By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
The Olive Hill Center for Arts & Education is probably best known for their annual Christmas on the Hill show and their celebration of Broadway and musicals, On With the Show. Those two events, and the occasional Trail Town Stage show, have been the primary focus of the organization over the last couple of years, especially with the pandemic limiting opportunity and audience size.
But the organization has a lot more on their schedule this year.
The first is an event co-sponsored by the Center’s parent organization, the Olive Hill Historical Society, and the Carter County Historical Society. On Thursday, January 27 the center will present a lecture on the Civil War in Carter County from Kentucky Christian University professor of history Dr. Gerald Dyson, PhD. The event will be held in the OHHS performance space at 120 Comet Drive in Olive Hill.
Dyson said he’s excited for the event, and with the response they’ve received.
“We’ve been very pleased with the reaction to the event, and it’s great to bring together several local partners doing work to preserve our region’s history,” he said.
He explained that the Civil War lecture is the first in a series of quarterly events the Carter County Historical Society plans to present at different locations throughout the county.
“The hope is that this event will be the first of several aimed at shedding light on various periods of Carter County history,” Dyson said. “Further events are still in the planning stages, and we’re always open to collaboration with those with interest and expertise in local history.”
He said the group also plans to livestream the event for those who cannot attend in person, and to post the recorded lectures to YouTube following the presentation. You can find more information by following Carter County Historical Society on Facebook.
The next event is a Valentine themed dinner and show, scheduled for Friday, February 11. The event, in the old high school’s gymnasium, will feature a dinner, beginning at 6 p.m. with the show to follow at 7 p.m. This is a paid event, with tickets on sale at Tackett’s Furniture in Olive Hill. Cost for dinner and the show is $20 per adult, or $10 per person for the show alone. Children 12 and under are admitted for half price.
The final event of the winter season is the Student Arts Festival, organized in partnership with Carter County Schools, on Saturday, February 26 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. That event will include entertainment, workshops for students, and vendors. It will wrap up with an art show and talent show for students to showcase their personal work.
Students who wish to participate can register their artwork or sign up for the talent show may do so online at https://olivehillhistoricalsociety.com/2022-arts-festival-registration-forms/.
Though the event is open to anyone, the events and workshops are centered around school aged children.
The organization is also still seeking sponsors for the event, to keep it free and open for all children as well as to provide lunch for all participants. Those interested in helping sponsor the event may contact Caleb Burchett at calebjb2@gmail.com or you may text or call at (606)225-7270.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
