Darren Doyle, story:
Santa's Helping Hands, Inc., has announced their annual shopping day will be held this Sunday, November 28th.

SHH board member Mark Wardlow is asking the community for their help at the event. Volunteers are asked to meet at Walmart on Morgantown Road in Bowling Green this Sunday at 3pm in the garden center.

"We need volunteer shoppers, so we encourage anyone that's available on Sunday afternoon to come out and help us," Wardlow said. "It helps so many Edmonson County families and it's a good reminder for us all that giving is more important than receiving."

This year's SHH Auction shattered all previous records for funds raised, with over $70,000 hauled in for the local charity.

Click the ad to apply directly:

Items Recommended:

• Peanut Butter & Jelly
• Pancake Mix & Syrup
• Powdered Milk
• Dry Beans
• Rice
• Pop Top Cans
• Spam & Canned Tuna
• Cereal
• Pasta & Sauce
• Canned Vegetables & Fruit
• Instant Potatoes
• Soup
• Oatmeal
• Ramen Noodles
• Mac & Cheese
• Paper Products
• Hygiene Products

Click the ad to visit the Kayaks & More Facebook Page:

Darren Doyle, story:
With the community already excited about the annual Edmonson County Lions Club Christmas Parade returning to Brownsville on November 27th, the U.S. Postal Service is working with the North Pole to make it even better for local kids.

Lions Club Parade Chairman A.B. Webb said that during the parade, postal workers will be walking through the parade route, collecting letters to Santa from the crowd and they will deliver them to Santa himself.

"Anybody that has a letter in an envelope to Santa can bring them to the parade," Webb said. "Workers from the post office will be walking through the crowd to take your letter. They will make sure Santa gets your letter and you will get a letter back from the North Pole."

Webb said the postal service will work hard to get to the crowd, and for parents and guardians to be sure kids do not run into the street. The postal workers will come to you.

"The post office requests a self-addressed, stamped envelope but everyone who has a letter for collection will get one returned, as long as their correct return address is on it."

The parade will start at 6PM from ECHS and make a loop through the city of Brownsville towards the courthouse square and back to the high school.

OPEN HOUSE: Please join realtor Julie Skaggs Reed this Sunday, November 21, 2021 for an open house at this beautiful 3 bed, 2 bath home on .85 acres in the Chalybeate community at 45 Rolling Way, Smiths Grove, KY, 42171.

The event will be from 3PM to 5PM. Please check out the full listing with pricing and photos by clicking here.

Friday, November 19, 2021:

South Edmonson Elementary School has announced the fourth grade Honor Roll student list for the first quarter of 2021-22.

All A:
London Alford, Madelyn Allen, Gabriel Baker, Daphne Bolton, Dayton Chidester, Allie Decker, Lexi Decker, Braxton Green, Ava Kepple, Emory Madison, Maddox Marple, Jace Phelps, Elijah Prewett, Sophia Prunty, Lynnley Taylor, Knox White
 
 
A/B
Elijah Bryant, Melissa Claix, Braxton Childress, Kamden Cox, Paislee Gammons, Payton Gipson, Tavey Glass, Haley Hill, Jocelyn Kemble, Aniah Langston, Coren Miceli, Nicholas Miles, Jaxon Minyard, Parin Patel, Rylee Pinet, Jesse Ramsey, Landon Saunders, Bryleigh Self, Joshua Stout, Annalee Vincent, Elijah Walden, Baylee Wilkerson, Lyla Wilson

Edmonson Voice Report:
Ms. Paige Wolfe, a senior at Edmonson County High School, was named the recipient of the 2021 Edmonson County Arts Council annual scholarship.

Ricky Skaggs, a founding member of the Arts Council, awarded Wolfe with a $1,000 check after the recent dinner theater performance of "Christmas in Juneberry" at the ECHS auditorium.

Skaggs said he was thankful that the council had been able to award the scholarship for the eighth consecutive year and for the character of the students that had been named winners.

"Not only do they have fantastic grades, not only are they good students, but every one of them have been fantastic, moral people," he said. "That's worth a whole lot more than the grades and being an athlete. That goes to show how they were raised by their parents, and we're so proud of that."

In addition to the scholarship, the Arts Council is an annual contributor to several local causes, including the Affordable Christmas Program.

Wolfe is a senior member of ECHS Lady Cat basketball, ECHS Golf, and serves in various clubs and organizations at ECHS.

She is the daughter of Crystal and David Wolfe of Smiths Grove.

submitted photo:

Throughout the month of November, Girl Scout Troop #313 will be collecting non-perishable food items to give to the Edmonson County Family Resource Center to help supplement the Backpack Program. 100% of the donations stay in Edmonson County. Please bring your food donations to any member of Girl Scout Troop #313,  or to Chalybeate, Wingfield, or Kyrock Fire Department.  

Please contact Melissa Johnson, Troop Leader, at 270-597-7494 with any questions about drop off locations.  

Click the ad for more photos and info:

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Edmonson County High School welcomed dozens of businesses back to set up tables and booths for the 2021 ECHS Career Fair. The event was sponsored by the Edmonson County of Chamber of Commerce.

ECHS JAG (Jobs for America's Graduates) teacher Kyle Pierce said the school was very excited to have the event back in the gym.

"My job is to try to get as many career opportunities in front of our kids as I can so I reached out to Greg Hudson at the Chamber of Commerce back in mid-October and asked him how we could get a career or job fair back to the high school since it had been a while since we were able to do this," said Pierce. "Greg did a great job with our local businesses and I had some good connections through athletics and our school, and the combination resulted in a great turnout for today's event."

Pierce said the event gives students knowledge not only about a multitude of careers, but also careers with local faces with good connections with the kids.

"I look around and see some of our kids that might be more reserved finding interest in different careers and they're really interacting in positive ways," he said. "Others have made their way around a couple of times and are checking everything out. Hopefully, we can do this again next year and promote the event even sooner for an event that continues to grow."

Chamber of Commerce Director Hudson said he was pleased to help coordinate the event.

"These are exactly the types of events that the Chamber wants to see in our community," he said. "It's great networking for our local businesses, it's helps our strong relationships with our schools, and it gives the kids insight into careers available in our area. This is just one of the many ways your local Chamber is working here in Edmonson County."

(Note: The Edmonson Voice was asked to participate in today's event; however, we were unable to set up a booth today due to a very busy Wednesday with all our staff members either working in the field or the office.)

Jeffery Smith Flener was born Tuesday, November 2, 2021 at Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center.

He weighed 8 lbs and 6.9 oz and was 21 inches long.

Jeffery is the son of Jeff and Ashley Flener of Sweeden, and the brother of Abigail Jayne and Emma June Flener.

This is a free service from the Edmonson Voice. 

Come out to Chalybeate Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday,  November 20th from 11 am to 4 pm to celebrate Christmas in Chalybeate. Twenty vendors will be onsite. A perfect day for the whole family. There will be lots opportunities for shopping, food from Patriot BBQ, and pictures with Santa.

Darren Doyie, story and photos:
It was another record-breaking year for Santa's Helping Hands, INC., the Edmonson County charity that distributes Christmas gifts and necessities for local children and seniors in need.

This year's benefit auction saw all records shattered for funds raised with $70,000 at Saturday's event.

Event coordinator and charity board member Mark Wardlow was humbled by the success of the 2021 auction.

"We were hoping for a huge auction this year after having a smaller attendance and a smaller auction last year while dealing with COVID," he said. "We had no idea it would lead to an auction that has shattered
all of our previous records."

Last year's total ($44K) was shy of the previous record set in 2019 of $50,000, which was more than double the $24K raised at the 2016 auction.

Wardlow said SHH saw an outpouring of donations this year and a record crowd for the auction at ECHS.

"Just like the last 16 years, Ricky Keith & Jake Keith were our auctioneers and Hunter Ashley has assisted us the last couple of years. You can always count on a good time with a lot of laughs with these guys. With the assistance of the ECHS boy basketball team we unloaded all our items Friday night in the ECHS gym."

The annual event was moved from the Community Center to ECHS last year to better accommodate a crowd in the midst of the pandemic, thanks to Principal Jonathan Williams and Superintendent Brian Alexander, Wardlow said.

"This has been a huge advantage for this charity since it gives us much more room for parking, seating, and room to display auction items. We are very appreciative of this. I also want to extend a huge thank you to the volunteers who selflessly give their time year after year. SHH is truly a team made up of wonderful people that love their community."

Wardlow said he didn't want to start listing specific businesses or individuals who support the charity and auction for fear of leaving someone out, which is a good problem to have when the list of supporters continues to grow each year.

"They know who they are. So many have supported us for years and we're always adding more to the list. Our community came thru this year with a huge crowd and many bidders who really opened up their wallets. We had more items to bid on this year, thanks to the increase in donations."

He also said that the record year will allow the organization to lend their "helping hands" not only through the holidays, but also for multiple causes throughout the year.

"We are very thankful and excited to share that this year we raised over $70,000 to spend in this county. This is such a blessing for all of us because we are not just a Christmas charity any longer. For the last several years we have assisted several families in need, whether it involves a family sickness, house fire, food, beds, etc. Thank you for continuing to make this a huge success."

The charity also drew the winners for multiple gun raffles that have been ongoing for several months that included Dawn Fox, the winner of a Beretta Silver Pigeon, and Ace Borie, who won the matching pair of Taurus G2C pistols.

"Thank you everyone who also supported our charity through the purchase of raffle tickets. There is no way this charity could have grown to where it is now without the support of our wonderful community. We all feel Edmonson County is a very special place."

The charity also offers other raffles throughout the year and an annual golf scramble that continues to grow.

To find out more about Santa's Helping Hands, or how you can assist with their mission and projects, please visit their Facebook Page or call Mark Wardlow at 270-991-2972.

Darren Doyle, story ad photos:
The Bourbon Barrel Brothers are at it again; this time bigger, better, and bolder.

Cody and Jon Vincent, along with their father, A.J. Vincent, and stepmother, Jan Vincent, were lugging, rolling, lifting, and maneuvering their bourbon barrels into place for the return of their hugely popular bourbon barrel Christmas tree, which could be seen a mile away last year.

The brothers' barrel business has kept them busy throughout the year, as they sell the empty barrels and barrel parts, but the response from last year's tree was so big, they figured this year not only needed another tree, but also one that was bigger.

"We looked into breaking the world record, but we just couldn't get that done this year," said Cody. "We've got it started at about 26 foot in diameter at the bottom and we figure it'll be about 30 to 33 foot tall when we get it finished."

That will be taller than last year's 26ft structure, which drew thousands to the junction of Chalybeate Rd and HWY 3611 (old Chalybeate loop). The actual address is 2326 Chalybeate Road, Smiths Grove, KY 42171.

The family is planning to continue work on the barrels this week and hopefully have the official lighting Saturday, November 13th around dark.

Not only is the impressive structure beautiful with or without lights, the family is hoping to raise even more money for Edmonson County's Affordable Christmas Program. Last year, Cody and Jon decided not to charge any fees for those stopping to get a better view, or who wanted photos at the giant tree, but offered a box where folks could make a freewill donation, with all proceeds going to ECAC. The program is administered through the Edmonson County Schools' Family Resource Centers and allows families in need to purchase gifts for their families at heavily discounted rates.

Last year, the barrel tree event helped raise over $2000 in cash and toys, which was enough to take care of about a dozen kids that might not have had a Christmas otherwise.

"We've got the same barrel that was on top last year with the angel ready to go again this year," Cody said. "We just want to do something good for the community and invite everyone out to our lighting next Saturday if everything goes good."

The barrels will be available for purchase after the Christmas season.

To find out more about the family business, you can visit their Facebook Page here or or call Cody at 270-246-2423, or Jon, 270-246-0819.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
What has normally been a Christmas Bizarre this time of year was reorganized not long ago by the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce, according to Chamber Director Greg Hudson.

"This event is normally organized by our local Homemakers, but with COVID still around, they were unable to do that this year," he said. "Since there was still plenty of interest in having a craft and vendor event this time of year, the Chamber decided it would be in the community's best interest for us to have it."

Hudson said there were 30 vendors and a steady crowd from the time the event started this morning at 10AM.

The event was held at the Edmonson County Community Center. The local Chamber of Commerce hosts several similar events throughout the year.

Edmonson Voice Report:
In a continued partnership with Edmonson County Schools, the Edmonson Voice is proud to bring a new feature; "Wildcats of the Month."

Students are chosen by staff at ECHS each month. Students can be selected by being leaders, showing significant progress in class, or for going out of their way to help others.

Congratulations to Emma Lashley (11th grade) and Bryer Brooks (9th grade) for being named Wildcats of the Month in October 2021.

Edmonson Voice Staff Report:
The 17th annual Santa's Helping Hands Benefit Auction is scheduled to take place at Edmonson County High School on November 6, 2021 at 12PM.

All proceeds will go to benefit Edmonson County kids and seniors in need for the Christmas season.

The event is sponsored in part by: A Plus Family Healthcare, Alford's Pharmacy, The Edmonson Voice, Bank of Edmonson County, Rafferty's, Jacob's Home Furnishings, and Gerald Print.

by Senator Steve Meredith:
The fall season has arrived in the Bluegrass, and families are beginning to turn their attention toward the Thanksgiving holiday. In Frankfort, the 2021 Interim is nearing its end as lawmakers are eager to enjoy treasured time with their families this holiday season ahead of our return to the state Capitol on Tuesday, January 4, for the start of the 2022 legislative session.

With Thanksgiving and the most wonderful time of the year on the horizon, let us not forget one of America’s most valued holidays: Veterans Day.
 
I can think of no better national holiday to celebrate and unite our people during challenging times. As another tumultuous year comes to a close, we all share an even greater appreciation for the freedoms and liberties our military heroes have fought and died to defend.
 
In 1919, in recognition of the end of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 to be Armistice Day. President Wilson stated that the day would be “filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory.” Armistice Day did not become a legal holiday until Congress officially ratified it in 1938. In 1954, after the United States participated in more armed conflict in World War II and Korea, Congress changed the name to Veterans Day to honor American veterans of all wars.
 
On November 11, we celebrate this holiday with many businesses across the country closing in observance of the hardships our nation’s finest have endured. While many of you will surely enjoy the day off from work, I would encourage you to take a moment to reflect upon the efforts of our men and women in uniform, both past and present.

In closing, I have been invited to speak at a dedication ceremony for the new Clarkson Veteran’s Memorial. The memorial will be at Clarkson City Park, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, November 11. This noble effort has been led by Leitchfield Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12175 and was approved by the Clarkson City Commission. I thank everyone involved for making this project a reality and invite you to join me at the ceremony. 

However you choose to honor our heroes this Veterans Day, do so safely, but never take for granted the special liberties our veterans sacrificed so much for.
 
We are blessed to live in the greatest nation on earth.
 

Darren Doyle, story: Moriah Peterson, photo:
The annual Edmonson County Lions Club Christmas Parade will return to Brownsville after being cancelled last year as a result of the COVID pandemic.

The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 27, 2021 and will begin at 6pm.

This year's theme is: "Jesus, the Greatest Gift of All."

Participants can begin lining up at Edmonson County High School at 4:30PM.

For more information, contact A.B. Webb at 270-597-6623.