For more information:
• My Favorite Sheep

Producer: Valerie Trimble
Videographers: Angelic Phelps, Prentice Walker, John Schroering
Audio: Roger Tremaine, Dave Dampier, Noel Depp
Editor: Jim Piston
Graphics: Carl Coakley

Christmas Cards

The sheep at Equinox Farm in Cynthiana provide fleece as well as artistic inspiration for Sara Dunham. The woolly beasts as well as other animals on the farm are included each year in Sara's handmade Christmas cards.

Sara and her husband, Tim, raise what they call "sheep with character." There are snow white lambs, of course, but also sheep with spots, sheep with two or more horns, sheep with wool-free faces. Some have distinctive crimps in their fleece, and others have unusually long locks.

The lucky recipients of Sara's cards look forward each year to her thoughtful, whimsical Christmas greetings. Each of Sara's cards features a detailed, hand-drawn scene that highlights the farm animals and their unique personalities.

The sheep and the other animals on the farm—horses, cats, bees, and chickens—are familiar to readers of Sara's blog, My Favorite Sheep. Sara gives us a sneak peak at this year's card in progress and we meet some of the well-loved members of the farm menagerie.

For more information:
• Marksbury Farm Market
• University of Kentucky Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Program
• Rolling Fork Farm

Producer: Brandon Wickey
Videographers: Brandon Wickey, John Schroering

Today's Special—Marksbury Farm Market

It's home for the holidays for Today's Special, and we travel to Marksbury Farm Market in Garrard County to find the best locally produced food for the feast.

Our menu features leg of lamb roulade, goat cheese risotto, and bourbon créme brûlée. Marksbury is unique among food providers in that they've created their own USDA-approved processing plant, ensuring that meats purchased at Marksbury are the most local you'll find anywhere.

Marksbury sells a variety of meats—beef, poultry, lamb, pork—as well as locally produced vegetables, pastas, low-temperature pasteurized milk, cheeses, and breads. While Marksbury's products can be found at their market on Ky. 34 between Danville and Lancaster, they are also in many restaurants in Lexington and Louisville, in schools in the surrounding counties, and at grocery stores.

Our feast is prepared at the Garrard County home of Chef Bob Perry. Dave Shuffett lends a hand as Bob does the cooking. Besides being a chef, Bob is the coordinator for the Food Systems Initiative at the University of Kentucky, where he promotes sustainable agriculture. He and his family live in a 120-year-old home on a historic farm. Our guests for this sumptuous feast are the farmers who helped produce it.

For more information:
• RiverPark Center, Owensboro

Producer: Brandon Wickey

Owensboro's Winter Wonderland

Ice skaters glide through the frosty air. Movie buffs are transfixed by scenes from classic Christmas movies on a giant outdoor screen. The smells of popcorn, funnel cakes and coffee fill the air. It's not Rockefeller Center in New York, but Owensboro's RiverPark Center on the Ohio River.

RiverPark Center's Winter Wonderland, open from late November through early January, is the picture of enchantment with twinkling lights reflecting off the river. Outside it's a street carnival with the largest ice rink in the tri-state area, holiday lights and decorations, and a 25-foot-tall Christmas tree. Inside the center, Santa Claus is making his list and listening as children let him know what they want for Christmas.

Producer/Lighting: Frank Simkonis
Videographer: Frank Simkonis, John Schroering, Jason Robinson
Audio: Roger Tremaine
Audio Post: Chuck Burgess
Editor: Dan Taulbee

St. Paul Music Ensemble

To close out this year's Christmas program, the Adult Music Ensemble at St. Paul Catholic Church in Florence performs traditional Christmas music.

The church is proud of its musical tradition. Recordings of the church's music exist from nearly 45 years ago. Today Steve Mason leads the music program. He is a teacher at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts and is first-call keyboardist with the "Broadway Across America Series" in Cincinnati.

The Adult Music Ensemble features lead singer Julie Maile, flutist Emily McCafferty, percussionist Mark McCafferty and bassist Andrew Hans.