For more information:
• Snug Hollow Farm and Country Inn, 790 McSwain Branch, Irvine, KY 40336 (606) 723-4786

Producer, editor: John Schroering
Videographers: John Schoering, Frank Simkonis
Audio: Charlie Bissel

‘Holler Hospitality’

Snug Hollow Farm and Country Inn

Imagine a quiet place in the country, where you can catch a glimpse of deer during the day and see the Milky Way at night. Inside, a good book and the promise of a home-cooked breakfast in the morning await.

You’re at Snug Hollow Farm and Country Inn, a bed-and-breakfast nestled on 300 acres between the mountains of Red Lick Valley near Irvine. A pond, plenty of great places to watch wildlife, and an old-fashioned garden provide what owner Barbara Napier calls an authentic country experience.

The Estill County farm offers its guests their choice of a four-bedroom farmhouse or a chestnut log cabin. Barbara’s “holler hospitality” means hot breakfasts she cooks herself, cozy handmade quilts to sleep under, and her promise of peace and quiet in which to enjoy the best of Appalachia, whether it’s the sound of rain on a tin roof or a panoramic view of a mountain sunrise.

Barbara’s country retreat has won rave reviews from travel editors. Snug Hollow was named one of the five most romantic getaways in the South by Southern Living magazine. It was also featured in National Geographic’s “50 Best Girlfriends Getaways of North America.”

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For more information:
• Michler’s Gardens & Greenhouses, 417 E. Maxwell St., Lexington, KY 40508, (859) 254-0383

Producer: Marsha Cooper Hellard
Videographers: Amelia Cutadean, Prentice Walker
Audio: Roger Tremaine
Editors: Marsha Cooper Hellard, Brandon Wickey

Greenhouse Tradition

Michler’s Florist

Michler’s, one of the oldest continuously operating florists in Kentucky, has been a tradition in Lexington for more than 100 years. The greenhouses at the business on Maxwell Street near downtown Lexington date back to 1905.

The family’s horticultural roots in Lexington go back to 1900, when German immigrant Carl Michler received an inheritance from his brother Wilhelm, a famous scientist. He used the money to start a cut flower business, naming it Michler Brothers for his two sons, Charlie and Louis. When the sons grew up, they carried on the tradition. In 1937, Louis even patented a double snapdragon, “Kentucky Dawn.”

In later years Michler’s was known for its wedding decorations. The company grew its own cut flowers until the age of worldwide shipping made hothouse flowers available from around the world.

The Fayette County company, now owned by the founder’s great-grandson, John Michler, still operates a florist shop, but also grows perennials and herbs that now make up much of its business. John has developed a reputation as an expert in the field of perennials and garden design and offers garden classes and landscaping for many local homeowners, helping them create the gardens of their dreams.

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For more information:
• Marie-Elena Designs

Producer, editor: Andrea Hummel
Videographers: Michael DePersio, Alan Miller
Audio: Charlie Bissell, Noel Depp

Cultures in Clay

sculptor Marie-Elena Ottman

Panama and the colors and textures of the rainforest are never far from Marie-Elena Ottman’s thoughts. The Louisville artist, a native of Panama, calls her clay sculptures “metaphorical self-portraits,” bringing together the two cultures that shape her life.

Marie-Elena left her paralegal work to enroll full time in art school. Homesickness and a love of clay have pushed her to express herself through her artwork.

Colorful tropical birds—toucans, macaws, and pelicans—are a recurring theme, as well as other wildlife of the tropics: chameleons, crabs, frogs, iguanas, and monkeys. She also creates platters, rattles, and relief tiles, many of which feature Panamanian women in richly colored skirts.

Her work is created using the ancient technique of coil building. Marie-Elena says she has always been attracted to ancient pre-Columbian artifacts, especially those found in and around her native land near the Panama Canal.

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