PAINT LICK – A bit of green grass peaked through the white snow that covered the ground Saturday morning in Paint Lick. However slight the snowfall, there was enough for Santa Claus to glide into this historic village that straddles the Madison-Garrard county line.
Children packed into the Paint Lick Fire Department for a chance to sit on the jolly fat man’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas.
Santa sat in a rocking chair next to a white Christmas tree adorned with white yarn angels with golden wings.
“What’s your name?” Santa asked each child, followed by, “Have you been good?"
Then the children got to tell what they wanted.
After several requests for video game boxes, a 4-year-old boy named Mason asked for a puppy dog.
“That will be easy,” Santa said. “My elves won’t have to make a puppy dog.”
After their lap time with the man in the red suit trimmed with white fur, the children got their choice of an apple or an orange. Then it was on to a table attended by some of Santa’s helpers, who gave each child a bag of age-appropriate toys and a note from Martina Ambrosio, one of Santa’s chief helpers, reminding them about the spirit of Christmas.
“This has been a hard year for all of us,” Ambrosio said, before the children sat on Santa’s knee. “Reach out to someone less fortunate and the elderly during the Christmas season.”
The fruit and toys distributed to the children all were donated, she said.
When her mother was a child, apples and oranges were all she and her five siblings received at Christmas, said Colleen Moore, who brought her grandchildren to see Santa.
“That may not seem like much,” she said, “but they were thrilled to get that.”
Her mother’s family also strung popcorn to decorate their tree, Moore said.
Also before the children’s session with Santa, the Rev. Joe Tuttle of the Mt. Tabor Baptist Church read the Christmas story from the gospels of Luke and Matthew.
“Are you glad that Christmas is almost here?” Tuttle asked the children, who replied with a loud yes.
“We all look forward to Santa Claus bringing us gifts, but the real reason for Christmas is the birth of Jesus,” he said. “Christmas lets us know that God loves us, and that we matter to Him.”
Santa Claus was played by Sam Kirby, a Paint Lick volunteer firefighter, who also is a member of the Richmond Fire Department.
Firefighters do not go down chimneys, but they know a thing or two about getting on roof tops, Kirby said after his time with the children.
Both before and after their visit with Santa, the children were treated to cookies and hot chocolate at the Friends of Paint Lick building, where they also got to make some Christmas crafts.
The building functions as a community center. It houses a library and clothing bank, as well as classrooms were GED classes are taught, said Linda Caldwell.
On Saturday, Christmas stockings were hung on the walls, and stuffed animals lined the shelves.
The Friends of Paint Lick were selling tickets for drawings to win a chainsaw donated by a Richmond hardware store and crafts donated by a Berea gallery. Proceeds from the drawing help support the organization activities throughout the year.
Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.
Local News
Santa Claus comes to Paint Lick
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Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
John G. Fee, abolitionist and founder of both Berea and Berea College, will be portrayed Friday night by performer Obadiah Ewing-Roush as part of Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance series at the Madison County Public Library. There is no charge to attend the 7 p.m. event.
As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery. -
Berea woman dies Tuesday in Laurel County crash
A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
After being extricated from her vehicle, Johnson was transported to St. Joseph-London hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report. -
Finally February
Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen. -
Volunteers needed for equine therapy
The Appalachian Foothills Therapeutic Equestrian Center will be hosting two, one-day volunteer training workshops for those interested in helping others with special needs.
The volunteer orientation days will be Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but only one day of training is required, according to Mark Martin who co-owns Appalachian Foothills Therapeutic Equestrian Center (AFTEC) with his wife Cheryl.
The all-volunteer organization, which is based in Jackson County, uses horses to help humans deal with physical and emotional challenges. -
Man accused of holding samurai sword to girlfriend’s throat
A Madison grand jury will hear the case of a man accused of threatening to cut his girlfriend’s head off, and attacking her father with a samurai sword.
Russell M. Masters, 42, of Richmond, is charged with two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, which is a Class D felony, and fourth-degree assault (domestic violence with minor injury) and resisting arrest, which both are Class A misdemeanors. Masters could receive one to five years in prison on each wanton endangerment charge, and the misdemeanors both carry a maximum sentence of one year in jail. -
Arrest made in connection with stolen jewelry, computer
Richmond police have made an arrest in connection with property stolen from two homes last fall.
A woman reported to police Monday that she had discovered several items that were missing from her home on South Killarney Drive and her grandmother’s home on Raintree Drive, according to Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock. The items were a set of gold hoop earrings, a white Sony Vaio laptop, a yellow gold heart pendant, a gold tennis bracelet and a ladies’ wedding band with a diamond setting.
The complainant said the belongings had gone missing sometime between August and October. -
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Voices of Berea business owners upset about upcoming construction on US 25 will be taken to the state level, according to city administrator Randy Stone.
Several people operating businesses along a section of US 25 gave comments Tuesday to the Berea City Council, asking them reconsider plans to widen the road to five lanes.
The design is a five-lane highway with a center turn lane and a 10-foot shared use path on one side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the other side. -
Grand jury to hear copper theft case
The attorney for a man accused of stealing copper from a handful of electric poles questioned his identification as the same person who took copper from 32 poles two days earlier.
Public defender Meena Mohanty questioned Richmond police officer Nicholas Duvall during a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Madison District Court. Her client, Jeffrey W. Nester, 46, of Fourth Street, was arrested in connection with a Jan. 23 copper theft. He is charged with second-degree criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, possession of burglary tools and failure to notify address change to the Department of Transportation. These charges are all misdemeanors that, at most, carry a sentence of one year in prison. -
Judge weighs constitutionality of legislative redistricting
Kentucky’s deadline for filing to run for legislative seats was in flux on Monday because a judge did not immediately rule on a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of newly redrawn district boundaries.
Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd said he expects to enter a ruling in the case by mid-week.
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Couple recovering from injuries suffered in weekend house fire
A couple was hospitalized after their home was set ablaze Sunday by a spark from a cigar, according to a county fire official.
County Fire Chief Jim Cox said the city and county fire departments were called to the home at 111 Concord Road in the early afternoon. Waco Volunteer Fire Department and the Richmond Fire Department also responded.
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