Darren Doyle, story:
The Edmonson County Family Resource/Youth Services Center is sponsoring a free event called The Down on the Farm Early Childhood Fair.

This free community event is scheduled for Thursday, May 19th from 5PM-7PM, and is a walk-through, open house-type event to better accommodate families.

The main event is set to be held in the Edmonson County Public Library parking lot with additional info inside.

"This event is for families and children ages birth to 4 years," said Alicia Edwards, FRC Coordinator for Kyrock and SEES. "We will have vendors with developmental information, free readiness kits, crafts, activities, live farm animals, a tractor, and lots of goodies for the children."

To ensure enough kits, snacks and crafts, the FRYSC would love for families to fill out this short survey at the link below, however, it's not required for attendance, Edwards said.

https://signup.com/go/FHYTVte

Anthony and Pamela Madison married May 13, 1972.

They have two children, Autumn and Trevor, three granddaughters, Lexi, Haley and Briley, one grandson, Tyler, and one great granddaughter, Audrey.

Anthony and Pam own Madison's Flowers and Reside in Brownsville.

Edmonson Voice Report:
On Monday, the Edmonson County 5/6 Center kicked off testing week with an awards program for students who scored proficient and/or distinguished on KPREP testing during the 2021-2022 school year.  Parents of those students were invited to the 5/6 Center so they could watch their child receive their award in front of the whole school. 

Principal Chad Johnston expressed his enthusiasm about the ceremony. "We were excited to provide parents, students, and teachers with an opportunity to be together to kickoff our state testing this week," Johnston said. "It was great to see parents and students in the building together so we could all celebrate our student achievements.  We are proud of all our students and want to thank the parents for their continued support of Edmonson County Schools."

The Edmonson County 5/6 Center also recognized Samantha Ulm for being the only student to score distinguished in the three tested areas of math, reading, and science for 4th grade while she was a student at South Edmonson Elementary. 

Darren Doyle, story:
Traffic was jammed up a little bit this morning at Edmonson County High School but it was for a fun cause.

ECHS brought back a "Drive Your Tractor To School Day," which allowed students with access to a tractor to drive it to school and park in the back of the parking lot this morning.

ECHS Principal Jonathan Williams said it was a very unique event that students enjoyed and was sponsored by Jacob's Home Furnishings.

"We appreciate Jacob's Home Furnishings sponsoring today's event," he said. "We hope to have it next year and have more tractors being driven. This is just another fun thing we can try to do for our kids, and it was neat to watch them drive up and park this morning."

Jeff Jacobs, owner of Jacob's Home Furnishings said there was a pretty good turnout of tractors and he agreed that the students enjoyed the day.

The local store gave away three $100 VISA gift cards for three different categories.

The winners were Haydn Burrell (biggest tractor), Dustin Davis (oldest tractor), and Garrett Rigdon (cleanest tractor).

"We’re hoping this becomes an annual event like it was years ago during national FFA week," said Jacobs.

Editor's note: While we first understood this was the first time the school has had this event, others told us since the article was published that Edmonson County had this many years ago. Several locals are hoping the return of this event will stay.

The Big Brownsville Bash has been set for June 2nd-4th and we are proud to be part of it. The three-day event is sponsored by Rafferty's, Patton Funeral Home, Bank of Edmonson County, A Plus Family Healthcare, The Edmonson County Tourism Commission, and Alford's Pharmacy.

Several other chamber members are getting involved and the schedule is packed with plenty of activities for everyone.

Click the flyer to visit the Chamber's website with all the events and activities.

Edmonson Voice Staff Report:
South Edmonson 4-H students competed in the Mammoth Cave Area written and public speaking communications contests last night at Bowling Green Junior High School. 

This process began at South Edmonson 4-H's school level showcase, where 43 students competed in both demonstration and speeches at the club level. Students then moved on to compete at the district level at Edmonson County Extension Office, where the winners advanced to the Mammoth Cave Area competition. Students competed in the junior category, which ranged in ages from 9-13. 

Competing at the county level competition were Jesse Denham, Harper Leedy, Parin Patel, Lincoln Hughes, Harper Davis, Baylee Wilkerson, Jaxon Minyard, Daphne Bolton, Annalee Vincent, and Ava Kepple.

The following students placed in the area competition. 

Harper Davis, Purple Ribbon, Grand Champion Speech. Harper will go on to continue at the state level in Lexington, Kentucky.

Jesse Denham, Blue Ribbon, Songwriting
Harper Davis, Blue Ribbon, Essay
Sophia Prunty, Blue Ribbon, Poetry

Lincoln Hughes, Blue Ribbon, 2nd Place, Science Demonstration
Daphne Bolton and Jaxon Minyard, Blue Ribbon, 3rd Place, Team Demonstration
Baylee Wilkerson, Red Ribbon, 2nd Place, Speech

"These students made our community, school, and club so very proud," said SEES Counselor Shannon Lowe. "4-H is a partnership with our extension office and we are so glad that we can provide opportunities for our youth in Edmonson County."

From Barren River District Health Department:
With the start of summer right around the corner, the Barren River District Health Department (BRDHD) has joined with the Sea Tow Foundation – a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and promotion of safe boating practices – to celebrate National Safe Boating Week, a focused, week-long event designed to bring awareness to boating safety prior to the start of the busy summer boating season.

“Boating is an activity that millions of Americans enjoy every year and BRDHD wants to remind boaters everywhere about the importance of staying safe when heading out on the Barren River and surrounding waterways," said Jeanna Phelps of BRDHD.

This year, National Safe Boating Week is celebrated May 21-27. The Sea Tow Foundation has compiled daily boating safety tips that BRDHD will be sharing with boaters in-person throughout the summer at community events, as well as on Facebook @BarrenRiverDistrict.

“One of the important boating safety tips that we will be sharing during National Safe Boating Week and throughout the upcoming boating season encourages boaters to always designate a Sober Skipper before heading out on the water to eliminate Boating Under the Influence incidents on the water,“ said Phelps. “BUI is illegal in every state and having a Sober Skipper is a great way to ensure that all boaters have a safe and enjoyable time on the water, each and every trip.” For a full listing of the Sea Tow Foundation’s National Safe Boating Week daily tips and blog posts, visit the Sea Tow Foundation’s website at www.boatingsafety.com or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @SeaTowFoundation and on Twitter at @SeaTowFdn.

ABOUT SEA TOW FOUNDATION
With a vision of a world where boaters are safe and responsible, the Sea Tow Foundation – a nationwide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization - was established in 2007. Through the Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program, which prevents drowning, more than 83,000 life jackets are available to borrow and return free of charge at over 950 life jacket loaner stations located across the United States. The Sea Tow Foundation’s Sober Skipper Campaign aims to eliminate boating under the influence accidents by encouraging boaters to be or designate a sober skipper before each boating trip. And the Foundation’s Boating Safety Advisory Council presents the National Boating Industry Safety Awards annually to for-profit boating businesses who promote and advocate for safe boating. For more information on the Sea Tow Foundation, please visit boatingsafety.com.