The New 'Villenial Vision

Thank you for taking the time to visit my home page! I will try to make it interesting. This site will serve as an anchor site with links to my blogs, and as a depository for things I want to share that don't actually fit in my column on NewsVine. Also, if you love Louisville, KY, please don't miss Louisville History & Issues

Almost everyone eventually asks about the source of my screen name. For starters, I believe that everyone, myself included, pronounces it "Kye-anna." My NewsVine friends usually call me just "Kyana" or "KB" for short.

The source of the screen name is the region I live in. My hometown of Louisville, Kentucky is on the northern border of the state; a river town, it is situated on the Ohio River. Right across the Ohio River is Jeffersonville, Clarksville, and New Albany, Indiana. As long as I can remember, this area has been referred to as "Kentuckiana" by the locals. The postal abbreviation for Kentucky is "Ky."

Although my mom lived in Louisville, (Daddy was stationed in Okinawa at the time) I was actually born on the Indiana side of the river. I think you can figure out the rest of the story of my screen name from there. If you are on a web 2.0 social site and wonder if I am a member there, look for me as "KyanaBelle."

I've been a bit of a nomad over the years. I was born in Jeffersonville, IN.,lived in south-central Indiana, spent my second year in El Paso, TX., went to high school in Hopkinsville, KY., had my first baby in Lexington, KY., and my second baby in Cincinnati, OH. I have spent most of the last 24 years in Butler County, OH., which is just north of the Cincinnati Metro area, in a town called West Chester. My youngest son would consider West Chester, OH. his hometown, much to my chagrin.

Becoming reacquainted with my hometown has been a joy. I try to be an online goodwill ambassador for Louisville. It is a role that I relish because there is much for Louisvillians to be proud of these days. We are big enough to have just about any service you would want and there is always something going on somewhere. Yet there is still a small town warmth about Louisville and her people. We have been celebrated for our hospitality. Our crime rate is low compared to other similarly sized cities. Our downtown area is experiencing a renaissance that is just amazing. Our leaders are sensitive to the architectural history of our city so many of these new projects are serving to restore and preserve some of our grand architectural treasures rather than to renovate them. Our park system, the last designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, is said to be one of the most beautiful in America. Our waterfront is flourishing. We have a thriving arts community and are one of the few cities that have a professional full-time orchestra, opera, ballet, children’s theatre, dinner theatre and Broadway series. 

• Olmsted Parks Conservancy - Our park system was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, of NYC Central Park fame. Our system was his last and is considered the best preserved of his works.
• Old Louisville - The largest contiguous collection of Victorian homes, collection of residential stained glass and art glass windows, and the third largest historic preservation district in the nation. This area is gorgeous and full of history! Spring (Derby time - blooming dogwoods!) and fall (haunted house stories and fall color) are the best times to visit for visual beauty of the neighborhood. This is also where the St. James Art Festival is held. 
• Main Street and Museum Row - Aside from a large selection of museums and other diversions, Main Street is also home to the largest selection of historic cast iron front buildings outside of NYC's Soho neighborhood!
• Waterfront Park and the Great Lawn
• The University of Louisville and The University of Kentucky in Lexington have been dividing loyalties for decades. A meet-up between these two storied schools of higher learning is referred to as "The Battle of the Bluegrass."
• Muhammad Ali Center - Yes, The Greatest, originally nicknamed "The Louisville Lip," grew up right here! The Ali Center is a wonderful gift to his hometown. His artistically gifted father was the only one my grandfather would entrust the painting of his race cars and tree service truck logos to and my mom remembers him as being a polite and shy youngster. Really. 
• Portland Museum - The Portland neighborhood was once a town itself and maintains a distinct identity within Louisville Metro. The neighborhood is full of century old shotgun style and camelback shotgun style houses with a few Victorians and Bungalows thrown in for good measure.
• Cave Hill Cemetery - Far more than just a cemetery. Gorgeous scenery, resting place of many notables including Colonel Harland Sanders, George Rogers Clark, Merriwether Lewis Clark, Jr.
• The Belle of Louisville - The Belle is now recognized as the oldest river steamboat still in operation. She was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, and celebrated her 90th birthday in 2004. The city owns the Belle and she has become a cherished "citizen" here since she was saved from the scrap yard in 1962.
• Jefferson County Public School System
• Churchill Downs - Home of the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks. Even if you don't care for horses or historic places, the gardens alone are worth the visit!
• The Kentucky Derby Festival - More than just a day at the races, it's a two-week spectacle!
• Thunder over Louisville - And we start the party with a huge BANG! Huge day-long air show over the river followed by what is billed as the biggest annual fireworks display in the nation.
• Kentucky Kingdom - A Six Flags Amusement park, it would be more beloved by the city if they would at least bring our carousel back home. At State Fair time, you can walk right in from the fairground. The State Fair is fantastic too.
• Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville, IN. The falls were a key geographical feature in the development of Louisville, Kentucky and the Tri-Cities of south-central Indiana as metro centers. There is a HUGE fossil bed here. Before it became a park, I used to play there, just as my daddy did as a boy, collecting walnuts in the autumn and you didn't even have to work hard to find the fossils. They were laying right on top as numerous as the gravel on a dirt road. All you had to do was look down and there they were. The visitor's center here is awesome.
• The Filson Club Historical Society - Is housed in one of the Old Louisville mansions. Worth a trip if only to get an upclose look at the architecture! There is a wealth of historical and genealogical resources available for research at the Filson. 
• The Old Fontaine Ferry Amusement Park - Generations of Louisvillians long for the good old days when a visit to Fontaine Ferry (locals called it "Fountain Ferry") was the highlight of the summer. Four generations of my family have taken a spin on the old carousel which is now in storage but owned by Six Flags (and we'd like it back, please!)