Library Corner, By Jeanie Munsee:
 
We are happy to announce that the Library has “Little Free Libraries” placed in different locations in our county.  We have two that were provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  One of these is located at the Lodge at Mammoth Cave and the other at Bee Springs Post Office. 

Another “Little Library” has been placed at the Corner Market in Round Hill.  The fourth one is to be placed at Byrd’s Center in Chalybeate.  We also have free books at Sahetya Medical and the Rocky Hill Post Office.  They are filled with books from donations and Half Price Book Store.  If you have a book you have read, and would like to pass it on to someone else, please feel free to add it to the “Little Free Libraries”.

The Library will be closed December 30th to January 2nd for the holiday.  We wish every one a very “Happy New Year”!  Please stay safe and warm!  See you next year!!

Darren Doyle, story and photo:
One local man's Christmas got a little brighter a couple weeks ago after he had someone settle an outstanding bill that was over four decades old.

Chalybeate resident Carlton Skaggs, (84), who owned and operated Parker Hardware on the square in Brownsville from 1977 to 1986, said he received a strange phone call a couple weeks ago from a man that said he needed to pay an outstanding bill.

"I told him that I didn't know him and that all those books had been thrown away," Skaggs said. "I told him he didn't owe me nothing. I really thought it was just somebody playing a joke."

He said not long after the phone call, a man showed up at his residence and said he was there to pay the outstanding bill.

"I didn't recognize the man and still didn't know who he was after he told me his name," (Skaggs asked us not to mention his name). "He said he bought a chainsaw from me back years ago but he needed about a month to pay for it and that I told him I'd give him a month. I told the guy that I didn't remember any of that and that he didn't owe me anything because all those books and the bills were long gone. I told him he'd made a mistake but that's when he reached in his pocket and pulled out the invoice that was sent to him in July of 1978. He had the Parker Hardware invoice for a chainsaw for $110 with $24 interest added to it."

Skaggs said the man said he couldn't pay the bill when it was due and he kept putting it off, later and later. He said before he knew it, decades had passed but he never forgot about it.

"He just apologized and apologized and said it had bothered him all these years," Skaggs said. "He told me he wasn't leaving until he paid that bill. Not just that, but he wanted to pay the interest over all those years. I just kept telling him don't worry about it and he didn't owe me anything but he wouldn't have it."

Skaggs said the man was insistent on paying the bill, plus interest, and he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I told him if it meant that much, just pay the $110 and we'd call it square. He pulled out five 20s and a ten, handed me the invoice and asked me to mark it paid. I did and handed it back to him. He cried a little and I did, too. We hugged each other and he left."

Skaggs said it was good to see someone want to do the right thing, although he had forgotten all about it.

Skaggs bought Parker Hardware from the late Vollie and Evelyn Parker in January of 1977. It was located on the corner of Main Cross Street and Washington Street. It is now the corner parking lot of Limestone Bank.

"I know the money will sure be handy right around Christmastime," Skaggs said.

Edmonson Voice Report:
Joe Davis, a 26-year employee of Edmonson County Schools, serving as a bus driver and mechanic, was recognized this week for his years of dedicated service.

Davis, who will be retiring at Christmas, was presented a custom embroidered jacket from the Edmonson County Schools Transportation Department.

The school transportation department wanted to honor him for his "outstanding dedication to his job, work, and the students and staff of the school system."

Edmonson Voice Report:
On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, VFW Post 6937 in Brownsville conducted its annual Community Service Awards Ceremony and Dinner at the Brownsville Library.  The Community Service Awards are the VFW’s opportunity to recognize  members of the community who serve the public and make a difference in Edmonson County.  Awardees here are submitted up the VFW Chain Of Command for consideration for higher awards. Post Commander Gerald Carroll presented the awards.
 
Jessica Doyle was awarded Teacher Of The Year.  She is the Music Teacher at South Edmonson Elementary School and has been recognized not only for the quality of the music she teaches her students, but also for her mentoring and the many programs she organized at the school, which includes veterans programs.  She was nominated by Raymond Durbin.

Brycen Daniels was awarded Boy Scout Of The Year.  Brycen recently was awarded Eagle Scout and he is a junior at the  Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science. Brycen was nominated by Boy Scout Troop 597.

Derek Conley was awarded Police Officer Of The Year.  He is a volunteer (Special Deputy) and has made an impact by being available as a backup at all hours of the day and night in spite of holding down a full time job at R&R Heating and Cooling.  Derek has been involved in a majority of recent drug cases and many other criminal investigations, and has been the recipient of letters of commendation from other police agency heads.  Derek was nominated by retired Sheriff Shane Doyle.

Jason Vincent was awarded Emergency Medical Technician Of The Year.  He began with the Edmonson County Ambulance Service in 2014.  He is a qualified 911 Dispatcher and completed the training to become an Advanced EMT in 2020. Jason was nominated by Keith Sanders.
 

Lawrence “Bunny” Simmons was posthumously awarded Firefighter Of The Year, the award which was accepted on behalf of his widow, Geraldine Simmons.  Lawrence was an Army Veteran who served in Berlin during the height of the Cold War.  He qualified as a firefighter in the Wingfield Fire Department in the 1980’s and served continuously until his recent death.  Lawrence was nominated by Wil Cannon, Sr.
 

Edmonson Voice Report:
Both the Edmonson County School Board and SEES Principal Josh Long recognized various individuals at the December 2022 board meeting at South Edmonson on Monday night.

Recognized by Mr. Long was first grader Kinsley Jessie, volunteer Ray Durbin, and Tammy Wilson, instructional aide. Also recognized but not pictured is Trey Tinsley.

In addition, the Edmonson County Board of Education recognized Lorri Keith and congratulated her on her retirement as
Board Member of  Edmonson County Schools.  Mrs. Keith served on the board for over 21 years.

Madison Doyle, story and photos: 
The Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce hosted their annual banquet and awards dinner Thursday, December 8th at the Hidden Homestead event venue in Chalybeate. This year's crowd was a little larger than in years past, which the Chamber said they were glad to see.

Chalybeate Food Mart was honored with Chamber Business of the Year and James "Hoppy" Decker was honored with Chamber Citizen of the Year.

The night started by Chamber President Darren Doyle addressing the crowd, thanking them for supporting and being receptive to the new Chamber of Commerce board, which went into effect in January of this year. During the dinner, catered by Walden's Barbecue, Doyle gave a recap of events that the Chamber facilitated throughout the year, which included the Big Brownsville Bash, the fall Chamber cookout, annual golf scramble, Veterans luncheon, and many more. Doyle said he and the rest of the Chamber board were very pleased with the growth of the Chamber this year, with a booming 22 new members, making 116 total members, which he said was an all-time high. He also added that the Chamber facilitated nine different ribbon cuttings in 2022.

James "Hoppy" Decker, a long time Edmonson County bus driver and custodian, was surprised and humbled when his name was announced. Doyle said once Decker was nominated to the Chamber board for the award, all nominations were ceased and it was unanimously voted upon that Decker would be the recipient, for the influence he has had on countless Edmonson County students and many more to come. 

This year's Business of the Year winner was Chalybeate Food Mart, owned by Manish and Nisha Patel. The Patels could not be in attendance, as they recently traveled to back to their original community in India with family. Chalybeate Food Mart Store Manager Stephanie Newton accepted the award on their behalf. Doyle also said the food mart was chosen unanimously from the board with no further nominations.

The Patels have become community favorites after purchasing Chalybeate Food Mart a few years ago. They remodeled the store, made improvements to the fueling stations, and began serving hot, fresh food. However, Doyle said it was the customer service and friendliness of the Patels that begin to win customers over. In addition, Doyle said the Patels have served as an example to other businesses how to give back to their community, donating to many school, civic, and other community-related causes throughout the years.

"The award winners were chosen at the November Chamber board meeting," Doyle told the Edmonson Voice. "Manish was so humbled when I told him in-person that his business had been chosen, but he was also upset because they had planned a trip back to India through Christmas with his extended family and would be gone when the ceremony took place."

The Patels were able to meet the Edmonson Voice before they left for their trip for a photo with the award. Patel said they would have a 14-hour flight to Dubai, then another 6-hour flight to their family.

"Our Chamber is growing and our board is working to see that growth continues," Doyle said. "This year's award winners were very deserving and we look forward to a great year in 2023."

Visit edmonsonchamber.com to become a member.

"I personally had 59 people walk through my home on Saturday," said participant T.J. Massey, District 2 Magistrate-Elect. I believe this event can and will continue to grow each year in both participation and spectators. We will work on making it easier to buy tickets online and advertise a little more in advance."

Edmonson Voice Report:
Images Candystore.com:
We've all been there. Grandma offers you a handful of that hard stuff that's been sitting in the dish since the 70s, or you're gifted a package of that--whatever. It seems to sell this time every year, but you're not having it. Do others agree with you or are you out in left field?

Well, a recent survey from Candystore.com has resulted in the worst Christmas candy for 2022.

Candystore.com surveyed 9,000 of their retail customers and asked them for their vote for worst Christmas Candy.

#10: The Chocolate Orange. Survey comments:

• "It's kind of a mess. I want to like it, but it's not letting me,"
• "This is a foreign candy trying to make a market in the US. That's ok, but I just don't like them," and
  
• "All the sudden, I'm seeing these chocolate oranges at Christmas time. Where did they come from?"

#9: Peppermint Bark: Comments:

• "We call peppermint bark Grinch vomit. Because it looks like Christmas vomit,"
• "Peppermint bark is seeping into our very foundations as a society. I'm troubled," and
• "Peppermint bark is the pumpkin spice of Christmas. Sugary, nasty and prolific."

#8: Ribbon Candy: Comments:

• "Ribbon candy. Seriously? Real ribbons look better, last longer and probably taste better too,"
• "What part of ribbon candy is edible, please tell me," and
• "That ribbony stuff just seems like a weird thing to try to eat."

#7: Peeps: Comments:

• "I don't mind a little artificial ingredients in my candy, but come on. Ask yourself, what is in a Peep. Narl is what,
• "Peeps are the worst by far. Why do they have to try all the holidays now," and
• "Don't forget the Peeps. They are around all year for every little holiday now."

#6: Old Fashioned Hard Candy Mix: Comments:

• "I tried one and it tasted like soap. Is my grandmother trying to tell me I have a potty mouth?"
• "That awkward moment when grandma offers you the dusty candy dish and thinks she's making your day," and
• "Clearly leftover from probably years ago."

#5: Non-Peppermint Candy Canes: Comments:

• "Candy canes are gross as it is, and now you wanna make em ugly too?"
• "All those weird flavored candy canes. The colors aren't even Christmas-y," and
• "My parents always have new and weird candy cane flavors. No one eats them."

#4: Lifesavers Storybooks: Comments:

• "This says to me: I got you something from Walgreens when I went to buy adult diapers,"
• "My grandfather used to always complain about how much packaging everything has these days. How many layers does a kid have to go through to get to a freaking lifesaver?" and
• "I honestly like the idea of these, but the pleasure of receiving one lasts a quick flash before it's tossed aside unopened. Never to be opened again. Bad form."

#3: Cherry Cordials: Comments:

• "Chocolate cordials. With that clear-ish liquid inside? Ew,"
• "No, I can't even with the cherry chocolate cordials," and
• "That poor little cherry has been swimming in whatever that junk is and now we're supposed to want to eat it."

#2: Reindeer Corn: Comments:

• "I'm gonna say candy corn. It's just the worst. Feel weird in my mouth and it emits some kind of secondary flavor a moment later that kind of scares me,"
• "They're calling it Reindeer corn? Ok candy corn, change your color but not your flavor and that's supposed to help me how?" and
• "Christmas themed candy corn is the most disgusting."

And the number one....

#1: Christmas Nougat Candy: (number one 4 out of the last 5 years) Comments:

• "What are those little polka dotted nougat things that look like great grandma's homemade horror show,"
• "Squishy Christmas tree mint circle things. Squishy and minty is weird," and
• "I don't even want to see the little poker chip nougats. Ugly, bad taste weird texture. Go away."

In addition, honorable mention this year was the classic peppermint candy cane.

The Candystore.com team responded to the idea that standard candy canes could be considered here with comments like, "What are these people thinking?! This is a huge seller and adorns a large number of peoples Christmas trees not to mention the general decor of pretty much everywhere in December. It's objectively extremely popular. Why is it hated at all?"

However, the theory: dislike is stronger for things we see a lot of. If one is never reminded of a thing's existence, that thing is less likely to upset them. Whereas, if it's everywhere they go...

Some comments:

• "Super sticky and gross. The wetness runs down and makes anything it touches super sticky. Yuck"
  
• "We bought fake ones for decoration because no one eats them."
  
• "My brother used to suck them into the sharpest possible point and torment us."
  
• "I can't stand candy canes. They are impossible to unwrap and messy and gross to eat, and not that tasty anyway."
  

--original article published by Candystore.com was written by Ben George.

paid advertisement:
Southcentral Kentucky Community & Technical College is home to a new TRIO program: SKY Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC). The program, which was funded in September 2021, is federally grant-funded by the Department of Education, and its primary purpose is to connect adults to higher education.

SKY EOC assists adults who are interested in going back to school at any stage of their career; its youngest participants are seniors in high school.
Their free services include:

• Assistance with financial aid (FAFSA) & scholarship applications
• Information about postsecondary opportunities
• Assistance with the college admission & transfer process, including fee waivers and transcript requests
• Support for students with limited English, people with disabilities, & homeless youth
• Information about & assistance with General Education Development (GED) programs
• Career counseling, financial literacy, & time management skills

All services provided by SKY EOC are free of charge to the participants. To access the application, please visit https://skyctc.cc/EOC. Once you submit the application, a SKY EOC staff member will reach out to you to schedule an appointment.

For more information about the EOC center at SKYCTC contact: skyeoc@kctcs.edu  or call 270-901-1092. For further details, visit skyctc.edu and search EOC

It's easy! Just go over to our Facebook Page and look for the flyer below. You can win a $100 Gift Certificate from Cee Bee Food Store in Brownsville.

Edmonson Voice Report:
Edmonson County student Reese Childress was among the eight students selected from across the state to display their agriculture science projects at this week’s Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB) annual meeting in Louisville. 

Childress, a fifth-grade student at Edmonson 5/6 Center, displayed her science project “Good Science,” which explored the best way to chill ice cream ingredients to obtain a creamy consistency.
 
Childress was awarded $125.00 and a certificate of recognition for her participation at the state level. She is the daughter of Daniel and Chelsea Childress of Wingfield.
 
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.
 
Kentucky Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm organization with more than 468,000 member families. For more news and updates from Kentucky Farm Bureau, visit KYFB.com/newsroom.

Several locals have organized an EC Parade of Homes Christmas edition to benefit the Edmonson County FRYSC's Affordable Christmas program on December 3, 2022.

Ticket holders will be able walk through and enjoy the decorations of multiple homes in the county. All ticket sales & sponsorships will go directly to Affordable Christmas.

The event is coordinated by Jordan Cassady and a waiver will be required to be signed for each ticket purchased. Tickets can be purchased at Stacy’s on Main & South Bound Boutique, or by contacting Jordan at (270)246-1175.


Sponsorships will be available through Monday, November 14th.

Darren Doyle, story and photo:
Edmonson County's newest retailer celebrated their new venture with a ribbon cutting with the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce today.

The Cats' Corner, operated by the Edmonson County High School retail marketing class, is open for business and is giving kids real-life experience in the retail world.

The entire project is run by students and overseen by Mrs. April Hennion, business and marketing teacher, and Mr. Jodi Booth, business teacher.

ECHS senior Cooper Clark, one of the store managers, spoke to a crowd of students, staff, administration, and visitors before the ceremonial ribbon was cut. He discussed how the experience so far has opened their eyes to several aspects of real-world business.

"These are things you can't learn from a book," he said.

The store sells t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and other school spirit items. The shirts are designed and pressed at school by the students.

Mrs. Hennion said Mr. Booth had helped start a store when he was previously at South Warren and she knew of other schools that had seen success with their stores. She said she believed it would be a great project for students at ECHS.

She said she reached out to Houchens Industries, who had donated to help start other school stores and they agreed to provide the storefront for the school, including signage, shelving, and an impressive store counter. She said Gravil Funeral Home also made a generous donation to help get the store started. The store first opened for business on November 18th.

"The students have done everything since," she said. "They've created their own commercials, they design the shirts and we make the shirts here with presses, they decide on the ordering, and they are responsible for all the financials. It's all them. They're running it, and they're awesome."

The store is currently open only during 5th period during lunch on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The store is also hoping to be open during basketball district and homecoming games this year, as well as some volleyball and football games next year.

This is the first of what is expected to be several partnerships with the Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce within Edmonson County Schools, with a goal of pairing students with local businesses for job opportunities.