NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet

The 2017 Danville-Boyle County NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet was held Saturday, July 29 at First Christian Church in Danville. Luke Whitehead, left, was the keynote speaker.

At right is Marvin Swann Jr., president of the Danville-Boyle County NAACP. Whitehead is a former U of L basketball player and is now the founder and CEO of Mixed Nation, a multicultural movement with more than 500,000 supporters worldwide.

New Rotary members welcomed

Local Rotary president John Russel, center, poses with new Rotary members, Myrna Miller, left, and Sam Pollom, at right.

Vanita Fitzwater graduates from renowned Advanced Space Academy
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA — Vanita Fitzwater of Perryville, recently attended Advanced Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s Official Visitor Center.
The weeklong educational program promotes science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while training students and adults with hands-on activities and missions based on teamwork, leadership and problem solving.
Fitzwater was part of the Advanced Space Academy program, which is designed for trainees who have an interest in space exploration. Fitzwater spent the week training with a team that flew a simulated space mission to Mars. The crew participated in experiments and successfully completed an extra-vehicular activity (EVA), or spacewalk, and returned to Earth in time to graduate with honors.
Space Camp operates year-round in Huntsville, Ala., and uses astronaut training techniques to engage trainees in real-world applications of STEM subjects. Trainees sleep in quarters designed to resemble the International Space Station and train in NASA-inspired simulators.
More than 750,000 trainees have graduated from Space Camp since its inception in Huntsville, Alabama in 1982, including STS-131 astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, European Space Agency astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti and NASA Expedition 48 astronaut Dr. Kate Rubins. Last year, children and teachers from all 50 states and 69 international locations attended Space Camp.

Seeds of Life event

Recently, Our Savior Lutheran Church partnered with the mission team from Community of Life Lutheran Church from Oregon, Wisconsin in a “Seeds of Hope” three-day event in Danville. Members built two wheelchair-accessible ramps for the Food Pantry in Danville, had a kids camp on Saturday afternoon and community cookout that night. Then on Sunday the group held an outdoor worship service and served a community luncheon.

History lecture brings light to Kentucky treasures

Over decades of travel to museums around the country, Peg and I have enjoyed many informative historical lectures. The one given by Scott Erbes on July 19 ranks among the best we’ve heard.
Scott detailed vital information about Kentucky antiques ranging from coin silver, to furniture to fine decorative pottery and other art forms. He brought attention to the treasure trove left behind by pioneer and early artisans active here in the Bluegrass. Much of the famed Bob Noe Collection is now displayed in the newly renovated Louisville Speed Museum.
With the recent loss of a treasure, the John Boyle home, perhaps calling attention to Mr. Erbes presentation may awaken our region that we must preserve and keep close what we’ve been privileged to either inherit — or find in our history-minded travels.