Springfest is May 9-11

Local News

May 6, 2008

Local News

Anonymous The Commonwealth Journal Tue May 06, 2008, 06:36 AM EDT

The Heart of Lake Cumberland Springfest May 9 through May 11 has events and attractions for the whole family.

Live entertainment, a classic car and tractor show and shine, a scenic motorcycle poker run, arts and crafts and food vendors, free KidZONE inflatable entertainment, a trackless train, a climbing wall, a special Mother’s Day celebration and a giant screen TV give-away will highlight the weekend’s activities.

Memorial Park in Monticello will be the site for this year’s festival while the downtown area is under construction.

Springfest begins Friday, May 9, from 6 to 10 p.m. (ET) with vendors, KidZONE and live performance by Klassyc Tymes.

It continues Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (ET) with the show and shine, motorcycle poker run and performances by the Bell Tones, Ben West, Ugly Tree, Borrowed Blue and Classic Rock All Stars.

Registration for the poker run is 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Park. The poker ride begins at 12:30 p.m.

Classic car and tractor owners are invited to bring their vehicles to “show and shine” throughout the day. There are no entry fees and no judging, but participants will benefit by getting preferred parking locations.

A giant screen television will be given away Saturday night during the concert.

The feature band Saturday night will be the nationally-known Classic Rock All Stars. The band includes the original lead singers and instrumentalists from Sugarloaf, Blues Image, Rare Earth, Iron Butterfly, Alice Cooper and Cannibal and the Headhunters. Their hits include “Ride, Captain, Ride,” “Green Eyed Lady,” “Get Ready,” “In A Gadda Da Vida” “(I Just Want to) Celebrate,” and many more.

The festival has been extended to include Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. (ET) featuring Christian and gospel music by The Gospel Enforcers, Live Fish and The Daltons.

The special Mother’s Day Celebration on Sunday will include a day at the spa and a houseboat vacation prize give-away. The KidZONE with free inflatables, a track-less train, climbing wall, vendors and food court will be part of Springfest each day.

For more information contact the Monticello-Wayne County Chamber of Commerce at 606-348-3064 or 866-248-3064.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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