For more information:

• Muth’s Candy, 630 E. Market St., Louisville, KY 40202, (502) 585-2952

Producer, videographer, editor: Brandon Wickey
Audio: Brent Abshear

Sweet Stuff

Muth’s Candy

Bourbon balls ... old-fashioned hand-made caramels ... Modjeskas ... chocolate-covered cherries ... wafer-thin peanut brittle ... If your sweet tooth has kicked in, one good place to satisfy it is at Muth’s Candy Store, a fixture on downtown Louisville’s East Market Street since 1921.

All the delicacies at Muth’s are made by hand, using recipes handed down through the family. The store was founded in 1921 by Rudolph Henry Muth, who had just returned from the horrors of World War I and decided to pursue a long-time dream. Enlisting his wife, Isabelle, and three other family members as the first employees, Rudy set out to distinguish his products from those of several other fine Louisville-area candy makers by using the highest-quality ingredients and cutting no corners on production.

After Rudy’s death in 1953, the women of the family stepped in, with Isabelle and then her sister Hildegard assuming ownership and other female relatives playing prominent roles. Another generation of the family’s women remains in charge today—but plenty of sons, brothers, and assorted other relations pitch in during busy seasons, like the pre-Easter period during which we visited in 2006. During breaks in the action, we hear some of the family stories from manager Martha Vories and assistant manager Rose Ann Stacy.

Watch This Story (7:33)

For more information:
• Steve Holt, 121 Armada Blvd., Raceland, KY 41169
• Jesse Stuart Foundation, 1645 Winchester Ave., P.O. Box 669, Ashland, KY 41105, (606) 326-1667

Producer: Dave Shuffett

Wordsmith

Landscape poet Stephen Holt

As a poet, Eastern Kentucky native Steve Holt is part of a rich literary tradition of writers inspired by the hills of Appalachia. He grew up not far from the hollow Jesse Stuart called home and has had books published by the Jesse Stuart Foundation. And in 2002, he won a regional literary award named for the dean of Appalachian writing, James Still. He calls himself a “landscape poet,” and his work has been applauded by critics for combining a skilled mastery of the English language with a folksy, down-home style.

By day, Holt works to pass on his love for the land around him and the magic of words as an English teacher at Russell High School. In this profile, Kentucky Life host Dave Shuffett meets some of his colleagues there and talks with Holt about his inspirations and his writing process. Several of the poem excerpts heard in the segment are from the collection Elegy for September.

Watch This Story (6:30)

For more information:
• Kentucky 4-H, 212 Scovell Hall, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, (859) 257-5961
• Kentucky Leadership Center, 17500 Hwy. 196, Nancy, KY 42544, (270) 866-4215

Producer, editor: Joy Flynn
Videographer: Jason Robinson
Audio: Thomas Cooper

Wonderful Weavings

Bluegrass Area Basketmakers Seminar

The last stop for this episode devoted to people who make things of beauty is an annual basketmaking seminar sponsored by the Bluegrass Area Extension Homemakers. This June gathering draws artisans from all over Kentucky and surrounding states for an intensive five days of weaving.

While the gathering includes practical seminars on business aspects of making and selling baskets, the main focus is the wealth of hands-on projects attendees can choose from. Led by master instructors, they create everything from exquisite, artful miniatures to large carrying baskets in sessions that range from an hour or two to all day long.

The setting for the seminar also adds its own beauty to the proceedings. The workshops take place at the Kentucky Leadership Center, a rustic conference center on Lake Cumberland in rural Pulaski County—just outside the tiny hamlet of Jabez and a few miles southwest of Somerset. Operated by the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and its Cooperative Extension Service, the Kentucky Leadership Center welcomes business, civic, church, and other groups for retreats, seminars, and off-site workshops. The center’s lodging and dining rooms can accommodate up to 250 people at a time.

Watch This Story (7:55)

For more information:
• International Bluegrass Music Museum, 207 East Second St., Owensboro, KY 42303, (270) 926-7891

On Location

International Bluegrass Music Museum

Dave and Charlie host this edition from the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro. In addition to showcasing past giants of Kentucky’s “native” music through interactive displays and exhibits, the museum sponsors the annual River of Music Party multi-day festival and operates in-school programs that introduce thousands of Kentucky kids to bluegrass each year. Kentucky Life visited an early “prototype” of the museum in Program 104.