Free Admission Wednesday Night, Supporting Heroes Tree Honors First Responders, 1901 Christmas Purse, and More
Merry Christmas, all!
We’re not going to overload you with content on this holiday edition of Frazier Weekly, but I do hope you take just a couple of minutes to check out our Frazier family video Christmas card. It’s just the latest example of why I feel I work with the most outstanding people in the world.
Kudos to our Mick Sullivan and Kent Klarer for the solid vocals and outstanding video production. As you can see, the entire team chipped in with cameos and creative contributions. If you’re looking for a pick-me-up with family and friends today, pop it on the big screen TV and dance along.
Whatever your faith and whoever you love, here’s wishing you a happy last week of 2023.
While planning, consider a free trip to the Frazier Wednesday evening for Lights on Main Late Night Wednesday, presented by Derby City Gaming Downtown. Not only is admission free from 5 to 8 p.m., but there are also free tastings and a free cocktail from our friends at Heaven Hill Distilling.
In today’s issue of Frazier Weekly, we introduce you to our newest team member Leslie Anderson, Tish Boyer shares a Christmas gift from 1901, and Army veteran Morgan Hancock writes about the Supporting Heroes tree in Lights on Main. Speaking of service, Rachel Platt is building beds with the folks at First Christian Church of Louisville.
For those of you spending the holidays in the kitchen, we have a recipe from Vickie Yates Brown Glisson. Pulled candy can be a fun holiday tradition for the entire family.
I sure hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Frazier to Offer Free Admission Wednesday Night Courtesy of Derby City Gaming Downtown
Looking for something to do with your family this week?
This Wednesday, December 27, the Frazier Museum will be open until 8 p.m. for its fourth and final Late Night Wednesday of the year. Best of all: from 5 to 8 p.m., admission is free for everyone—courtesy of our partners at Derby City Gaming Downtown!
Visitors tour all three floors of Lights on Main during last week’s Late Night Wednesday at the Frazier, December 20, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Guests toast at last week’s Late Night Wednesday at the Frazier, December 20, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Guests can tour all three floors of museum exhibitions—including Cool Kentucky, The Commonwealth, The Spirit of Kentucky®, The Lewis & Clark Experience, The Stewart Historic Miniatures Gallery, Spirited Design: Old Forester’s Mid-Century Decanters, and Lights on Main, which closes January 8. Families and kids can follow a scavenger hunt through Lights on Main, an exhibition made up of seventy-five beautifully decorated trees.
If you’re age twenty-one or older, Heaven Hill Distillery will offer you one free tasting and one free batched cocktail.
Finally, if you’re interested in booking a private event in 2024—such as a wedding, a business meeting, or a reception dinner—our events team members will be here to lead free site visits of our facilities.
Thanks again to Derby City Gaming Downtown for their generous support!
We look forward to seeing you here Wednesday night.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Lights on Main Supporting Heroes Tree Honors 200 Fallen First Responders
I’m proud to share about Bourbon with Heart’s latest initiative: the Hero Tree.
The Hero Tree is a poignant and heartfelt tribute to our local heroes and is part of the Lights on Main exhibition at the Frazier History Museum. The Hero Tree is a special dedication to over 200 fallen first responders from Kentucky and Indiana.
From left, tree artists Marty O’Daniel and Cris Carter pose beside Lights on Main Tree #66 Supporting Heroes, on display at the Frazier, November 17, 2023. Credit: Bourbon with Heart.
Detail of Lights on Main Tree #66 Supporting Heroes, November 15, 2023. Credit: Bourbon with Heart.
In creating this tribute, Bourbon with Heart collaborated with two incredibly talented artists, Cris Carter and Marty O’Daniel. Cris brought her tree-decorating expertise to the forefront, while Marty’s artistic skills shone through in her hand-painted custom ornaments. These unique ornaments portray our local first responders as superheroes, a fitting tribute to their courage and selflessness. At the base of the tree, Marty also crafted a wooden display spelling out “HEROES,” featuring the names and photos of these 200 brave individuals who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
In an effort to extend our support and remembrance, we invited the public to sponsor these ornaments for $100 each. All net proceeds will go directly to Supporting Heroes, whose mission is to honor the service and sacrifice of public safety heroes who give their lives in the line of duty—by caring for the loved ones they leave behind.
This tree does more than just honor the memory of these brave individuals; it also enables us to illuminate Lights on Main with a message of gratitude and remembrance, celebrating those who sacrificed everything for our safety and wellbeing.
To learn more, visit bourbonwithheart.org.
Morgan Hancock
Founder & Director, Bourbon with Heart
Guest Contributor
From the Collections: Purse Gifted to Boyle County Native, Christmas 1901
Giving presents at Christmas has been a long tradition in human history—even before Christmas was a holiday.
The holiday of Christmas finds it roots in the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia in which thanks was given for the bounty of the agricultural god Saturn. The festival, which took place from December 17 to 23, was full of public banquets and private gift giving. Sound familiar? When Christianity was adopted into Roman culture, the banning of such festivities was not easily accomplished so the church decided to change the celebration and thus Christmas was born. Even from those early days of Christmas, gift giving was still honored. This was possibly influenced by the fourth century saint Nikolaos of Myra, who was famous for his love of giving gifts. Can you guess who we think of him these days? Of course, this is quite possibly where St. Nick or Santa Claus finds his beginnings in our storytelling of Christmas.
However, whatever (or whoever) you believe in, Christmas has always held the tradition of gift giving near and dear. Those gifts come in many forms, ranging from the small to the large, the personal to the public, and everything in between. Of course, in our modern day, you will hear plenty of people go on and on about the commercialization of Christmastime gift giving. I happen to think it’s a very beautiful tradition, though, as often loved ones will send something that is specifically for the receiver and that can often make one feel so loved. So, for your viewing pleasure as our Frazier friends, we pulled a piece from the collection that we think is so wonderful and special.
Purse that was gifted to Ellen Irvine McDowell Davis from Danville, Boyle County, 1901. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
We have this beautiful little silver purse with a pale green silk interior and small chain handle, which was given to Mrs. Ellen Irvine McDowell Davis by her husband Reverend William Y. Davis on the first Christmas of their marriage. Ellen was from Danville, Boyle County, and William was from Bloomfield, Nelson County, though they eventually settled in Louisville. If you look closely, you will see that William had the purse engraved “EMcDD from WYD Dec 25, 1901.” This would have been a very fashionable piece at the time: a beautiful gift indeed.
Tish Boyer
Registrar & Manager of Collections Engagement
Museum Shop: Pop the Cork Champagne Earrings
Champagne bottle earrings sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop and online. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Celebrate the dawn of a new year in style with our champagne bottle earrings—because who says the only thing popping should be the bubbly? Cheers to a dazzling entrance into 2023! These are available in the Museum Shop and online.
Growing up on a farm, you cook, bake, and can throughout the year. However, during Christmas the pace in the kitchen increases. My family made all our Christmas treats from scratch using recipes handed down for generations—purchasing such discretionary items was not considered an option. We would spend time with our family making gingerbread, fruitcakes, divinity, peanut butter roll, and in particular pull candy.
Ruth Hanly Booe hand-stretching Kentucky creamed pull candy, 1923–33. Credit: Rebecca Ruth Candy.
Making pull candy was quite a production—a team effort. Family members carefully planned for the best evening for everyone to gather to make pull candy. The weather had to be just right—not too humid and very cold.
The pull candy gathering was usually at our farm because we had a large marble slab that worked perfectly for making the candy. Dad purchased the marble slab when the bank in Taylorsville moved—probably with pull candy in mind! He made a coffee table for the den and topped it with the marble slab that was removable so we could take it out into the cold on the evenings we made pull candy.
Interestingly, my Mother was not able to pull the candy because it would turn to sugar while she pulled the warm mixture. She thought this was because her hands were too warm for pulling the candy. She participated by being the one who oversaw boiling the mixture on the stove.
Pull candy, which is sometimes called cream candy, is a popular treat in parts of Kentucky, particularly at Christmas. There are not a lot of ingredients in the recipe and the ingredients are usually ones that farm folks had on hand—sugar, butter, vanilla, and boiling water. Some recipes use vinegar and/or heavy cream, but our family recipe did not.
The process to produce pull candy begins by pouring the boiled ingredients that have reached the hard ball stage on a candy thermometer onto a cold buttered marble slab. The marble slab must be cold, or the mixture will run off the slab. You must monitor the candy mixture closely and when it becomes cool enough to handle you must quickly gather up the candy mixture in your hands and begin to pull the mixture by hand over and over until it becomes almost white and pearlized. The time varies but it usually takes at least 10–15 minutes of vigorous and continuous pulling of the mixture.
It is then formed into a long rope and quickly cut into small pieces with kitchen shears. My favorite stage of the candy is when it is still warm and before it has creamed—a soft taffy-like concoction. The candy is supposed to rest overnight and miraculously, the pieces will turn into a creamy melt-in-your-mouth concoction.
It is not known exactly who created pull candy or when it was created. There are recipes that go back to the 1800s. However, three entrepreneurial women in Kentucky are credited with keeping the demand for pull candy alive in our state. Their businesses still flourish today.
Rebecca-Ruth Candy, located in Frankfort, Franklin County, was started by two friends and substitute schoolteachers, Ruth Hanly Booe and Rebecca Gooch, in 1919. The two women started selling their homemade candies, including Kentucky creamed pull candy, from the local Frankfort Hotel. Although the business ran into financial challenges, it survived by creating new products, such as its famous Bourbon balls.
In 1921, Ruth Tharpe Hunt of Ruth Hunt Candies began operating a small store out of her home in Mt. Sterling, Montgomery County, where she sold her homemade pull candy. Ruth eventually outgrew the space and in 1930 she built a small factory on Main Street in Mt. Sterling to produce the treats. Ruth Hunt Candies is still going strong today and is made in an expanded factory in Mt. Sterling. Ruth Hunt is noted for her version of pull candy called “Blue Monday.” It is a large piece of pull candy covered with bittersweet dark chocolate. Ruth has made Blue Monday for over sixty years. The candy got its name when years ago a traveling preacher would visit Ruth’s shop to pick up one of the treats as a cure for his “blue Monday.”
Maxine “Mom” Blakeman works the register at her candy shop in Lancaster, Garrard County, Kentucky, 1941–70. Credit: Mom Blakeman’s Candy.
In the 1940s, Maxine Blakeman began making pull candy in the basement of her home to sell in her restaurant located in Lancaster, Garrard County. Its popularity led her in 1961 to expand and market her candy. It is known as Mom Blakeman’s Candy. According to the company, Mom Blakeman was encouraged to go into business by none other than Colonel Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.
Below is my family’s recipe for pull candy. I hope you will make a batch with your family during this holiday season!
Yates Family Cream Pull Candy
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 lb. butter (no substitutes)
1 cup cold water
2 tsp. Royal baking powder
Instructions:
Mix ingredients together and place over medium heat and stir constantly until the butter is melted. Once the butter is melted, do not stir again and boil to 262 degrees on a candy thermometer. Immediately pour the mixture onto a cold buttered marble slab. As soon as the mixture is cool enough to handle, pick it up and pull it until it turns almost white and has pretty indentions. Pull the mixture into a long rope and cut with shears to desired length. Place the candy pieces in a container that seals and keep the pieces separated until they cream. The candy usually creams overnight. The candy will keep for several months or you can freeze it up to one year. Do not freeze until the candy creams.
You can add food coloring or flavorings to the ropes as you start to pull the candy. You can use red and green for Christmas or pastels for spring.
My family’s recipe calls for Royal baking powder. Royal baking powder is still manufactured. The key is to use a baking powder that is double-acting. A single-acting baking powder will likely not produce satisfactory results.
Vickie Yates Brown Glisson
Board Member, Frazier History Museum
Guest Contributor
Frazier Museum Offering BOGO Membership Deal through Sunday
Our December Membership drive is wrapping up. Make sure to take advantage of this truly amazing gift before it’s gone!
Membership BOGO banner. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
All month long, we’ve been providing a free gift membership for every gift membership purchased! This holiday season, there’s no need to check your list twice . . . unbox more fun at the Frazier!
Buy a gift membership at any level and receive a FREE Individual or Family membership (for you, or another gift!)*
Get more out of your holiday shopping by gifting a membership today**!
As a thank you, make sure to stop in the Museum Shop this Wednesday for an appreciation double discount day!***
Members gain early access to special pricing, receptions, and members-only events ALL YEAR LONG! Gather your friends, coworkers, and neighbors and have them join the Frazier family because here at the Frazier, members experience more!
If you would like to take advantage of this offer by phone, please call (502) 753-5663.
*Free membership will be equal or less value. Renewals, College level, and Brown-Forman Individual memberships are not applicable for this promotion. Become eligible by purchasing a new Individual level membership or higher.
**Purchase the first membership as usual. Our Membership office will automatically send you a membership certificate along with your welcome packet.
***Exclusions apply.
Amanda Egan
Membership Manager
Introducing Partnership Manager Leslie Anderson
New year, new employee! The latest addition to the Frazier Museum’s staff is our partnership manager Leslie Anderson. I took a class with Leslie way back in our college days (go Cards!), so I look forward to working with her again. We’ve asked her to share a bit about herself, her background, and her hobbies. Welcome to the team!—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
I’m a Louisville native and glad to be back in my hometown! I earned my Ph.D. in French and francophone studies at Tulane University in New Orleans and hold undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Louisville in French and anthropology. Prior to joining the Frazier, I taught French language and culture in higher education here in Louisville and in many corners of the United States. In my free time, you may find me knitting or enjoying a hike with my dog, Castle. The Frazier’s mission resonates with me, and I couldn’t be more excited to come onboard as the partnership manager. I look forward to bringing my creativity and enthusiasm to this knowledgeable and unflagging team as we work together to ensure a successful future for the museum.
Leslie Anderson
Partnership Manager
Cards and Cat to Go Bowling this Week in San Diego and Jacksonville
As the saying goes, “if “ifs,” “ands,” or “buts” were like candy and nuts then everyday would be Christmas.” Coined by the late Don Meredith, the aphorism became a favorite of Al Michaels, the famous NFL play-by-play analyst, whenever he wanted to take stock of a controversial finish in a professional football game. But the saying could be used to describe this year’s bowl season in college football, too.
Since December 4, when ACC Champion Florida State was left out of the game of musical chairs which has become the College Football Playoff (CFP), there has been a ripple effect throughout the entire landscape of college football itself, particularly with the bowl placements for the schools themselves—including the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.
Because Florida State was left out of the CFP, the Orange Bowl (normally offered to the ACC runner-up and played in Miami) was instead awarded to the Seminoles. This bumped Louisville, the actual ACC second-place team, out of the Orange Bowl in Miami and to a lower-tiered bowl.
But even then, the Cardinals had to play a waiting game for where and when they would go bowling. Once word on the street hit that FSU had been denied an invite to the CFP, odds were that Louisville would go to the Gator Bowl; but, in a cruel twist of fate for the school (based on reporting from Stewart Mandel of The Athletic) the Southeastern Conference had “dibs” on that bowl and opted to send bitter rival Kentucky to that bowl in Jacksonville, Florida.
Hours after FSU had been snubbed, Brett McMurphy of Action Network HQ tweeted that Louisville had been awarded a bid to play in the Holiday Bowl against the University of Southern California.
Though U of L AD Josh Heird did his levelheaded best to virtually entice fans and alums to head to San Diego to attend the game, there were quite a few complaints from fans about the site of the bowl being too far away to travel to watch in person, and on a weekday no less. Fortunately for Cards fans who cannot afford to travel for the game, the Holiday Bowl will be broadcast nationally during primetime. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. this Wednesday on FOX.
As for the Cats: well, they have a date with the Clemson Tigers in Jacksonville. The game will be televised nationally. Kickoff for the Gator Bowl is this Friday at noon on ESPN.
A final note: We at the Frazier wanted to wish 2013 Sugar Bowl–winning quarterback, U of L alum, and NFL veteran Teddy Bridgewater a happy retirement. After a nine-year career in the league, “Teddy Two Gloves,” as he was affectionately known by Cards fans, plans to retire from the NFL after this season and coach high school football for his alma mater in Florida. We wish Teddy nothing but the best in this new stage of his life, after football. Thanks to Megan Schanie for notifying us of this announcement from Teddy.
Brian West
Teaching Artist
Bridging the Divide
Bedding on You to Help!
It has become a December tradition at First Christian Church of Louisville to build beds for children who need them in our community.
And this year, for the first time, our church, my church, formed a partnership with Crescent Hill Presbyterian to come together for the meaningful work.
A Build-a-Bed volunteer writes a message on a bed slat, December 9–10, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Build-a-Bed volunteers assemble beds, December 9–10, 2023. Credit: Build-a-Bed.
Build-a-Bed volunteers hold bags, December 9–10, 2023. Credit: Build-a-Bed.
Church member Ben Langley is the driving force behind Build-a-Bed. As part of the Office of Community Support Services for Jefferson County Public Schools, he is tasked with filling the impossible need of finding beds for children. It’s estimated 10,000 children in JCPS don’t have that basic need.
That statistic blew my mind when I reported on the story while working at WHAS-TV a few years ago. I knew I had to do more—and luckily, our congregation agreed. We have done the yearly build ever since.
The joint project this year with Crescent Hill netted twenty-five beds, pillows, sheets, blankets, books, and teddy bears for the children. Volunteers wrote words of encouragement on the slats that will support the bed. Those loving messages are meant to support the children who will see them, who will sleep in a bed perhaps for the first time.
Oh my, what we take for granted.
I write this in hopes we won’t take a bed for granted each night we go to sleep. I write this in hopes you might reach out to Ben Langley to see if there is something you can do. It’s hard to sleep once you know the need.
Ben’s email is ben.langley@jefferson.kyschools.us. His office phone is (502) 485-3926.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
