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.
KENTUCKY (WKYT) – President Donald Trump’s endorsements of several Kentucky candidates have drawn attention to Tuesday’s U.S. Senate and House primary races, with political experts and party officials weighing in on the potential impact on voters.
Trump has been vocal on social media and in interviews about who should represent Kentucky in Washington.
“Something like an endorsement from President Trump or good coverage in partisan media can make the difference,” said Dr. Stephen Voss, a specialist in elections and voting behavior at the University of Kentucky.
Voss said presidential endorsements, especially from Trump, can easily sway a close election. He said the average voter is looking for a shortcut on who to push forward in the primary.
“Party identification drives how a lot of people vote, but in a party primary, that doesn’t help,” Voss said. “Voters in Kentucky that are republican are choosing republican politicians; voters need shortcuts so they can get their homework done, pick a candidate and move on. A Donald Trump endorsement for a lot of voters is the guideline they’d use to determine how to vote.”
Questions still remain surrounding Trump’s decisions to speak against certain candidates who have disagreed with him, including U.S. Representative Thomas Massie. The president endorsed Massie’s opponent, Ed Gallrein.
Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge called it petty politics.
“Who we send to congress, who’s in the United States Senate — they affect people’s real lives and Donald Trump really is detached from the lives of the Emerican people and people right here in Kentucky,” Elridge said.
Adam Hope with the Republican Party of Kentucky said while the party cannot show favoritism, they support Trump’s decisions.
“Our president is definitely endorsing some candidates he feels like are gonna get the job done and advance his agenda in the best way he sees fit,” Hope said.
Hope said while these endorsements may not necessarily bring more people to the polls, they will get more people’s attention as to why primary races are important.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Gov. Andy Beshear signed a proclamation on May 5. It officially marks May 11-17 as Period Poverty Awareness Week in Kentucky.
According to a fact sheet from Alliance for Period Supplies, one in five women and girls in Kentucky between the ages of 12 and 44 live below the federal poverty level. Nationwide, two out of five people who get periods struggle to afford period products.
Skylar Davis founded Period Y’all in 2022. Since then, the organization has been fighting to end period poverty in the Commonwealth. Davis said the group has installed free menstrual product pantries in seven Kentucky counties.
That includes Letcher, Madison, Garrard, Jessamine, McCracken, Jefferson, and Washington County.
Davis said recent cost increases have left many with a difficult choice.
“Choosing between period products and feeding their kids,” Davis said.
Davis said many have had to skip work or school because of a lack of resources.
But through her organization’s work, she’s able to make a change.
This week alone, they were able to give out more than 19,000 free period products.
“Anything that we can do to raise awareness about this experience and help alleviate this is monumental,” Davis said.
Emily Yonter, creator of the more than 60,000 member Ladies of Lexington Facebook page, has noticed the problem too.
“We get tons of requests, pretty much daily, of women in the area needing period products,” Yonter said.
That’s why she and other members of the group launched “The Pink Box” last week on West Sixth Street downtown, right across from Coolavin Park.
Yonter said it’s simple to use. Anyone can open the door, take what they need and leave what they can.
“It’s time to start being more direct and be more hands on with the community,” Yonter said.
“We’re just really grateful that the community wanted to help us make it happen and that so many women in ladies of lex donated,” Yonter said.
Both groups rely on the community to keep these pantries stocked and they hope to open more pantries in Kentucky.
Ladies of Lexington is accepting monetary and supply donations. They also are now selling merchandise, and that money will go towards buying period products.
Period Y’all has an Amazon Wishlist and monetary donation link for anybody who’d like to donate.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
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