KET’s Kentucky Life tours Maysville, profiles ceramic artists Michelle Strader and Frederick Bartolovic of Catlettsburg, tastes the specialties at Walt’s Hitching Post restaurant in Ft. Wright, and takes a look back at Civil War history at Kentucky’s Columbus-Belmont State Park. The episode airs Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8/7 pm and Sunday, Oct. 9 at 4/3 pm on KET and Monday, Oct. 10 at 7/6 pm on KET2.

First, Kentucky Life stops travels to Maysville, where host Doug Flynn talks with lifelong residents Kathleen and Lou Browning about the city’s history and community spirit, which blend to make this Kentucky river town so special.

Then, the program travels to Catlettsburg’s Silver Run Ceramics, where artists Michelle Strader and Frederick Bartolovic create functional bowls, platters, cups and other ceramic ware embellished with detailed images of animals and nature. The couple work in tandem, with Bartolovic, a ceramics professor at Marshall University, throwing the pieces, while Strader illustrates them. The couple’s work often features images of horses, rabbits, deer or other creatures, inspired by their own farm or wildlife living in nearby fields and forests.

Next, Kentucky Life makes a stop at Walt’s Hitching Post in Ft. Wright, touted by current owners as “a tradition 70 years in the making.” Founded by Walt Ballanger and his wife, Mary, in 1942, the restaurant is famous for its smokehouse ribs and signature secret sauce. Other menu staples include tomato garlic dressing, salted rye bread, skillet potatoes and mouth-watering steaks.

Finally, the program travels to Columbus-Belmont State Park, situated in far western Kentucky along the Mississippi River and site of some of the state’s richest Civil War history. During the war, Confederate troops made Columbus one of the most heavily fortified areas in the country, earning the city the title of “Gibraltar of the West.” There, Confederate General Leonidas Polk attempted to extend a massive chain across the Mississippi River in order to block passage of Union boats and supplies. At the time, neighboring Belmont, Mo., just across the river, was under the Union control of Ulysses S. Grant. During the resulting Battle of the Belmont, Confederates bombarded Grant and his men using 140 cannons, including a giant, 15,000-pound Anderson Rifle known as “Lady Polk.”

Kentucky Life is a KET production, produced by Brandon Wickey. Segment producers for this episode are Valerie Trimble, Tom Bickel and Paul Smith.

KET is Kentucky’s largest classroom, serving more than one million people each week via television, online and mobile. Learn more about Kentucky’s preeminent public media organization on Twitter @KET and facebook.com/KET and at KET.org.

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Todd Piccirilli
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859-258-7242
tpiccirilli@ket.org