RACELAND —
A cool breeze added to the comfortable feeling in Raceland Thursday evening as friends and neighbors gathered to celebrate the city’s past and future during the 2012 Raceland Race Days celebration.
Greenup County Judge Executive Bobby Carpenter opened the festival by welcoming guests and saluting area veterans. Carpenter earned the crowd’s attention when he asked Russell High School Air Force JROTC cadets, prompting each to recite a well-polished response to the question, “Are you motivated?”
“I would like you to join us as we pay tribute to those who have served their country,” Carpenter said before introducing each of the veterans seated in the audience and asking them to meet the cadets from Russell High School. Carpenter also read a proclamation approved by the Greenup County Fiscal Court in recognition of area veterans, and invited everyone present to visit the county’s nearby war memorial.
American Legion commander Dennis Paige also addressed the audience, saluting the “greatest generation” veterans as well as today’s military men and women. Paige recalled a recent “Thank You” he received when recognized as a veteran. “That made my day,” he said. “If you see a man or woman in uniform today, say ‘Thank You’ to them.”
Inside the Raceland community center, Becky Ryder, director of the Keeneland Library, arranged photos and other documents related to the 1924-1929 Raceland race track, the first built by Keeneland founder J.O. “Jack” Keene. Ryder said she has been working closely with Raceland resident Dan Howell, who has collected many items from the Raceland track.
“Last year he had one notebook and now he has four,” she said with a smile, noting Howell has been researching area newspapers for details about life and times around the Raceland track, including one reference to a “new fangled” style of fencing known as chain link.
The “Million Dollar Oval” historical exhibit will continue throughout the weekend, including a Saturday afternoon visit by Liz Stoll, who wrote a book about Keene and his family. Ryder said the research completed by Howell and herself, combined with Stoll’s knowledge, may result in a new book about racing in Raceland.
Raceland Race Days organizers Don Sammons and Ann Catlin said they were looking forward to Thursday evening’s “city-wide pep rally,” with cheerleaders, band members and athletes marching from the nearby high school to the stage in the park, where each would have a chance to pass the microphone and say something before the evening’s game against Ashland.
TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.
com or (606) 326-2651.
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