Good news
Bad news is readily available. It’s easy to get bogged down in it, so what a refreshing shift for a reporter to focus on the good. Marvin Bartlett, news anchor for Lexington’s WDKY Fox56, joyfully takes on the task.
Even as a young boy, Bartlett was fascinated with Charles Kuralt’s On the Road segments. “I thought he had the best job in the world, as he traveled around the country in a recreational vehicle and met ordinary people with extraordinary stories,” he explains. He always hoped he would get the chance to do something similar, and in 1993 while working for WLEX-TV, that chance arrived, quickly becoming his most rewarding work.
In 1995, his move to his current position with WDKY ended those segments until 2016, when his manager asked him for ideas that would set the station apart from the rest. Spirit of the Bluegrass was revived, with Bartlett taking on all the production himself, from writing to recording to editing.
Since then, his weekly reports featuring unique people and places across the state have proven that all news doesn’t have to be bad and that the commonwealth is anything but common. Now, readers can enjoy some of Bartlett’s favorites compiled in his book, Spirit of the Bluegrass: Strange, Surprising, and Sentimental Stories from Kentucky.
Divided into four categories, stories are presented as they aired on TV with updates as needed. At only a few pages each, the stories provide a quick pick-me-up when a break is needed from the inundation of current events.
Places such as Cave City’s Wigwam Village #2 or Hazard’s Mother Goose Inn may just top readers’ next road trip adventure list, with a stop at some of the museums, country stores and roadside attractions spotlighted in the Spirited Places section.
The Holiday Spirit segments could leave readers with goosebumps as they discover some of Kentucky’s haunts or ready to go all-out for Christmas like Pendleton’s Kirsch family with their yearly live nativity or Mary Lou Bohannon with her collection of more than 100 decorated trees in her Versailles home.
Readers meet spirited people such as Adam Fields, who finds solace in the art of rock balancing and Mike Mankel, who creates guitars from bourbon barrels. The Unexpected Spirit section may introduce something new to readers, such as the Primate Rescue Center in Jessamine County or how Dippin’ Dots were created right here in Kentucky.
One thing is for certain—there is no shortage of good people and interesting places to continue Bartlett’s segments. He says his idea folder holds a “hundred or so” story possibilities at any given time.
Find Spirit of the Bluegrass (Globe Pequot, $27.95) at www.globepequot.com or at major book retailers. The work earned Marvin Bartlett an Ohio Valley Regional Emmy Award in the writing category.
Video versions of each story can be viewed at www.youtube.com/@SpiritoftheBluegrass. Share story ideas with Bartlett at mbartlett@FOX56news.com.
