Stay Gold, Kentucky!
We are still overwhelmed with joy and gratitude from last month's kickoff to celebrate 10-years of RUX. The Golden Thread was filled with memories of all the people and places that have shaped RUX since 2014. From Whitesburg to Louisville, Harlan County to Paducah, Bowling Green to Covington, Owensboro to Estill County, and all the roads and rivers in between, we have a lot to look back on - and a lot to look forward to, thanks to you!
We hope you'll enjoy this new video that shares the magic of RUX's first decade from the voices of our members and alumni.
By supporting RUX you devote yourself to bringing more Kentuckians into the kind of unlikely relationships that have the power to change Kentucky’s course.
As we begin our next decade, we are so thankful to everyone who has strengthened, deepened, and shared the Rural-Urban Exchange. You can join the movement by giving today.
Scroll On To Enjoy a Photo Recap!
With emcee Kareem Simpson, we enjoyed hearing from some of Kentucky's brightest performers and thought leaders.
The Golden Hour was filled with music by the Good River String Band. Once the sun set, Affrilachian Poets Asha French and Jeremy Paden opened our Long Conversation, and rising star S.G. Goodman closed the evening.
The Long Conversation had us envisioning Kentucky’s shared future, and featured conversations between:
Secretary of State Michael Adams,
Savannah Barrett (RUX; Art of the Rural),
Charles Booker (Hood to the Holler),
Baylen Campbell (Invest Appalachia),
Hannah Edelen (Kentucky Youth Advocates),
Alex Gibson (Appalshop),
Brittney Hernandez-Stevenson (Muhlenberg NAACP),
Christine Thompson (Livingston County School Board).
We heard from RUX alumni and committee members, including:
Joe Berry (Public Life Foundation of Owensboro),
Ivy Brashear (Writer),
Bernard Clay (Affrilachian Poet),
Nick Covault (Kentucky Performing Arts),
Sarah Schmitt (Kentucky Arts Council),
Jessica (Jess) Stevens (Alight Marketing Agency; Estill Development Alliance),
Richard Young (CivicLex).
We shared a family-style meal curated by Chef Susan Hershberg (Wiltshire) and Jenny Williams (Hazard), introduced by Jenny and Cassia Herron (Louisville Association for Community Economics).
This Kentucky Harvest dinner was made possible by our culinary partners: Wiltshire Pantry, Freedom Run Farm, Maker’s Mark, Marksbury Farm, Pure Pollen Flowers, Rootbound Farm, What Chef's Want, West Sixth Brewing.
Thank you to our sponsors for their support in making this evening happen:
Contributing Sponsors: Owensboro Health, Stephen Reily & Emily Bingham
In-Kind Sponsors: Above listed culinary partners, Waterfront Botanical Gardens, and The Myriad Hotel
Supporting Sponsors: Oldfather Law Firm, Highland Baptist Church
Promoting Sponsors: Alight Marketing Agency, Beargrass Thunder, Kentucky Foundation for Women, Nick Covault & Michael Hill, Deputy Mayor of Louisville Nicole George, and a donation made in Loving Memory of Tracy Hammonds & Charles M. Schmitt
Thank you as well to our Honorary Co-Chairs, including Joe Berry, Jim Guthrie, and S. Brandon Coan, for their continued support and dedication to RUX and Kentucky as a whole.
Last but certainly not least, thank you to the RUX Steering Committee and The Golden Thread team for all the time and passion they put into every detail of the evening, including event chairs Michaela Miles and Robert Kahne, with Olivia Spradlin, Tyler McDaniel, Michael George, Taylor Killough Williams, Jess Stevens, and Azucena Trejo Williams.
Click here to view more great photos from the event.
We thank you for being part of this movement. Here’s to another decade of RUX!