RUX kicks off the 2025 Community Intensive Season in Campbellsville & Taylor Count

The 2025 cohort gathers for a group photo at Tim Horton Camp Kentahten in Taylor County. Photo Credit: Tyler McDaniel

50 Kentuckians from 25 counties visited Campbellsville & Taylor County the weekend of May 23 - 25, for the first Rural-Urban Exchange Community Intensive of 2025 - and RUX's second year visiting Campbellsville & Taylor County.

Campbellsville locals, led by Host Community Coordinator Jessie Harden-Calhoun, have been working for months to create a place-based conference that celebrates Campbellsville's assets and explores its complexities.  During their visit, the cohort learned about local efforts to support at-risk community members, safe places and safe people in Campbellsville, ecology along the Green River, and more.

RUX cohort members were housed throughout the weekend at Tim Horton Camp Kentahten on Green River Lake. Friday began with introductions and an orientation. The cohort met for the first time in Home Rooms, completed Individual Growth Mapping, and held Story Circles followed by a trip into Campbellsville for a Community Conversation featuring Mayor Dennis Benningfield, Janean Hall, Ayla Hargis, Lindsey Howard & more. This was followed by Bourbon, BBQ and Bluegrass on Court Street in Downtown Campbellsville with food from Brothers & Messy Bun and music from Hannah Coomer and Hannah & Matt DeSpain.

Cohort enjoys BBQ, Bluegrass and Belonging at Court Street. Photo credits Tyler McDaniel and Grace Rogers.

Saturday started off at Camp Kentahten with internal programming, including Abundant Futures and Network Theory, which was followed by a group trip to the Imani Center at First Baptist Church where the cohort enjoyed a Narrative Stage moderated by Sarah Schmitt of the Kentucky Arts Council. The Narrative Stage was a powerful conversation exploring safe spaces and safe people in Campbellsville and included local panelists Dalton Bennett and Latrelle Irvin among others. Lunch was provided by Fiesta Mexico.

We then visited the Tailwaters Recreation Area at Green River, where folks relaxed and explored, and RUX Intercultural Microgrant recipient Shaelyn Bishop had the opportunity to present on the River Reading Series she has developed over the last year with Richie Kessler.

Shaelyn Bishop reads to Cohort members at Tailwaters Recreation Area in Taylor County during 2025 Weekend Intensive. Cohort enjoys time along the Green River. Photo credits: Tyler McDaniel.

On Saturday night, the cohort had the option to “choose their own adventure,” with some cohort members returning to hang out in Downtown Campbellsville, visit local restaurants, attend a RUX open mic, hang out by the campfire and star-gaze at Camp Kentahten, or play card and board games with fellow cohort.

On Sunday morning, the cohort enjoyed a breakfast cooked by staff at Camp Kentahten and then dove into the internal leadership training program for the remainder of the morning. After, we enjoyed a beautiful lunch made by Kathy Harden and Maddie Hollingsworth.

Photos of Sunday’s activities by Tyler McDaniel.

We closed out the weekend shortly after with a good old-fashioned game of telephone and many hugs. The 2025 cohort will gather for a second Weekend Intensive in Morehead & Rowan County from July 18 -20.

Thank you, partners & sponsors!

This weekend would not have been possible without local partners and sponsors including The Ralph and Laura Tesseneer Community Grant housed at the Lake Area Foundation, Taylor County Tourist Commission, Eric Hurtgen Studios, Renee Dobson Realty, Oh Baby! Ultrasounds, Park Ranger Andrea Davis & the Green River Lake U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office, Harden Coffee, Brothers, The Messy Bun, and Fiesta Mexico. Additionally, our core partners, Art of the Rural, Appalshop, the W.L. Lyons Brown Foundation, the Kentucky Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts are instrumental in making this work possible.