YMCA to host 6th annual Reindeer Ramble 5K Run/Walk on Dec. 10
The YMCA of Central Kentucky will host its 6th annual Reindeer Ramble, a 5K fun run/walk, at Keeneland on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 9 a.m.
The event, open to both serious runners and casual walkers ages 8 and up, raises money for summer camps, ensuring that children who would otherwise be unable to attend are able to do so; last year's event drew approximately 1,500 participants. Costumes and holiday spirit are encouraged. For more information, visit www.ymcaofcentralky.org.
Stonewall Elementary earns national "healthy lifestyles" grant
The "Healthy and Fit Stonewall" program, which focuses on educating students and families about nutrition and physical activity, kicked off at Stonewall Elementary in early November.
The program was funded by a $1,000 grant from the National PTA as part of the PTA's Healthy Lifestyles Grant Program. As part of the school's program, students are challenged to eat the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables each day, and to share their favorite fruit or vegetable snack for a cookbook that will be printed. The school's PTA will also promote the idea of indoor recess during inclement weather, providing ideas and resources for the school's teachers.
Local film contest adopts a "green" twist
The Lexington Film League's third annual Doers Video Contest will accept submissions through March 15, 2012.
The group has teamed up this year with local Internet television station kyGREEN.tv and the LFUCG Live Green Lexington program to add a sustainability focus to the contest. Video entries must be five minutes or less, and should be about any person, place, event or business doing something green and sustainable in the community or state.
The top videos will be screened at an Environmental Doers showcase at Lexington's downtown Fifth Third Bank Pavilion on Earth Day, April 22, 2012, and will also appear on kyGREEN.tv. For more information, visit www.lexingtonfilmleague.org.
Downtown holiday parade to take place Dec. 10
The downtown Christmas parade will take place Saturday, Dec. 10 at 10:00 a.m., on Main Street between Midland and Broadway. Food and drink vendors will be located in the Fifth Third Bank Pavilion at Cheapside Park, and the new ice rink at Triangle Park will be open for business. Parade applications are due November 28; however late applications will be accepted until Dec. 2 with a $25 late fee. For more information, visit www.downtownlex.com/christmas-downtown.
Aviation Museum moves into new facility
The Aviation Museum of Kentucky moved into a new facility on Blue Grass Field, outside the Blue Grass Airport, celebrating with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in November.
The museum, which was designated as the state's official Aviation Hall of Fame in 1994, educates young people about the career potential in aviation, and features changing exhibits that attract approximately 10,000 students to Lexington's airport each year. For more information on the museum, visit www.aviationky.org or call (859) 231-1219.
Lexington author wins National Book Award
At a New York City Ceremony in November, University of Kentucky professor Nikky Finney received the 2011 National Book Award in Poetry for her book "Head Off and Split," published earlier this year by Northwestern University Press.
According to the National Book Award website, the collection of intimate poems reflect on "emblematic figures and events in African-American life ... Artful and intense, Finney's poems ask us to be mindful of what we fraction, fragment, cut off, dice, dishonor, or throw away, powerfully evoking both the lawless and the sublime."
The prestigious award, presented by poet Elizabeth Alexander, includes a $10,000 cash stipend and a crystal sculpture. Following the announcement, Finney gave a powerful acceptance speech that event host John Lithgow said was the "best acceptance speech for anything (he's) ever heard."
Dunbar captures seventh state marching band title
With a final performance called "Shine," defending champion Paul Laurence Dunbar High School captured its seventh state marching band title in October, edging out runner-up Lafayette High School, which has won 16 state championships in the Class 5A showdown.
Twenty bands in five classes competed this year, with Lexington's Tates Creek High School placing sixth and Henry Clay placing eighth in the same division. This year marked the first time four Lexington bands finished in the top eight in Class 5A.