Small Town Life

A Paducah Summer List for ADULTS

Today I'm on HerKentucky with a brand new section called HerPaducah! We've already talked about the fact that Paducah is having a MOMENT and we decided it was time to highlight all the fabulous things happening in our town. So, look forward to posts highlighting new businesses, delicious foods, and exciting art and music events. To kick it off, I have a summer list for ADULTS. I've talked about fun things for families to do but sometimes a summer evening just needs an adult beverage or grown up fun!

Summer is a perfect time of year to go exploring so we're going to kick things off with a summer list for ADULTS. We've made a list with lots for little ones. Inspired by You Are My Fave's "How to summer" categories, this list is for the big kid inside us all.  Click here to download a copy!

GO

To see the rest of the list including things to MAKE, DO, and EAT visit the new herPaducah!

Celebrating #PaducahProud for my blogiversary

When I launched bluegrass redhead two years ago, I knew writing about my small town life in Paducah, Kentucky, would be a huge part of the blog. We gave up so much six years ago to leave our life in Washington, D.C., and move back to my hometown. Since that time, my passion for Paducah has never wavered. 

I knew Paducah was something special, but it was always hard to explain to other people. Maybe I only loved Paducah because she was my home?

Since moving home, however, I have watched Paducah change and grow and I am now confident proclaiming.

Y'all, Paducah is having a MOMENT.

#SeedlingSummer - the Paducah Way

As you know from my summer list, we take summer seriously around these parts. Simply put -summer days are in short supply and I want to make the most of them.

Recently, The Other Sarah from Salt & Nectar joined the awesome team at Seedling, where they also take the fun of the summer season pretty seriously. TOS sent the boys a sampling of Seedling's all-in-one activity kits and asked me to share what summer looks like in our neck of the woods.

Summer List: Paducah Edition!

We all know I love a summer list. For the past two years, I've put up a big list of summer activities I hope to check off before fall starts beating down our door and it has made our summers so fun! In my experience, a good summer list can make you a little more conscious of they days as they fly by and keep you from looking up at the end of August only to proclaim, "Where did the summer go!?!"

Today I've made a summer list for Paducah! I've put all the activities that I think make a summer in Paducah so much fun so if you live in the area, check it out! Even if you don't, hopefully it can inspire you to make a summer list of your own.

A Day At The Farm

Griffin's pre-k class has been "studying" farms. Since I LOVE a field trip, I arranged for us to visit my dear friend Ellie's family dairy farm LeCows Dairy.  Ellie is a third-generation farmer (and raising a fourth generation!) with such an infectious passion for farming and farm life. We learned so much from her about what it takes to get the food we enjoy to our tables.

It was the most amazingly beautiful day and we saw baby cows, spunky goats, self-confident chickens, dogs, ducks, geese. You name it we saw it.

We had so much fun I was entertaining grand visions of my own family moving to a farm...at which point Amos took a swim in the chicken trough and I was reminded of why I live in a subdivision.

We still had a fabulous time and have plans to return for a picnic soon! 

The simplicity of a small town

It happens every time I go out of town for a conference or large event.

I tell people I’m from Paducah, Ky. I tell people we left our lives in D.C. to move back to my small hometown. I tell people I live without a Target and food trucks and sky scrapers.

Then, the questions start to come. 

They ask how I like it, what we do for fun, do we ever miss the big city. There seems to be some expectation that I will confess our small town existence is only temporary or complain about how bored we are from lack of museums or fancy restaurants.

When instead I state plainly that I wouldn’t move back to the big city - any big city - for love nor money, there is always shock followed by something that sometimes shocks me.

Interest. Curiosity. Even envy.