Edmonson Voice Report:
Edmonson County student Daphne Bolton was among the nine students selected from across the state to display their agriculture science projects at this week’s Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) annual meeting in Louisville.
 
Bolton, a sixth-grade student at Edmonson County 5/6 Center, displayed the project “How to Cure a Country Ham.”    
 
Bolton was awarded $125.00 and a certificate of recognition for participating at the state level.
 
The Science in Agriculture program was developed by KFB to encourage teachers to incorporate agricultural themes into their classroom instruction. Projects are evaluated on categories such as creativity, skill, clarity and thoroughness, agricultural accuracy and scientific thought.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
Peoples Bank celebrated with employees and community members at a ribbon cutting today, sponsored in part by the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce.

On May 1, 2023, Peoples Bancorp announced that it had completed its acquisition of Limestone Bancorp, Inc. effective as of April 30, 2023. Peoples Bank now has 45 locations in the Commonwealth. While the change in Brownsville was made a couple months back, today was their grand reopening celebration with a food truck, snacks, and a special presentation.

Peoples Bank also made a surprise $1,000 donation to the Edmonson County Senior Food Pantry to coordinator Vickie Walker. Walker was shocked when she saw the check and was immediately brought to tears.

"I don't know what to say," Walker said, wiping her face. "This means so much. Thank you to Peoples Bank and to the people of Edmonson County that help us."

Kevin Eagan, Chief Marketing Officer of Peoples Bank said that while all banks offer similar products and services, Peoples Bank focuses on the community, and of course, people.

"People is number one," he said. "Here we have the same four ladies working that have worked here for a long time. They're who the people of Edmonson County interact with. The other is a community commitment. We try to make a difference in communities by helping their local nonprofits like we did today with the Edmonson County Senior Food Pantry.  We also encourage our associates to donate their time to local nonprofits and we actually offer paid time off for folks to give those volunteer efforts."

Peoples Bank is a Bronze Partner of the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce.

"We are glad to help celebrate the ribbon cutting ceremony with Peoples Bank," said Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce President Darren Doyle. "We welcome them to our community and wish them well."

To find out more about Peoples Bank, call them locally at 270-597-2138 or visit pebo.com.

You can join the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce for as little as $75 per year. Visit edmonsonchamber.com for more.

Edmonson Voice Report:
Edmonson County Schools was a 2023 recipient of the Destiny Award for Workplace Safety for the 3rd time, and 2nd consecutive year in a row. This award is given to school districts with a low number of workplace accidents over the course of the year. Our experience mod is 0.65, which is among 7% of the highest achieving school districts in Kentucky. Workplace safety is everyone's responsibility, and it takes 100% of our employees taking this seriously.

"We have a very effective process in place for protecting our staff from accidents, and helping them get back to work as soon as safely possible," said Callie Beliles, Facilities and Safety Director of Edmonson County Schools. "I'd like to thank our Board of Education, KEMI, Charles M Moore insurance, and most importantly the administration and staff of Edmonson County Schools in helping achieve this award."

Edmonson Voice Report:
Eli Scott Adwell of the Rocky Hill community was named 2023 Youth Rider of the Year from the Tennessee Walking Horse Youth Breeders and Exhibitors.

According to a statement from a member of the Edmonson County Saddle Club, Eli earned this prestigious award for participating in horse shows, trail rides, and other activities with his walking horses throughout the year.

Eli is a 4th grader at South Edmonson Elementary and is a member of the Edmonson County Saddle Club and Edmonson County Pony Express Horse Club.

He is the son of Courtney and Kendall Adwell of Rocky Hill.

Edmonson Voice Report:
The Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce annual banquet and awards are scheduled for December 7, 2023 at the Hidden Homestead. Meet and greet will begin at 6PM with dinner served at 7PM.

Tickets are $25 each with partnership level members receiving a limited number of complimentary tickets. All comp tickets must be reserved by contacting the Chamber. Tickets are available online through the Chamber by clicking the above flyer.

The Chamber will present Business of the Year, Community Servant of the Year, and Citizen of the Year. A locally catered holiday-style meal will be provided with drinks and desserts. The dinner is available to everyone--you do not have to be a chamber member to attend.

For more, visit edmonsonchamber.com, call 270-597-4715, or email [email protected].

The annual Edmonson County Lions Club Christmas Parade is scheduled for this Saturday, November 25th at 6PM.

Parade participants are asked to begin lining up in the ECHS parking lot at 4PM on Saturday. This year's theme is "An Old Fashioned Christmas."

The Edmonson Voice is proud to broadcast a livestream of the parade with the Lions Club being this year's title sponsor. In addition, the stream is brought to you by Shauna Gravil, Realtor, SCRTC, and the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce. The stream will be available on the Voice Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.

Edmonson Voice Report:
MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky – Due to elevated fire danger, Mammoth Cave National Park officials have placed a burn restriction on all open fires in the park effective immediately. The restriction applies to the use of campfires in the park’s three front country campgrounds and in all back-country campsites and picnic areas. Gas camp stoves are permitted but should be watched closely during use. 
 
The fire restriction will be in place until the fire danger becomes less severe and fire weather conditions improve. The restriction is dependent on extended weather conditions, and will be evaluated daily. The restriction placed by the park corresponds with an Executive Order issued by Edmonson County, KY on Nov 15 that declared a ban on all open burning within Edmonson County. 
 
Visitors violating the fire ban within the park may be subject to citation under the authority of Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations 1.5(f). Visitors also are reminded to extinguish all cigarettes, cigars, and pipes and dispose of them in appropriate containers. 
www.nps.gov/maca


Mammoth Cave National Park encompasses 52,830 acres in south central Kentucky, commemorating the diverse geological, biological and historical features associated with the longest cave in the world. Learn more about the park at www.nps.gov/maca, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

 
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

by Katlyn Bullock, EC Public Library:
Christmas has arrived early at the Edmonson County Public Library, and we are so excited to share in the holiday spirit with our community! We have been busy little elves working to bring another family fun event in time for the holiday season.

On Saturday, November 18th between 10AM and 2PM, we are hosting a Christmas Bazaar for the community. Bring the kids by to get a photo with Santa, shop for Christmas gifts at our local vendor and young entrepreneur booths, enjoy our complimentary coffee and hot cocoa bar, visit the elves workshop to create handmade crafts, enjoy our cotton candy snow in our candy shoppe, and lastly don’t forget to write Santa a letter and drop it in our North Pole Mailing Station!

We are hoping to add to the magic of the season and help families create memories at their hometown library that will last a lifetime.

Here is some of the Christmas fun you can expect at the Christmas Bazaar:

• Photos with Santa, we have a beautiful backdrop ready and waiting.
• Write letters to Santa,  and Parents can do their Annual Parent-Santa Review. (These will be sent back to them from Santa's Office at the North Pole, along with a letter to their child from Santa!) 
  • Here is a link to download and print the letters beforehand, or you can write letters on the day of the Christmas Bazaar. We will have copies, pens, and envelopes available in the Board Room. However, if you can't make it to the Christmas Bazaar, you can drop off their letters in our North Pole Postal Box until Monday, December 11th!
    Santa Letter Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sTFOYZK91jvmMR7sgnoHk4fo687KytcL/view?usp=sharing
• Shop with Local Vendors and Youth Entrepreneurs
• Create Handmade Crafts at the Elves' Workshop
• Enjoy Complementary Coffee and Hot Cocoa Bar
• Enjoy Complementary Cotton Candy Snow
• This event is free to attend!

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
My family and I were headed to Bowling Green late this morning at 11:45AM when one of my daughters noticed what appeared to be a bald eagle resting on a tree branch on a farm just south of Dollar General in Chalybeate on KY HWY 101.

We turned around, pulled off on the shoulder of the road and confirmed the beauty you see here. This majestic bird was so stunning, I raced home, grabbed a good camera with a zoom lens and raced back, hoping that the eagle was still there.

We were in luck as he or she* was still there when I returned a few minutes later. I took about 30 photos of him (or her) and he definitely saw me, as he kept a close eye on what I was doing. It was only a moment later when he decided to take flight, which allowed me to get one more good photo of him in midair as he was soon gone toward the county line.

The eagle was photographed on the property of Steve and Kim Gibson of Chalybeate.

It is fitting that he made is appearance on this Veterans Day weekend. Thank you to all the veterans out there. The Edmonson Voice is very grateful for your service.

*Male and female bald eagles look the same except a female is generally much larger. It is difficult to tell the difference unless you are able to compare them with each other.

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• leather interior with wood trim
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Call or text the Edmonson Voice: 270-597-6550

Edmonson Voice Report:
Edmonson County High School will host the annual Veterans Day program tomorrow, Friday, November 10th in the gymnasium beginning at 9:30AM.  The State VFW commander, John Wingfield, will present awards to the top three competitors in the Voice Of Democracy contest.  VFW Post 6937 Commander Edwin Vincent will be the guest speaker.

Before the program, there will be a veterans breakfast at the school (enter through the gymnasium entrance) from 8:30AM to 9:30AM, and is sponsored by Bank of Edmonson County.

The DAV Auxiliary and Patton Funeral Home are sponsoring a complimentary Veterans Day luncheon for all veterans and their families immediately following the program at ECHS. The meal will be served at the Heritage Centre.

Edmonson Voice Report:
The Edmonson County Homemakers hosted the Mammoth Cave Area Annual Day Meeting at Tayvin Gardens on Thursday, October 19th. The event is hosted by a different county of the region each year, with the honor falling upon the Edmonson County Homemakers for 2023.

The event brought a large crowd to Edmonson County, which began with a welcome from MCA President, Marie Pitts.  Terri Webb, Edmonson County Homemaker President, greeted everyone and shared her excitement about the opportunity for Edmonson County to host the event for the first time.

"We have never had a venue large enough to host a meeting of this size," said Terri Webb. "There were county greetings from Edmonson County Judge Executive, Ronald Scott Lindsey, State Representative of the 19th District, Michael Meredith, and State Representative of the 20th District, Kevin Jackson."

Mrs. Webb said that after morning refreshments, the group enjoyed an Edmonson County historical presentation by Mr. Norman Warnell and Mr. Rick Carroll. 

"The local people and events discussed were quite interesting and everyone enjoyed it greatly," she said. "The business portion of the day included installation of new officers and chairpersons."

Terri Webb was named as the newly elected MCA Cultural Arts Chairperson.

"The delicious lunch of apple inspired goodies was prepared by The Linen Apron," added Webb. "Our guests were truly delighted with the meal, venue, and garden views.  During lunch, there was a fashion show featuring clothing from Creations by Tracy and Ashlee, Stacy’s on Main, and South Bound Boutique.  As an added surprise, many of the attendees went home with a gift from some of our awesome local businesses.  We tried really hard to show everyone what Edmonson County has to offer by showcasing our new boutiques, restaurants, event locations, and other businesses."

Webb made special note that the Edmonson County Homemakers would like to thank The Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce, the Bank of Edmonson County, Ken and Regina Byrd, Jacob’s Furniture, The Edmonson County Arts Council, Gary Force Honda, Honey Bee Bakery, Warnell’s Family Pharmacy and Soda Shoppe, Rocky Hill Inn, Mammoth Cave Transplants, Creekside Garden and Nursery, Stacy’s on Main, Creations by Tracy and Ashlee, South Bound Boutique, Art by Anna Sturgeon, Cee Bee Store, Green Zebra Tail, Sherrell and Mike Thompson, Sun Valley Feed Mill, Ace Hardware, Vanessa Ulm, Edmonson Drug, Sunshine Nails, Mis Amigos, Dollar General Stores of Brownsville and Chalybeate, Tayvin Gardens, The Linen Apron, Edmonson County Extension Office, Whittle’s Fabrics, Steve and Terri Webb, Ricky Skaggs, and especially all those that attended.

Edmonson Voice Report:
South Edmonson Elementary enjoyed a record-breaking year with their royalty event at the 2023 fall festival, according to counselor Shannon Lowe.

Winners from left to right: Princess Emmerson Raymer, Prince Kane Johnson, King Heath Sanders, and Queen Arieal McFelia. 

Back Row: Jocelyn Kemble and Sydney Blanton.

"South Edmonson would like to thank all community members and families who participated in making fall festival a success," Mrs. Lowe said.