Churches of Adair Co., KY: Union Chapel Regular Baptist 2011-12-30 - Cooper Ridge Road, Adair County, KY - Photo by Ed Waggener. Union Chapel Regular Baptist Church still holds meeting in this picturesque sanctuary at the intersection of Cooper Ridge Road and Wethington Road. The congregation, and all the residents along Cooper Ridge Road recently got a major boost when Cooper Ridge Road was hard surfaced. The church is within a mile of Casey County, less than two miles from KY 70. We'd love to hear more information about the church, including a full listing for the Directory of Churches. -CM Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Friendly, playful puppy found in Crocus (Happy Ridge) 2011-12-30 - Crocus, Adair Co., KY - Photo by Jacqueline Collins. Update, 2011-01-09: Puppy is back at home Puppy's human should claim or he'll need good Forever Home: We had a puppy show up at our house on Wednesday, December 28, 2011. He is white with two black spots one covering his eye and one on his ear. If anyone knows who owns this puppy please contact us at 270-378-6352. We live on Red Oak Rd, Glens Fork in the Crocus area. While I hope this puppy's owner comes forward, should they not this puppy will need a good home. He is very friendly and playful. Thank you. - Jacqueline Collins Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Signs of Times: Gulf Oil sign is back 2011-12-30 - 1200 New Columbia Road, Columbia, KY - Photo by Ed Waggener. The Gulf oil sign on this store at 1200 New Columbia Road in Campbellsville, KY, brings back memories. For many years, motorists were staunchly loyal to Gulf, Shell, Standard Oil, or Texaco in this area, or the more local brands of Aetna, Ashland, Golden Tip, Sunoco, and Marathon. In Columbia, there were two Gulf Stations, one at 201 Burkesville Street, the location of today's Chamber Building, which was run by Mr. Frank Garrison and later Willard Cheatham and at 714 Russell Road, owned by Mr. Jones, who lived next door in what later became the Hannah Fowler house. Service stations predominated the retail scene in Columbia in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. There was one-to-three on almost every corner. Nobody had to worry about an empty tank. There was hardly a place where one couldn't kick the car out of gear and coast to one. At the intersection of Jamestown Street and Russell Road, there were three stations at one time: One a Shell, one an Ashland branded station, and the third, the oldest, carried the Standard brand. Just yesterday, I heard someone reporting that they had heard that there was a station where the new CVS Drug Store is slated to go, and said they couldn't remember it. It was one of the oldest. A Standard Oil station run by several people, Guy Moss and Charles Giles comes to mind quickly. The gas business started changing from "service" to "gas" stations, in Adair County when Mr. Jones, later joined by Mr. David Heskamp put in a cut rate, unbranded station where Glen Mary Street joins Russell Road, creating powerful arguments over which brand was the best. Then tanker drivers started spilling the beans: "It all comes out of the same tank at Kosmodale," insiders would tell us, and the beginning of the switch for sectarian brand loyalty devolved to a price driven market. Oh, the good fist fights we don't have today because, anymore, nobody cares whether the Pontiac runs better on Ethyl or not. And a footnote: The late Haskin Coomer, who ran the most memorable cut-rate gas station, said that Vernon Yarberry ruined the gasoline business with unfair competition to the business, currying customer favor with free windshield cleaning. -EW Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Epicurean Kentuckian: Homemade Chili, Cincinnati style 2011-12-30 - Fortune Street Kitchen, Columbia, KY - Photo by Ed Waggener. Geniece Marcum and Linda made Chili last night as something of test to see if Old Time Improvisation would work: Could we make do with what was in the icebox and what we could get at the neighborhood store? We did it. And borrowing from my dad's method of getting invited to more meals, I have to say, as Dad would say, "It was the best I've ever eaten," and throw in Dad's clincher: It would take a premium at the fair. Of course Chili always elicits memories of the Great Columbia Mayor Coy Downey, at whose Inauguration the Columbia had the World's Biggest Chili Bowl, in the World Record Book of Guinnesses, and Coy would have said, "It's the best you ever put down your goozle pipe." But this was our improv Chili based on the way Ohioans and quasi Ohioans in Northern Kentucky eat it: Over spaghetti, 2-3-4-or 5 way. With a sauce with a little cocoa and a iittle cinnamon. Cincinnati style. All the ingrediments were in the larder and in the fridge except for spaghetti, and shredded cheese that I couldn't tell from Skyline or Gold Star. It was all done in a 5 minute walk from the Sav-a-lot, where, I believe, we could have assembled all the ingredients in 10 minutes, through the aisles and through the checkout. Brought back memories of Momma sending me to E. Campbell's store and days when K. Scott brought the Sav-a-lot's predecessor, Houchens to Columbia. Since Kellin Helm has taken over as manager there, the store has the same "feel," as it did back then. The chili was just right on a cold December night. It was topped off with a proper Sulphur Well dessert: Homemade biscuits and fried apples with butter. It was more proof that Thomas Wolfe was wrong. We can go home again. Downtown Columbia life can be much like it used to be and better: As soon as the City modernizes and greens traffic laws so I can run to the store in a golf cart. -ED WAGGENER Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Birds of Kentucky (in TN): Canada Geese in Smokies 2011-12-29 - Pigeon Forge, TN - Photo by Betsy Fausnaugh. Beautiful but noisy little critters "Hi Ed, Took this on our recent Christmas trip to Pigeon Forge. These were right outside our cabin on the Pigeon River. Beautiful, but noisy little critters late at night when they get disturbed! Have a Great New Year! " - Betsy Fausnaugh Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Why Grandkids are GRAND 2011-12-29 - Columbia, KY - Photo by Granddad. Even if the strawberryies needed sugar added to taste summertime sweet, they're a special treat when there's a special card. -EW Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

Found on a hallway shelf, a bit of Adair literary history 2011-12-28 - Columbia, KY - Photo by Joyce Coomer. Found . .. on the hallway shelf, several copies of Medley of Pens," writes Joyce Coomer, who adds this note, "once upon a time Adair County had a writers' group that met once a month." This inaugural issue is dated May, 1990. Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.

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Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728.
Phone: 270.403.0017