"Where the Bluegrass Kisses the Mountains": Estill County Welcomes RUX '22

In mid-September, the KY RUX cohort visited Estill County for our final Community Intensive Weekend of 2022. Fresh from our weekend in Louisville, we felt energized and connected, though we dearly missed our friends and neighbors impacted by the floods in Eastern Kentucky. We ask that you continue to give your support as you are able to those folks and organizations impacted by flooding; please visit Appalshop’s Flood Support Resource page for ways you can help. 

Our Estill County weekend taught us about economic development in rural areas, the importance of community engagement in community growth, rural arts and tourism, healthcare and technical education, and optimism for a community’s well-being. 

After receiving a quick introduction to Estill County from our host committee, we visited the Estill County Historical and Genealogical Museum for our Community Welcome Dinner. The Historical Society and Estill Action Group hosted our dinner, and we learned from Joe Crawford and Jess Stevens of the Estill Development Alliance about the organization’s work connecting community members to advance economic development and quality of life in the county. KY RUX cohort members then visited the Moonlight Market, where they shopped with local vendors and listened to live music.

The next morning, we traveled to Estill County High School. There, we connected with cohort members by hearing their pitches for current projects and resources they could share with other members. We then heard from Dana Stepp of Project HOME and Trena Stocker, the President of Marcum & Wallace Hospital, about the unique healthcare challenges facing rural communities. After a lunch catered by El Ranchito, we toured the Area Technology Center, a state-of-the-art technical education center which opened in 2021.

We returned to Aldersgate Camp and Retreat Center to discuss the strategies for growth and arts development taken in Estill County as well as the many challenges facing engaged community members. Mark Brown of the Kentucky Arts Council facilitated a narrative stage with Michele Benton (Estill Arts Council), David Harrison (Railroad/Steam Heritage), Skip Johnson (Friends of the Fitchburg Furnace), and Jessica Stevens (Explore Estill & the Estill County Chamber of Commerce). To close out the day, we visited the Fitchburg Furnace and received a personal tour from Skip Johnson.

For our final Community Intensive of 2022, we gathered in community around a fire and shared our voices in a joyful karaoke session. 

We marked our last day with a turn inwards, as we discussed the highlights of the weekend, growth points for RUX, and lessons to bring back to our communities. We said goodbye to our 2019 cohort members, for whom the Estill County Community Intensive Weekend was the final RUX weekend. Afterwards, thanks to the lovely weather, some members also swam in the Kentucky River and enjoyed the temperature!

We are so grateful to have spent another weekend immersed in Kentucky’s culture and beauty. To our Estill County host committee, weekend sponsors, and our consortium of host partners, thank you for supporting the opportunity to connect more deeply to Kentucky.

A big Thank You to our Estill County Partners, Host Committee, & Weekend Sponsors!

Estill County Host Partners:  Estill Development Alliance and Alight Marketing Agency; Estill County Host Committee 2020-22:  Jess Stevens (Host Coordinator), Joe Crawford, Yvonne Harrison, Ethan Moore, Mariel Gardner; Estill County RUX Sponsors:  Estill Development Alliance, Alight Marketing Agency, Estill County Historical and Genealogical Society, Hood to the Holler, Estill County Chamber of Commerce, Estill County Schools, Estill Action Group, and The Greater Clark Foundation.