& GRANDPUPPIES

WE FRAMEGRANDCHILDREN& GRANDPUPPIESTHEY MAKE GREAT GIFTS

YOU KNOW!!

Keep Up The

Good Work,

Lacy!

2011

10 Years in a Row!

BY CALEIGH VALENTINE

Being a member of STLP, whichstands for Student Technology Leader-ship Program, I decided to write my ar-ticle over the two teams from Lacy thatwill be competing at Lexington inMarch. These two teams competed onthe district level at Murray in November2012. They had to have a score of 106 inorder to compete on the state level. Oneteam had a score of 106, and one teamscored 108.5. Therefore, both teams ad-vanced to the state level.

The two teams that are competing areSafety at Lacy and Ashwood Connec-tion. They both will be in the showcasedivision which must use a poster fortheir presentation. The safety projectdeals with safety issues. The group col-lected data from the Lacy community togive to the Lacy Fire Department. Theinformation collected would be an assetto the department in case of a naturaldisaster. The information contains wholives where, how many people are in thehome, and the home phone numbers.The Ashwood Connection project isabout the students tutoring other stu-dents at the center on the computer.Each member must volunteer once aweek, and they will start offering adultcomputer classes once a month.

There will be seven students and twoadult from Lacy going to Lexington. Thetwo adults are Mrs. Kristen Haley, whois a kindergarten teacher and serving asLacy’s STLP coordinator for the firsttime, and Mrs. Kay Harrison, who is theSTLP district coordinator and technol-ogy coordinator at Lacy. I asked Mrs.Haley why she became involved withSTLP. She said, “Mr. B. asked me if Iwould be interested and since I was tak-ing care of K-1 Ipods, I thought it wouldbe a good experience. I also had notworked with fifth graders and thought itwould be different. I like to use technol-ogy in the classroom because kids are ondifferent levels. With technology, in-

struction can be more individualizedand being STLP’s coordinator, I am moreaware of technology advancements.”

I asked both ladies their opinionsabout the competition. Mrs. Haley said,“I am excited to go. I feel good about thecompetition and am very proud of allthe students. They have worked really,really hard.” Mrs. Kay said, “The stu-dents had to think outside the box to cre-ate their projects. They both wanted todo something to benefit the community.Each project will be judged with arubric, and the top 37 teams will walkacross the stage at Rupp Arena to be rec-ognized. The top elementary, middle,and high school team will advance to thenational competition in Texas.”

This will be an epic experience forboth teams involved. Both projects havebeen beneficial to the community and awonderful learning opportunity for thestudents. We are excited to present ourprojects and look forward to going toLexington, and then, hopefully, on toTexas.

Student group goes to Lexington

BY WILLIAM COWEN

As I was thinking about a subject for myarticle, 800 Motorcross Park came to mymind. I have raced there before, and I havean interest in the sport. The owner of thepark is Steve Ezell, and he came to Lacy El-ementary for me to interview. I had severalquestions for him, and he kindly answeredthem all.

Mr. Ezell started riding motorcycles in1973. His dad bought his brother and him amotorcycle forty years ago, and he has beenracing ever since. He has two sons, and theyboth have been racing since they wereyoung. They are in their twenties now andcontinue to race.

This is not the first motorcross track thatMr. Ezell has owned. He previously ownedone in White Plains, Kentucky, but pur-chased this park in 1999. This is his four-teenth year of operation, and it is named800 Motorcross Park. It is a recreationalarea for motorcycles and all-terrain vehi-cles which are referred to as ATV’s.

The park is open 7 days a week from 9:00a.m. until dark. It is a family business, andthey hold six to eight races a year. The racesare held at different times, and it is a closedcircuit track. There are day and night raceswith a practice time before the races begin.Mr. Ezell told me he was always working onthe tracks, to improve them, and to have dif-ferent layouts for races. He also explained

that there are four classifications depend-ing on experience.

In addition, we talked about the prices atthe park. The cost of recreational riding is$10.00 for the day. The racing fee is $25.00.The normal rate is $5.00 per person, withchildren under six free. However, some-times the fee is $10.00 if it is a special event.The park is for kids and adults of all agesthat enjoy racing or that enjoy watching arace.

As we were finishing the interview, Iasked Mr. Ezell what was the best part ofhis business. He said, “The best part isdoing something you enjoy doing and love.It is also about watching young ones growand become better riders. It helps kids stayout of trouble. It is just a big playground forkids and adults.” I then asked him what theworst part of the business was. He replied,“The bad part is injuries. It is a dangeroussport, but safety is number one. I try tomake the track as safe as possible.”

At the end of our interview, I asked Mr.Ezell if there was anything he would like toadd. He said, “Motorcross is a good, cleansport that is fun. Racing or riding can be astress reliever. It has been good for my sonsto keep them out of trouble.” If you havenever been to the park and think this issomething you might want to do, call 270-269-8967 or go to Highway 800 East. Youcan’t miss it!

Safety is first priority at 800 Motorcross Park

BY BRADY COOK

Because I like to work onautomobiles and fourwheelers, I wanted to knowabout Wayne’s Auto andMachine. We contactedWayne Davis, the owner ofthe shop, and he came tothe school for an interview.I had a lot of questions,and he answered them allcompletely.

Mr. Davis started work-ing in the shop when his fa-ther owned it. He has beena mechanic for over fiftyyears. When his father re-tired, he took over the busi-ness. He is ASE certified inall categories, and he re-pairs anything from re-cliner chairs to big trucks.He also repairs golf carts,scooters, lawn mowers,any machine you canthink of. In addition, he isworking on an old modelCaprice car.

I asked him about howmany items he works on ina year. He said, “There are

too many to count. I also dosub-contracting for severaldealerships and that keepsme busy too.” He told mehe had always enjoyed me-chanics, and it was proba-bly because of his father.

During the interview, Mr.Davis told me he had at-tended Lacy school. Hesaid, “When I went to Lacy,Mr. Myers was the princi-pal. I rode my pony toschool and would get offwhen I got to school andjust drop the reins. When Igot out of school, my ponywould be standing therewaiting for me.” In addi-tion, he told me anotherstory. “At night the janitorswould sleep at the schoolduring the winter to fill thefurnances. That’s how theschool was heated. I usedto go there at night, andthey would let me go inthe gym to shoot basket-balls. When the schoolburned, I have one of thebricks that has “Lacy”on it.”

Mr. Davis also told methat he does a lot of busi-ness on the computer. Hesaid, “If somebody toldme ten years ago that Iwould be using a com-puter, I wouldn’t have be-lieved it. I order most ofthe parts that I get online.”

The shop is open Mon-day-Friday from 8:00-4:00.He was open on Satur-days, but now he has anew grandbaby, and hehas cut back on hishours. Mr. Davis has oneemployee, and they staybusy repairing and fixingeverything that comes inthe shop.

In conclusion, Wayne’sAuto and Machine Shopsounds like an interest-ing place to work. It is lo-cated on 11250 GreenvilleRoad, and the phone num-ber is 269-9999. So, if youhave anything that needsto be repaired or fixed, giveMr. Davis a call.

Wayne’s Auto owned by Lacy alumnusWayne Davis and fifth grade student Brady Cook talk about Wayne’s Auto and Machine.

BY KATIE SHELTON

When the school year beganand we started discussing our ar-ticles for the Lacy Ledger, I knewthat I wanted to write on Woody’sCountry Store. The store is ownedby my papaw, Woody Shelton. Hebought the store five years agofrom Mr. Homer Gates and turnedthe business into a country store.

I went to my papaw and inter-viewed him about the store. Iasked him why he openedWoody’s. He said, “I opened thestore because I thought it wouldbe a good living.” The store isopen six days a week, Mondaythrough Friday, 5:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.,

and on Saturdays from 5:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. It is also opened on someholidays.

Another question I asked wasabout what was sold at the store.He said, “In the morning, weserve sausage, bacon, and gravywith country biscuits. At lunchwe serve sandwiches which aremade when you order them, nopremade sandwiches.” In addi-tion, he said, “The most famousmeat is Norma’s ham. The namecomes from her since she cooks itat home and then sends it to thestore.” Norma is Woody’s wife,who is also my nanny.

Next, I asked my papaw aboutwhat was the most popular item

at the store. He said, “Cold drinks,ice cream, and sandwiches arewhat I sell the most. MountainDew is the most popular drink.However in the summertime, iceis a popular choice.”

Last of all, I asked him why hedid not sell gas because there is noplace in Lacy to buy gas. He an-swered, “Gas got too expensive,and I did not make any moneyfrom it.”

In conclusion, my grandparentsconsider Woody’s a family busi-ness. “People sit around and catchup on the latest news. Some peo-ple come three or four times a day,and some come three or fourtimes a week,” according to my

papaw. Woody’s is a big part of thecommunity where everybody

feels welcome, and everybody ispart of the family.

Country Store provides service for Lacy community

Woody Shelton has operated Woody’s Country store for five years. It is open from 5 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 5 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

Members of Lacy Elementary’s STLP will compete inLexington this month. Pictured are (back row, fromleft) Caleigh Valentine, Katie Shelton, EmariWilliams (front row, from left) Gracie Faust, MaryCampbell, Micaela Delaney and John Schmitt.

4 THE LACY LEDGER MARCH 2013

BY HALEIGH COOPER AND KASSIDY MORRIS

Have you ever heard of Max’s Hope? Do youhave any idea what it is? Are you interested in an-imals? If you answered yes to any of these ques-tions, then Max’s Hope is the place for you toinvestigate. Max’s Hope is a place for animals thathave been abandoned or have an owner who canno longer want or take care of them. It branchedfrom the animal shelter because the shelter wasovercrowded.

Max’s Hope began because of a German shep-herd named Max. The dog appeared one day atTammy Stratton’s home, who is the founder ofMax’s Hope Pet Rescue. She could not find theowner and in her words, “Max was the best dogever.” Max died in February of 2011, and Max’sHope began in March of 2011 in memory of Max.It started when Tammy got a phone call from theHumane Society, and they needed help with fourabandoned Husky puppies. At this time she de-cided that there was a need for pet rescue, and thedream of Max’s Hope began.

The goal of the pet rescue is to find homes forall of the animals. They will accept any pets; theywill take any age animal. In fact, one day they gota dog, and the next day puppies arrived. They alsohave had rats, reptiles, any kind of pet. The mostunusual pet that was at Max’s Hope was Gindo,the Korean national dog. They receive animalsfrom across the United States and are always look-ing for foster families to take in these pets. In ad-dition, families from across the United Statesadopt these pets too.

In our interview with Mrs. Stratton, she told usthe most common animals to be adopted are pup-pies and kittens. The bigger dogs are harder to beadopted as well as the bull terrier breeds. Adult

cats are also difficult to place with families.We also wanted to know how long the animals

are kept. She said, “The animals stay until theyare adopted, regardless of the time. This is whywe need more foster families to take care of thesepets.” She also said, “Our hope is to help the com-munity. That is why we became involved with theidea of animal foster care.”

Mrs. Stratton also explained to us that they hadfundraisers to help with the expenses of the pets.Every two weeks on Saturdays, they are at Trac-tor Supply with the pets that are up for adoption.They also have a Pancake Breakfast in October tomake money. In March, a yard sale is hosted byvolunteers from Max’s Hope. In addition, a Walk-a-thon Awareness is held in June.

There are on line adoptions held monthly. Toadopt an adult dog, the price is $85.00. The dogwill have received all shots, been neutered orspayed, and have been examined by a vet. The costof a puppy is $75.00 that has been examined andreceived shots. The cost of a cat is $10.00 with thesame provisions. If they adopt an animal undersix months, they must sign an agreement thatthey will have the animal neutered or spayed. Thegoal is to one day have a neutering/spaying cliniconce a quarter.

If you are interested in becoming involved withMax’s Hope Pet Rescue, you can get in touch withTammy Stratton at 270-985-3160. You can also go towww.maxshope.com orwww.facebook.com/maxshope. If you google “petfinder,” Max’s Hope is the only entry that will bethere. In Mrs. Stratton’s comments at the end ofthe interview, she said, “We are always looking forgood foster families.” So if you love animals andwould be interested in fostering or adopting a pet,give them a call.

Max’s Hope finds homes for all kinds of pets

BY CAITLYN HUGGINS AND SANDY SOLIZ

Even though Christmas has come andgone, there were two grades of childrenthat did something for others at Christ-mas this year. All of the children in thirdgrade and kindergarten had the truespirit of Christmas. They gave presentsinstead of receiving them.

We talked to the teachers involved andfound that the gifts that were brought toschool were given to Sanctuary Houseand Ashwood Connection. We talked toMrs. Cari Williams and Mrs. MindySchmitt about the third grade project.Their gifts went to Sanctuary House inHopkinsville, which is a safety home forwomen and children. When we askedthem why they decided to do this insteadof the children exchanging with eachother, they said, “We wanted to teach thestudents the lesson that it is better togive than receive.”

Another question we asked was, “Whydid you give to the Sanctuary House?”The answered, “We knew that the chil-dren there might not get any Christmasgifts, so the children brought in gifts, andwe took them there.” They both said theywould do this again next year, and they

added, “The kids really enjoyed helpingothers.”

Then we interviewed the kindergartenteachers to find out some answers to ourquestions. We learned that Ms. SherryCovington, one of the teachers, came upwith the idea of the kindergartenersbringing books to donate to AshwoodConnection, a tutoring center for LacyElementary students. Ms. Sherry said,“Several of our children live in AshwoodVillage, and we felt the books would beutilized. Ashwood Connection neededbooks, and we felt this would be showingthe true spirit of Christmas. Not onechild was upset because they didn’t get agift.”

Next, we talked to Mrs. Griffith andMrs. Haley, the other two kindergartenteachers. They told us some of the samethings that Ms. Sherry did. Mrs. Haleysaid, “Ashwood Connection needed somebooks. We collected 25-30 books. The chil-dren liked showing us what books theybrought in, and we will do this again.”Mrs. Griffith said, “When Ms. Sherrysuggested this, it was something differ-ent from the usual. We wanted our boysand girls to be involved in giving some-

thing to others. It is important to learnto give to others and just not receive.”

In conclusion, the children loved giv-ing gifts and books instead of receivingthem. We think that it was wonderful be-

cause some of the children may not havegotten a gift, and Ashwood needed books.Since it went so well, all of the teachersfelt that they would do this again nextyear. This is the true spirit of Christmas!

Students show the true spirit of Christmas

Lacy Elementary staff pose outside The Ashwood Connection. Lacy kindergarten students donated books toThe Ashwood Connection last Christmas.

BY ROBBYN TEANEY

Since I have thoughtabout becoming a beauti-cian, I wanted to write myarticle about Donna’s HairSalon, located in the Lacycommunity. We contactedthe owner, Donna Rager,and she came to the schoolfor the interview. She hasbeen a hair dresser for 46years. Also, she has beenat her current location for40 years, and she works byherself. When she first be-came a hair dresser, sheworked in Elkton. Whenher husband suggestedshe open a shop next totheir home, she decidedthat would be a goodarrangement. First, it wasa mobile home, and thenseven years ago, she had ashop built.

She was concernedwhen she first opened hershop at home because shewas worried she wouldnot have any customerssince she was out in thecountry. However beforeher shop opened, she hada full week of appoint-ments. In fact, her firstcustomer was a formerteacher at Lacy thattaught for fifty years bythe name of Mildred Har-rison and her second cus-tomer was Mildred’ssister Dorothy.

Her shop is open fourdays a week on Tuesday,Thursday, Friday, and ahalf day on Saturday. Herhours vary from day today; she works anywherefrom 8-10 hours a day andsometimes even longer.She also goes for trainingevery year to learn newstyles as well as to keep upwith new trends. She goesall the way to Louisvilleand Owensboro and hasbeen to some in Madis-onville and Hopkinsville.She said, “I want to keepup with styles. I wantyoung people andteenagers to come to me. Ilove to work with hair.”However, she does not domanicures or pedicures,but she has many regularcustomers.

It is evident that Donnaloves to do hair. She saidthat many of her cus-tomers will come in earlyjust to visit. She said, “It

is fun. We are one big fam-ily.” She wants her cus-tomers to be pleased withtheir hair. She feels hercustomers must knowwhat they want their hairto look like in their mindbefore she fixes it. She ex-plained, “I really questionmy customers about whatthey want.” If she givesthem a new style, she alsogives thec u s t o m e rlessons onhow to fixtheir hairthemselves.

In orderto be a haird r e s s e r ,Donna hadto go tob e a u t yschool. Shehad to have 1800 hours ofclass and then she had totake the state board exam.She then had to workunder another hairdresser for six months,which is an apprentice-ship. After the six months,then you can get your ownshop which is what Donnadid 40 years ago.

I asked her, “What wasthe most unusual situa-tion you encountered yourshop?” She said, “A girlcame in with green hairand asked me to fix it, toget the color back to theoriginal state.” She saidthat she did but it took allday. She also said that shehas never cut a mohawk,but the first time she evercut someone’s hair reallyshort on one side and keptit long on the other sidewas hard. She continuedto question the customerbut that was what shewanted. She said that itwas hard the first time,but now she cuts that styleall the time.

In her closing words,she said, “My greatest joyis when a customer ishappy with their hair. Ilove going to work, and Ipraise God for it. My situ-ation is the best. As longas my customers arehappy, I’m happy! My cus-tomers are my friends,and I love what I do.” It isa fact that Ms. Donnaloves what she does, andone day l would like to bea hair dresser too!

Local salon has been inbusiness for 40 years

Rager

BY TANA HIGHT

Have you ever wondered why you seeall these old cars in Christian County?Have you ever heard of Christian Clas-sic Cruisers? In this article, I will an-swer both of these questions. I becameinterested in older vehicles becausemy brother is restoring my grandfa-ther’s 1977 Chevrolet pickup truck. Iinterviewed two couples from this cluband found some interesting facts.

Christian Classic Cruisers began in2004. It branched off another car cluband everybody involved loves to driveand see old cars. In fact, the oldest carin the club is a 1950 Mercury. The pur-pose of the club is to have fellowshipwith others who share the same loveof cars. They are just like anotherfamily according to one of the couplesI interviewed.

I was also interested in why somepeople love old cars. Mrs. BernieSchmitt, one of the people that I inter-viewed said, “I like old cars for senti-mental reasons. It takes us back to ourteen years.” Linda Delaney, anotherperson I interviewed said, “It’s a

hobby.” Her husband Clinton jokinglyadded, “Old people have to have some-thing to do.” However, I found that it isnot only old people. My fifteen year oldbrother loves old cars too, as well assome other kids I know.

The group has seventeen couples.Many of the couples have more thanone car. One person even has about tencars now. Anyone can join if theyagree to the by-laws and pay a $25.00fee. Anyone interested may contact

any member for additional informa-tion.

Both the Delaney’s and the Schmitt’shave multiple classic vehicles. Somethey have restored themselves, whileothers they bought already restored.Members of the club are willing tohelp each other with restorations andauto repairs. Both Clinton Delaneyand Mickey Schmitt have offered to as-sist my brother on his project.

Each month the club gets together

for a “meet and eat.” They attend aspring and fall tour. In the tour a cou-ple from the club picks a place to go, aplace to eat, and the route they aregoing to take to get there. Every Octo-ber the group goes to Onton, Kentucky,for a cruise-in. Some of the otherplaces they go include Greenville, Elk-ton, Madisonville, and any place thathas a cruise-in in the area. The clubalso donates to Relay for Life and St.Jude Hospital.

Mickey and Bernie Schmitt told mea lot of facts. For instance, Berniesaid, “We have been in the club fortwenty years, and my favorite part iswhen kids give us acknowledgementfor our cars.” Linda Delaney told me,“We attend the Crofton parade everyyear.” The reason you see old cars inChristian County is because the peo-ple in this club like old cars, and theylike to participate in car shows andcruise-ins. Hopefully, now you knowwhat the Christian Classic Cruisersare and why you see so many old carsin Christian County. You might evenunderstand their feelings of nostalgiaabout their cars.

Local group restores classic vehicles for fun, fellowship

Christian Classic Cruisers began in 2004 and has 34 active members.

Fifth grade students Hayleigh Cooper and Kassidy Morris stand with the owner Tammy Stratton and Cassie Hale, a volunteer.