For more information:
• Crane House/The Asia Institute Inc., 1244 S. Third St., Louisville, KY 40203, (502) 635-7659

Producers: Connie Offutt, Marsha Hellard

Crossing Cultures

Crane House

Want to learn Chinese cooking? Need etiquette pointers for your business trip to Japan? Teaching a unit on the Philippines? Just curious about other cultures? Chances are you can find what you need at Crane House, a private, nonprofit center that aims to be Louisville’s link to Asia.

Founded in 1987 by Helen Lang as a Chinese cultural center, Crane House has since broadened its mission to include promoting understanding of all Asian cultures. Programs ranging from ceramics and language classes to lectures to an annual film festival are held at the center itself, which also houses an extensive library. But much of Crane House’s activity takes place elsewhere—in schools, where staffers present numerous workshops on Asian peoples, and even overseas: Each summer, American teachers sponsored by Crane House travel to Asia to work with teachers of English on improving their conversational skills.

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For more information:
• Red River Gorge Climbers’ Coalition, P.O. Box 22156, Lexington, KY 40522-2156
• Stanton Ranger District, 705 W. College Ave., Stanton, KY 40380, (606) 663-2852

Producer: Guy Mendes
Videographers: Brandon Wickey, Gale Worth, David Ray Robinson
Audio: Charlie Bissell
Editors: Guy Mendes, Dan Taulbee

Rock Stars

Rock climbers in the Red River Gorge

Daniel Boone may or may not have spent a winter here, and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas took a famous hike back in the early 1970s, when environmentalists were fighting a proposed dam that would have flooded it. But to outdoor adventurers from around the country—and even the world—the Red River Gorge is best known as the home of a remarkable concentration of climbable cliffs.

Officially designated a National Geological Area, the gorge runs through Powell, Wolfe, and Menifee counties, within the national forest named for Boone. Over eons, the combination of highly erodable sandstone and Kentucky’s abundant running water created a region of rugged and varied rock formations, including one of the densest concentrations of rock arches anywhere. Nearby Natural Bridge State Resort Park preserves one of the largest and most accessible of the arches and is the area’s most popular “tourist attractions.”

But on this visit, we step away from the crowds and the trails to hang out with those who prefer to get to the top by more adventurous means. These rock climbers and rappellers form a culture all their own, with specialized clothing, gear, and language and a code of ethics based on responsible stewardship. Their unofficial headquarters is a pizza parlor in Slade, where they congregate before and/or after a day of muscling their way up cliffs to compare notes.

Special note: The original music for this segment was composed by Jay Bolotin, who was profiled in Kentucky Life Program 723. Photo by Guy Mendes.

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For more information:
• Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission, 801 Schenkel Lane, Frankfort, KY 40601, (502) 573-2886

Producer: Dave Shuffett
Videographers: Gale Worth, Michael Follmer, Dave Shuffett, Ernie Martin
Editor: Jay Akers

Our Wet West

Western Kentucky wetland scenery

More of Kentucky’s natural beauty ends this program, but this segment won’t require so much exertion. It’s our “music video” tribute to the state’s far west, where the breathtaking scenery sometimes reminds visitors of Deep South bayous. The segment includes scenes from Metropolis Lake, Reelfoot Lake, the Ballard Wildlife Management Area, and Swann Lake.

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