No Title 1429
Guest Opinion: Finding hope in horror
Touchstone Energy ride raises $5,000
The Bluegrass Energy & Green Living Expo will be held at the Lexington Convention Center 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, October 14, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, October 15. Exhibits, workshops, and demonstrations will include a fuel-efficient car show, renewable energy dealers and installers, a children’s energy expo including building solar ovens and art activities using recycled materials, architecture consulting, and a solar homes poster exhibit. You can find more info at www.bluegrassenergyexpo.org.
Guest Opinion: Finding hope in horror
by Sarah Ashley Cotterell
Lao-tzu once made the profound observation that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In my case, my journey began the moment I received the March of Remembrance and Hope (MRH) brochure and resulted in a nine-hour flight to Poland.
I went to Poland due to childhood curiosity. I wanted to see the places that I had so often read about. I wanted to go beyond the video footage and colorless photographs and see up close the burial grounds of so many.
My journey, or rather pilgrimage, to the concentration camps Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Treblinka as well as other related sites was extremely difficult emotionally. Sorrow, anger, and a constant sense of “why” filled my heart more with each passing day.
During my journey, I was no longer a student from Centre College, but rather I became a hostage of the history surrounding me. As I marched along the railroad tracks toward Auschwitz, I was no longer a visitor, but rather I became one of the millions who so long ago were shipped to a place of death, sorrow, and hatred. I was marching toward my own unknown fate within the gates of Hell.
My experience with MRH will always hold a special place in my life. I will always be thankful for the amazing opportunity to interact with actual Holocaust survivors. The stories of Halina, Pinchas, Irving, and Sylvia will forever be embedded within my heart and mind. I will never forget the image of Sylvia, a hidden child survivor, hugging a portrait of her parents (who were murdered at Auschwitz) as she kneeled before an altar of candles in the gas chamber. The survivors’ ability to find hope in the future was inspiring. I cannot imagine escaping from such horrors and still having the capability to love and open my heart to others.
My view of the world and its people was dramatically altered during the march. First, even in the worst of times good still exists in people. Secondly, the march allowed me to realize that the conditions necessary for the Holocaust were not unique to Germany and the time period. The Holocaust could have occurred anywhere at anytime.
Auschwitz features two simple words in almost every language—two words to which we should all pledge ourselves, “Never again.”
For photos and more information about MRH, visit the Web site www.remembranceandhope.com.
Sarah Ashley Cotterell of Williamsburg is currently a sophomore at Centre College.
Anyone with an interest in the Kentucky dairy industry is invited to attend a free workshop designed to deal with stray voltage concerns. The Stray Voltage Awareness Workshop will be held at the Western Kentucky Ag Expo Center in Bowling Green on Thursday, November 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The workshop will define stray voltage and cover diagnosing, preventing, and fixing stray voltage problems. There will be a guided tour of the Western Kentucky University free-stall dairy barn, and lunch will be provided. For more information, contact Warren Rural Electric Cooperative at (270) 842-6541.
The Junior League of Louisville, an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, will hold its HollyDays Art and Gift Market fund-raiser for community projects on October 27 and 28 at the Mellwood Art and Entertainment Center, 1860 Mellwood Avenue in Louisville. About 100 vendors from around the state are expected to participate in the event being held in connection with the monthly Frankfort Avenue “Trolley Hop” along the trendy restaurant and gallery section of Louisville. Find more info on the trolley hop at www.juniorleaguelouisville.org, www.fatfridayhop.org, or phone (502) 637-5415.
Nearly 200 years ago, in November 1806, explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark visited Locust Grove, the home of William’s sister Lucy and her husband William Croghan (pronounced “Crawn”) in Louisville. The explorers and their Corps of Discovery were making a triumphant return from their two-year expedition into the unknown West.
On Sunday, November 5, Historic Locust Grove will re-create that excitement with a Lewis & Clark Homecoming Celebration. It will be an all-day event—free to the public, thanks to a grant from the Brown-Forman Foundation.
Re-enactors representing the explorers will arrive on horseback. Members of the public are invited to walk with the explorers on the final leg of their journey up Blankenbaker Lane.
Throughout the day, visitors will have a chance to interact with the re-enactors, tour Locust Grove, and see the exhibits.
For more information, including a schedule of all the Lewis & Clark activities planned, visit www.locustgrove.org.
Touchstone Energy ride raises $5,000
