OPEN HOUSE WAS GREAT SUCCESS

Our recent Open House was a great success for the Jesse Stuart Foundation and for Ashland. Our guest register had 199 signatures, but I'm quite sure that some visitors did not sign the register. I suspect that our total attendance was 225-250.

In my 21 years with the foundation, we've had some shining days, but the staff and I agree that this was the most successful event we have ever sponsored, and we want to express our gratitude for help from many individuals and institutions.

Thanks to the Ashland Alliance, the Ashland Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Northeast Kentucky Arts Council, the Foundation for the Tri-State Community, and Morehead State University's Small Business Development Center for helping us promote this activity.

Thanks also to "The Independent" for an excellent front page article the day after our Open House.

Volunteers helped us meet and entertain more than 200 guests. I especially want to recognize the splendid assistance of Carl and Buzzy Leming, Don and Ruby Miller, Jim and Ginny Marsh, Bill and Eleanor Kersey, Jim Coleman, Becky Bryant, Tammy Howard, David Palmore and Rachel Nance.

Open House guests visited our two bookstores, art gallery, photographic exhibit, and Jesse Stuart Room. All adults received a poster or print and all children received a copy of Jesse Stuart's illustrated junior book "Old Ben." C. J. Cieraszynski won the drawing and chose a signed and inscribed first edition of "Mr. Gallion's School" for her prize.

Morehead State University Archivist, Donna Baker, brought the Stuart family's bull-tongue plow from the Jesse Stuart Room in MSU's Camden-Carroll Library. It will be on display at the Jesse Stuart Foundation until the end of October.

Most of all, I want to thank every person who attended our Open House and helped us celebrate Jesse Stuart's 100th birthday! If you would like to be informed by email of future Jesse Stuart Foundation activities, please email us at jsf@jsfbooks.com and we'll add you to our data base.

We plan to celebrate Jesse Stuart's centennial year in other ways, too. We're going to publish a Special Edition 352-page hardback reprint of Stuart's educational classic, "The Thread That Runs So True", by late September. We have been working on it for more than two years. It is a beautiful book that will make a wonderful gift or a great addition to your personal library.

On September 22nd and 23rd, we'll honor Jesse Stuart's centennial year at our Jesse Stuart Weekend at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park. The public is invited to attend our evening programs. On Friday night, our program is entitled "Books Change Lives" and Jim Gifford, Brett Nance, David Palmore, and Sam Piatt will pay special tribute to "The Thread That Runs So True". Then our Special Commemorative Edition will be presented to the public for the first time.

On Saturday night, Jimmy Lowe, a Chautauqua Performer, will present a one-man drama based on Stuart's life and works, followed by a question and answer session with a panel consisting of Mr. Lowe and the speakers from Friday evening.

Both programs begin at 7:30 PM and they are free and open to the public. Please join us! For more information, visit our website at JSFBOOKS.com, or call (606) 326-1667.