Kentucky
Worth the Drive: East Kentucky museum preserves the legacy of country music legends
Country music is a way of life for many in Kentucky, and one Eastern Kentucky museum embodies the spirit of the music and Bluegrass State musicians like none other.
In Paintsville, the county seat of Johnson County in far-east Kentucky, the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum highlights the lives and careers of dozens of Kentucky-born stars whose contributions to the country music genre landed them a spot on the Country Music Highway — a stretch of U.S. 23 that winds through Kentucky and is designated as a national scenic byway.
Paintsville is located at the “heart” of the Country Music Highway, making it an apt location for the museum, said Jeremiah Parsons, executive director for Paintsville Tourism, which operates the museum.
“The museum was opened in April of 2005 as a way to encapsulate and forever enshrine those country music artists from the Country Music Highway,” Parsons said. “It’s a way to show the legacy and to continue on their music.”
How the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum honors musicians
The U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum has no shortage of artists from the areas surrounding the highway to honor.
“We have more country music artists per capita than anywhere else in the world from this section of highway,” Parsons said.
The museum includes items from the careers of star musicians like Chris Stapleton, Loretta Lynn, Billy Ray Cyrus and many more. All items on display are donated by the artists or their families to ensure authenticity, Parsons said.
A few standout items include Stapleton’s boots, Lynn’s guitars, Tom T. Hall’s upright bass and Ricky Skaggs’ family photos.
While not every artist recognized along the Country Music Highway is represented in the museum, Parsons hopes to change that. The museum has reached its space capacity but is hoping to expand in the coming years to allow space for artists without exhibits, Parsons said.
“The Country Music Highway is very dynamic. We always have rising stars,” he said. “We want to give them their proper space, as well.”
What else to know about the U.S. 23 Country Music Highway Museum
Throughout the year on Thursdays, the museum hosts “Front Porch Pickin’” events where musicians can play for a live crowd.
Admission to the museum is $5, which includes the weekly jam sessions for those who come on Thursday evenings.
For Parsons, commemorating country music in Eastern Kentucky bigger than saluting individuals — it’s about paying homage to the Appalachian region and its people.
“It’s an awesome responsibility because you’ve got a lot that you have to manage,” Parsons said. “It’s also a burden, because you’re making sure that you continue to tell the story of the mountains, of the people and of the legacy of these artists.”
Contact reporter Killian Baarlaer at kbaarlaer@gannett.com or @bkillian72 on X.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) — It was a rivalry renewed as Kentucky’s alumni basketball team hung on to take down Louisville’s alumni team, The Ville, in Game 1 of a best-of-three series, 71-68.
The Ville came out hot, grabbing a 21-17 lead before La Familia got going, thanks to non-alumni member Sean McNeil and UK legend Andrew Harrison, who helped lead a 24-point second period and take a 41-33 halftime lead.
La Familia extended its lead to as many as 17 points in the third quarter before The Ville managed to go on a 13-0 run to make it a four-point game going into the Elam Ending.
With a target score set at 71, both teams needed one more basket with La Familia leading 70-68. After some key defensive stops, Kentucky sealed the win with a clutch inbound play from Khalil Whitney to Darryl Morsell for the game-winning dunk.
Morsell led all scorers with 17 points while adding five rebounds and three assists. Andrew Harrison chipped in 14 points, Sean McNeil scored 12 off the bench, and Chris Coffey grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
“It’s defense, rebounding and paint touches. I mean, everything else takes care of itself.
I mean, it’s a bunch of effort as well. We know what they’re going to run. We know how they’re going to guard it. It’s you have one day. I’m a former. I’m a former small college coach. You can’t change everything in a day. So they know what we’re going to do. We know what they’re going to do, and it’s going to be nothing that I can draw up or the coaching staff can scheme. The players win games. They went out and won it; that’s all it was,” La Familia head coach Jon Hood said.
La Familia will travel to Louisville to take on The Ville inside of Freedom Hall on Monday at 7 p.m. for Game 2 of the series.
FREEBURN, Ky. (WCHS) — A two-vehicle crash injured one person on Friday morning in Pike County, Ky., troopers said.
The crash was reported around 10:15 a.m. on State Highway 194 East in the Freeburn area of the county, according to a press release from Kentucky State Police.
Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicates that a pickup truck was heading eastbound on State Highway 194 when it rear-ended a tractor-trailer that was stopped due to construction on the road.
The driver of the pickup truck was airlifted to a trauma center to treat injuries, according to troopers. Troopers did not reveal whether or not the tractor-trailer driver suffered injuries.
The release said the crash remains under investigation.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) – The former senior advisor to Gov. Andy Beshear has been appointed to the Kentucky State Fair Board.
Rocky Adkins was among three appointees announced on Friday.
The other two are Brent Tolle of Taylorsville and Jimmy England of Hardyville.
The former state representative from Catlettsburg stepped down from his role in the Beshear administration on July 10 and has a major announcement scheduled for July 21.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE
- Rocky Adkins leaves Gov. Beshear’s administration
His term on the fair board will run until June 28, 2029.
Tolle and England’s terms will expire on July 16, 2028.
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