FRANKFORT, Ky. (October 7, 2004) – The state’s waterways are the subject of the Kentucky Historical Society’s newest exhibit opening on November 6. A River Runs Through Us: The Rivers of Kentucky, will feature artifacts, oral histories, and full-scale environmental displays to detail the character of the Commonwealth’s seven major rivers. The exhibit at the Kentucky History Center in downtown Frankfort will explore the various topics associated with these geologic features: travel, recreation, energy and natural disasters.
“We have a lot of water in our state, and we're fortunate in that regard. But it is too easy to forget the impact that water had on us in the past, and still has on us,“ notes Exhibit Curator Micheal Hudson. “There is hardly a day that goes by that the front pages of our newspapers doesn’t have some story about drinking water and pollution. There is all this water flowing around and under us that we take for granted.”
The Rivers exhibit will be the Kentucky Historical Society’s first exhibit resulting from an audience survey. In 2002, members of the Society and visitors to the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort were invited to vote on what Kentucky subjects they would like to see studied by the society’s staff. The topic of the state’s rivers received an overwhelmingly positive response.
“Listening to our audiences helped shape the creation of this exhibit,” notes Kent Whitworth, Executive Director of the Kentucky Historical Society. “Visitors will have the opportunity to experience our response to the message sent to us from the public.”
Audiences will be immersed in Kentucky’s river culture through a series of programming for children and adults including museum theatre presentations, featured lectures, and hands-on activities and Saturday programs for kids. The new exhibit will feature more than 120 historical photographs, fishing and boat equipment, audio clips of oral history interviews and river sounds, home movies, models and images of famous Kentucky riverboats, and more.
The Kentucky Historical Society’s exhibit A River Runs Through Us: The Rivers of Kentucky will be on display at the Kentucky History Center in downtown Frankfort from November 6, 2004 until December 31, 2005. Visiting hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission prices are $4 for adults, $2 for youths (ages 6-18), and $3 for veterans. Children 5 and under are admitted free of charge and all tickets permit entry to the Society’s other galleries and museums at the Old State Capitol and The Kentucky Military History Museum. For more information, please call (502) 564-1792, or visit the Web at http://history.ky.gov.
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The Kentucky Historical Society, since 1836, has provided connections to the past, perspective on the present and inspiration for the future. KHS operates the Old State Capitol, Kentucky Military History Museum and its five-year-old headquarters, the Kentucky History Center. Since 1999, the thirty-million dollar History Center has welcomed almost one million visitors. For more information about the Kentucky Historical Society and its programs, visit the Web at http://history.ky.gov or call (502) 564-1792.
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