Producer: Donna Ross

Ring, Christmas ... Saw?

Holiday music with Homer Ledford

This 1998 Kentucky Life holiday special gets off to a musical start with a visit to the set by Winchester’s Homer Ledford, a traditional bluegrass musician and instrument maker. As he and host Byron Crawford reminisce about Christmases past, Ledford mixes in a folksy selection of holiday tunes—including “Silent Night” played on a saw.

Ledford, who died in December 2006, was best known as a player and crafter of traditional laptop mountain dulcimers, having made more than 6,000 of them. He also made banjos, guitars, and fiddles and patented a creation of his own: the dulcitar. Sold all over the world, his instruments have also been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution.

As a performer, Ledford toured throughout the U.S. and in South America, Japan, and Ireland, backed by his long-time band, the Cabin Creek Boys.

For more information:
• Triple ‘F’ Christmas Tree Farm, 1260 Love Ridge Rd., Chaplin, KY 40012, (502) 673-3658

Producer: Charlee Heaton

O Tannenbaum

Triple ‘F’ Christmas Tree Farm

For many, the holiday season would not be complete without the sight and scent of a festively decorated evergreen. At the Triple ‘F’ Christmas Tree Farm in Nelson County, just buying the tree is half the fun. Owners Lonnie and Charlotte Flora offer hot chocolate and hot cider, a gift shop with hand-made Christmas crafts, hay rides, and a “magic” Christmas tree for the kids.

Even the farm’s address seems to reflect the season of goodwill: It’s on Love Ridge Road in Chaplin.

For more information:
• W.P. Pemberton & Sons, 555 Keller Ct., Lexington, KY 40511, (859) 254-6552

Producer: Gale Worth

The Red and the Green

Poinsettias at Pemberton’s

Finally, visit another Kentucky family that grows a seasonal specialty. W.P. Pemberton & Sons in Lexington, in business since 1870, is a busy greenhouse year-round. But in December, the hot item is definitely the poinsettia, which Pemberton’s has grown since the early 1950s.

The poinsettia is named for Joel Robert Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico. A botanist, Poinsett naturally brought some interesting plants back with him when he returned to the U.S. in 1825. One, originally cultivated by the Aztecs, was the showy red-and-green plant that has since become a holiday decorating staple.