Good Monday morning,

With the season of giving upon us and the spirit of Christmas in the air, we are all balancing the usual fa-la-la-la of late December with heavy-hearted empathy for our neighbors to the west. Much of the Commonwealth is feeling heartbreak for the many families whose holidays have been swept from underneath them by the deadliest tornado outbreak in Kentucky history.

So what do we do? Well, if we listen to what Abraham Lincoln called our “better angels,” this is when Kentucky pride kicks in. And by the looks of things, it is kicking like a Hopkins County mule!

Like thousands of other organizations, the Frazier is raising money for relief efforts: Our board and staff are matching funds raised over the weekend and donating them to the Western Kentucky Red Cross Tornado Relief Effort.

I am proud of the way our state is responding. Despite our differences both political and otherwise, when folks are in need, Kentucky kicks ass. In that spirit, our director of guest services, Mindy Johnson, tipped me off to a Spotify playlist titled Crafted Social Vol. 15: Kentucky Is My Fate. I think you’ll enjoy it.

Also in this week’s Virtual Frazier Magazine, we get a wet Christmas forecast from WHAS11 meteoroligist Ben Pine, Sippin’ With Stephen serves some Rudolph the Red-nosed Rye-deer cocktails, Rachel Platt writes about the late author bell hooks, Amanda Briede shares some Frazier exhibition-inspired gifts, and Heather Gotlib sets up our Winter Break Camps.

You may even get a Bourbon pick from yours truly!

I hope you enjoy,

Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum

This Week in the Museum

Sippin’ With Stephen: Rudolph the Red-nosed Rye Deer With Doc Crow’s

The holiday episode of Sippin’ With Stephen is taking a festive turn. My guests are Iliana Vega and Jeremy Washko from Doc Crow’s Smokehouse and Raw Bar. Iliana is a front of office manager at Doc Crow’s who coordinates the happenings in the restaurant and Jeremy is part of Doc Crow’s incredible bar staff as well as being an Executive Bourbon Steward. These two folks will explain how Doc Crow’s is the perfect food option for individuals on the Bourbon Trail® or groups looking for a fantastic place to dine in Downtown Louisville. The holiday cocktail Jeremy will be making is called Rudolph the Red-nosed Rye-deer and the recipe is below.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Rye-deer

• 1 ½ oz. Knob Creek Rye Doc’s Barrel Pick, or choice of rye

• ½ oz. sweet vermouth

• ¾ oz. demerara syrup

• ½ oz. Frangelico

• 3 droppers of house-made smoked vanilla bitters

• 1 maraschino cherry

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice last. Stir for approximately 6 seconds. Strain into chilled martini glass. Rub maraschino cherry (a.k.a. Rudolph’s magical red nose) around the inside rim of glass. Drop cherry right in. Enjoy!

Happy holidays from the Frazier History Museum and Sippin’ With Stephen.

Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager

Forecasting a Wet — not White — Christmas in Louisville

This year, unlike last year, the odds of a White Christmas are looking rather slim. La Nina (cooler-than-usual surface waters along the equator in the Pacific Ocean) could be to blame, helping set up a wetter, milder pattern for us. This is also not a great weather pattern for the artificial snow makers at our local ski resorts.

The National Weather Service refers to a White Christmas as a Christmas having at least one inch of snowfall on the ground. Louisville has been keeping detailed weather records since way back in 1872 — and since then, we’ve had a White Christmas about once every ten years, on average. If you want to get super specific, Louisville has an 11 percent chance of at least one inch of snow on the ground by Christmas morning. (Overall, our region has about a 10 to 15 percent chance.)

With that said, we had a White Christmas last year, and back in 2010. So, technically, we’re just not due for one — and as mentioned, the weather patterns aren’t looking cold enough, either.

Christmases in Kentucky can feature a variety of weather. For instance, we had a record high of 69 degrees in 2019! As we know, it can also be very cold. Thermometers dropped all the way down to -7 degrees back in 1983. Five inches is the deepest snow we’ve ever had on the ground Christmas Day, which happened in 1939 and again in 2004, which is not too long ago.

So, what’s the prediction for our 2021 Christmas? Well, it looks mild, like much of our December has been so far, with high temperatures possibly in the 60s. When it’s mild this time of year, it’s also usually wet — that’s the trade-off.

A warm and wet forecast isn’t the most festive, but perhaps Old Man Winter will open the door to more winter-like weather around the New Year. If you’re a snow lover, just remember: it’s only the beginning of the winter season.

Data Source

Louisville National Weather Service and WHAS11

Map of White Christmas Chances

Ben Pine
Chief Meteorologist, WHAS11
Guest Contributor

Exhibition-inspired Gifts, Part Three: Kentucky Gift Cards

In the December 6, 13, and 20 issues of Virtual Frazier Magazine, curator Amanda Briede will feature gift ideas inspired by exhibitions at the Frazier.

For my final installment of gifts inspired by our exhibitions, I bring you a last-minute gift idea that I would be pretty happy to find under my tree: Kentucky Gift Cards! Inspired by the “Natural Kentucky” section of Cool Kentucky and my research for our upcoming exhibition The Commonwealth: Divided We Fall, this gift card is perfect for your loved one who likes to explore the Bluegrass State. Kentucky Gift Cards can be used at all Kentucky State Resort Parks and most other park locations, except Breaks Interstate Park. Gift Cards can be used at State Park restaurants, lodges, and gift shops, and can also be used at the Kentucky Artisan Center, the Kentucky Horse Park, and the Kentucky Historical Society’s 1792 Store. Information about purchasing gift cards can be found here.

If you purchase a Kentucky Gift Card for someone, be sure to let them know they can stop by Cool Kentucky at the Frazier to learn more information about some of Kentucky’s natural wonders so that they can try to decide which parts of the state to explore.

Amanda Briede
Curator

Gift Membership Offer Ends Tonight!

Purchase your gift now, before it’s too late!

Remember: if you would like your order before the holidays, you must pick up at the Admissions Desk during regular business hours.

There’s no time like the…present!

Purchase online here.

Note: Voucher will have a set expiration on March 31, 2022.

Note: Offer only applicable for Contributor-level members and above.

Amanda Egan
Membership & Database Administrator

Winter Break Camp: “Decades” and “Artists Aplenty”

Today is the day! As you read this issue of Virtual Frazier Magazine, the Education Team will be preparing for eight days of fun, active learning during our winter break camps. Camps may be underway, but it is not too late to sign up for a day or two!

Our winter break camps are à la carte and run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can attend one day, two days, a whole week, or whenever you might need some extra time for those ever-present holiday errands. We have many exciting activities planned — no screens required!

$52/day non-members | $49/day members

Week One, December 20 – 23: Decades

Life hasn’t always been like it is now — or has it? Join us for a celebration of the unique and universal from a specific period in time. You’ll learn about the highs and the lows, the weird and the wonderful. It will be a fun time-travelling journey every step of the way!

This week’s remaining days are:

• Tuesday, December 21: 1710s

• Wednesday, December 22: 1830s

• Thursday, December 23: 1970s

Week Two, December 27 – 30: Artists Aplenty

Defined broadly, an artist is someone who is really good at what they do. This week, we’ll look at people who’ve broken boundaries, made discoveries, and left their mark on the world — whether they made art, or made something into an art!

• Monday, December 27: Adventurers

• Tuesday, December 28: Inventors

• Wednesday, December 29: Artists and Authors

• Thursday, December 30: Athletes

We are currently enrolling campers in grades 1 to 6, but if you have a child who falls outside of that age range, feel free to email us. For more information or to sign up, click here.

Heather Gotlib
Manager of Youth and Family Programs

Notable Kentuckians: bell hooks

She was born Gloria Jean Watkins but used “bell hooks” as a pseudonym, that name from a maternal grandmother.

And yes, she styled it in lower case, saying it would focus the attention on her work, and not her.

But now the eyes of the literary world, and here in Kentucky, are focused on the trailblazing Black feminist writer and social activist, who passed away last week, at the age of sixty-nine, at her home in Berea, Kentucky.

A native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, she is part of the “Literary Kentucky” section of our exhibition at the Frazier History Museum.

hooks influenced legions of writers, and upon her death the internet exploded with Tweets saying the loss is incalculable, calling her an intellectual giant and spiritual genius.

Upon her induction into the Kentucky Writers’ Hall of Fame, she said she wanted her work to be about healing, and how she was fortunate because she heard from so many who said her work had transformed their lives.

Her work lives on, and so will the transformation.

Rachel Platt
Director of Community Engagement

History All Around Us

Origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas

We all know and have Christmas traditions: Some people love to decorate the tree or make sure their mantle is pristinely trimmed with stockings; others bake cookies as gifts and make sure their wrapping is perfectly coordinated. Personally, I love Christmas music and the joy it brings me the minute the tunes hit the air. As I listen each year to these Christmas standards, I’ve always wondered the significance of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Why do we start counting down to Christmas on December 13? What’s the significance? Like any lover of all things history, I of course had to investigate for myself.

As I was doing my research, not only was I amazed at what I learned — I found the history has a particular significance to Eastern Kentucky.

First and foremost, the Twelve Days of Christmas have nothing to do with December 13. In the early sixteenth century, people of Europe recognized the Julian calendar, named for Roman Emperor Julius Caesar. In the Julian Calendar, which was introduced in 45 BCE, Christmas Day actual fell on January 6, the day of the Epiphany. The problem with the Julian calendar is it doesn’t reflect a full day: Thus, the calendar was off each year, adding days over the years, all the while drifting away from the astronomical seasons like the vernal equinox and winter solstice. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull that declared ten days be skipped. This new calendar is the Gregorian Calendar, and it is the one we all recognize today.

The Gregorian calendar is actual shorter than the Julian calendar — by twelve days. During this new calendar, Christmas now fell on December 25. It took over three centuries for the calendar to be adopted worldwide, although some countries didn’t officially recognize the calendar until the early twentieth century!  The United Kingdom and its colonies adopted the new calendar in 1757. During this transition, you had people celebrating “New” Christmas, the date the church recognized, while some celebrated “Old” Christmas on January 6. As time went on, and the word spread, people understood that the church recognized Christmas as December 25, but still couldn’t break the tradition of celebrating on January 6. The idea of celebrating “Old Christmas” and “New Christmas” became the norm in many places — so much so, a song about the time in between was written: “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

As I was doing research, I came across a letter Letcher County, Kentucky native Dean Cornett wrote in 2008 detailing his memories of celebrating both Old Christmas and New Christmas. Since “New” Christmas and New Year’s Day are merely a week apart, he writes, the two occasions tend to blend together with trees and presents, fireworks and shooting, and of course drinking moonshine. Old Christmas is a quieter experience, with gifts and, instead of stockings, shoes you leave out to solicit treats. The two Christmases practice started from the Scots-Irish immigrants who settled in Kentucky and brought their tradition.

In parts of Kentucky, both Old Christmas and New Christmas are still celebrated today, adding new traditions to the custom over generations.

Casey Harden
Director of Exhibit Ideation

History of Kentucky Eggnog, c. 1765 – Present

We know the Christmas season is approaching when eggnog begins to appear in the refrigerated section of local groceries. Eggnog is a staple during the holiday season, when Americans will consume an estimated 135 million pounds of this rich and decadent drink.

Historians generally agree that eggnog had its origins in Britain during the Middle Ages when milk or cream was mixed with spirits to concoct a drink known at the time as a posset. The drink made its way to America where egg and nog were combined sometime between 1765 and 1775 to describe a drink that was served for occasions other than holiday parties. It was particularly enjoyed by such notables as George Washington. In fact, General Washington insisted that eggnog be served at his marriage to Martha in January of 1759. Washington’s purported recipe for eggnog was a potent mixture of several spirits, including Jamaican rum, sherry, rye whiskey, and brandy!

In early America, the highbrow drinkers of eggnog along the eastern seaboard preferred the addition of brandy, rum, sherry, or a combination of these, along with whiskey. Meanwhile, the backwoods inhabitants of the western boundaries of our country, such as Kentucky or Pennsylvania, only had access to whiskey. Therefore, eggnog made primarily with whiskey began to be referred to as “Kentucky eggnog.”

The Library of Congress preserves the history of American culinary tastes. The collection has preserved a Kentucky eggnog recipe set out below, along with a document that reflects the popularity of this drink in Kentucky.

“Before prohibition on every Kentucky bar there was a giant punch bowl full of eggnog a week or so before Christmas until well after the new year. In the home it made its appearance on Christmas morning and there was always an ample supply…”

Kentucky Eggnog

• 12 eggs

• 12 tbsp. of your best whiskey

• 12 tbsp. sugar

• 12 tbsp. Jamaican rum

• 1 ½ pts. heavy cream whipped

Beat the yolks and sugar together until very light. Then add the liquor slowly, next to the whites, beaten to a stiff froth, and then one-and-a-half pints of cream, whipped.

My family’s recipe of choice for eggnog, using whiskey or Bourbon only, is the recipe included in the second volume of Cissy Gregg’s cookbook, published in 1959. Cissy was a popular food columnist for the Courier Journal where she influenced Kentucky cooks from 1942 to 1963. The introduction to the reprint of her two cookbooks notes that one of the reasons for her popularity was that she wrote in a style that made the reader think they were standing next to her at the stove while she prepared her recipe. The introduction uses her eggnog recipe as an example of this talent where she describes the effort it took to beat the egg yolks for eggnog. Printed below is Cissy Gregg’s recipe as it appears in her cookbook.

Today, consumers worry about eating raw eggs that may contain the hazardous salmonella bacteria. Raw eggs can be substituted with pasteurized eggs to eliminate that concern. Cissy’s recipe also calls for heavy whipping cream. The concoction will be a bit thinner, but you can substitute light whipping cream. If you prefer, you can add less sugar and whiskey and use your electric mixer to whip the egg yolks and whites. This is a decadent drink, which may be the reason we only imbibe one time a year!

Kentucky-Georgetown Eggnog

• 6 eggs, beaten, separately

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 pt. whiskey

• 1 qt. heavy whipping cream

Separate eggs and beat yolks until light.

Add 2/3 of the cup of sugar and beat and beat and beat. They should be thick and lemon-colored, no matter how your arm aches for relief.

(Here I wish to say, before electrification came into our lives with mixers and beaters and the like, women were incorrectly called the weaker sex. Don’t you believe it. I can remember beating egg yolks until they were lemon-colored — all by hand. And I might say here that if electric beaters hadn’t been invented, I surely could pass eggnog by without mention.)

When the egg yolks and part of the sugar have been given the beating effort, turn your attention to the egg whites, which should be beaten until stiff but not dry with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Then slowly pour the whiskey-sugar-egg yolk mixture into the whites, folding it in gently. If you do this, the eggnog mixture will not separate.

Next whip the cream, and fold it into the eggnog mixture. Fold and fold and then let stand, folding again and again. Standing and gently moving the mixture helps ripen it, and that is important for a good eggnog.

The other way we make eggnog combines the Bourbon with ¼ cup rum.

Either way you make eggnog, it can or even should be made 2 or 3 days ahead of time — keeping it cool and stirring it as you pass by. But pass by more for the stirring than the tasting.

Cheers!

Vickie Yates Brown Glisson
Board Member, Frazier History Museum
Guest Contributor

Radcliff Roots of New Film A Journal for Jordan

Kentucky to the World, a wonderful partner of the Frazier, recently offered an early screening of A Journal for Jordan, a new film opening Christmas day. Directed by Denzel Washington and starring Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams, the film is based on the memoir A Journal for Jordan: A Story of Love and Honor by Dana Canedy.

The film does a masterful job sharing the love story of Canedy and First Sergeant Charles Monroe King, as well as the devotion he holds for their young son Jordan through a journal he keeps for him while serving in Iraq. It also manages to thread many universal themes throughout, including strength, integrity, sacrifice, love of country, and the power and importance of family, in the many forms it comes.

Although born in Indianapolis, Canedy has proud Kentucky connections, having been raised in Radcliff and graduated from the University of Kentucky. She has a storied career, including joining the New York Times in 1996 and working her way up to senior editor, serving for several years as the administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes, and currently working as the senior vice president and publisher at Simon and Schuster.

My daughter Adison had the unique opportunity to take part in the digital student program on Dana Canedy that Kentucky to the World offered last year. So I have her to thank for letting me tag along when she was invited to the early screening of the film. And special thanks to Kentucky to the World for highlighting and honoring extraordinary people with Kentucky roots like Dana.

Megan Schanie
Manager of School and Teacher Programs

Staff Pick

West of Ninth Eats: Hip Hop Sweet Shop

As part of our “West of Ninth” exhibition, we wanted to go west and explore, taking time to visit local restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries. Each month, we will showcase a place our staff members have visited. We hope you will visit, too!

On Thursday, November 18, I took another mid-day field trip and traveled over to the Russell neighborhood in West Louisville to try out a local eatery as part of our West of Ninth Eats series. (Click here for last month’s article about Shippingport Brewery and CoffeeBoxx.) This time, I visited Hip Hop Sweet Shop, a dessert shop that recently reopened after a short hiatus due to renovation.

As someone with a major sweet tooth, I have had this shop on my list of places to try for a long time. However, I was drawn in not only because of the delicious looking desserts: The bold atmosphere and attention to detail are really what make Hip Hop Sweet Shop stand out.

Upon entering the shop, I was greeted by colorful, graffiti-filled walls, shiny records hanging from the ceiling, and, of course, a counter filled with dozens of enticing sweets.

The shop sells everything from cupcakes to shakes and cookies. They are known for their fanciful dessert decorating, which makes their treats very Instagrammable. (Seriously, check out the shop’s Instagram!)

I ordered a plethora of items: three cupcakes, two cookies, a brownie, and a peanut butter hot chocolate. I brought the treats back to the office to the excitement of my coworkers in the education department.

I ate the brownie with my hot chocolate (double chocolate = yes please) and gave the rest of the treats to my coworkers to try.

Needless to say, everyone was very pleased.

In addition to serving treats to guests who stop by, owner Lafesa Johnson said, the shop also hosts birthday parties. Plus, they frequently collaborate on events with other local businesses (and nonprofits!) in the area. They recently hosted an event with Russell: A Place of Promise and Play Cousins Collective in honor of National Children’s Day on November 20. They encouraged families to come dressed as their favorite hip hop artists. (So fun!) Plus, they organized crafts and story times for guests who stopped by.

Overall, I had a very positive experience at Hip Hop Sweet Shop and will definitely be returning when I need to satisfy another sugar craving. For the shop’s hours and menu, visit their website here or their Facebook here. If you decide to visit, tell them Shelby from the Frazier sent you!

Shelby Durbin
Education and Engagement Specialist

Bourbon Staff Pick: Andy Treinen on Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon

The Frazier History Museum is the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, so it seems only fitting we should lift a glass to the holidays and say cheers. From November 8 through December 27, each issue of Virtual Frazier Magazine will feature a different staff member’s Bourbon pick for the holidays. Keep in mind, not everyone is a Bourbon expert; however, we all have our reasons for what we like, and we’ll share those with you. And yes, every featured product is sold in our Museum Store, so thank you for asking — and buying!

With over ninety Bourbon selections in our Museum Store, the task of selecting just one is a bit unnerving. Even if you have a favorite kid, would you write about them in a publication that is read by 40,000 people? Many Kentuckians feel the same about naming their favorite Bourbon.

Truth be told, there are multiple outstanding offerings at each of the eighteen Kentucky Bourbon Trail® distilleries and the twenty-three Craft distilleries producing America’s only native spirit. So, I’m going big!

The only thing better than quality Kentucky Bourbon is a high quantity of quality Kentucky Bourbon, beautifully packaged and dressed to success on the bar. That’s why my staff pick is Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon in the 1.75 Liter trophy case-worthy bottle. It’s sure to impress anyone who bellies up to your home bar.

With a hint of lemon or subtle citrus peeking through the traditional vanilla and caramel, a straight tasting of Willett Pot Still has me imagining a gently spiced lemon cake. But my favorite part of Willett is the lingering finish that adds a little cinnamon spice and woodsy macadamia nut to your Kentucky hug.

As always, Willett Pot Still is best enjoyed with the ones you love!

I hope you enjoy.

Andy Treinen
President & CEO

Holiday Staff Pick: Alias Broner on Kentucky Souvenirs

We take great pride in the Frazier’s Museum Store, which has unique offerings that celebrate our state, our heritage, Frazier exhibitions, and so much more. It may be the perfect place to do your holiday shopping, and we are here to help you. From November 8 through December 20, each issue of Virtual Frazier Magazine will feature a different staff member highlighting their favorite items sold in the store.

My staff pick is all about Kentucky. I was born and raised in Kentucky; it’s the only place I have ever lived and known. I am proud to be from Kentucky, because it is about the most genuine, kind, humble, and hospitable place you could be. Kentucky continues to be good to me. Here at the Frazier, our tagline is “Where the world meets Kentucky,” because who wouldn’t want to meet Kentucky?

Alias Broner
Accounting Manager

Bridging the Divide

Ben Langley on Build-a-Bed

“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.”

When I read this quote, I thought it would make a fitting addition to this week’s installment of Bridging the Divide.

By the way, the person who said that was entrepreneur and inventor E. Joseph Cossman. I had to look him up, but the point he made was spot on.

Imagine a child with no bed, sleeping on the floor, who is then expected to be productive in school the next day — a scenario that plays out day after day for about 10,000 children in Jefferson County Public Schools, and that’s a conservative estimate.

There’s despair in our midst.

But there is hope for those children, thanks to Build-a-Bed and the person who heads it up at JCPS, Ben Langley with the Office of Community Support Services.

In early December, the church I attend, First Christian Church, built twenty-five beds for local children, as we have done for the past five years, led by Ben and Harold McDaniel from K & I Lumber.

It’s a game changer for those children: a bed, a pillow, a blanket, sheets, a book, and often times a stuffed animal.

And words of encouragement, words of hope written on the slats that support their bed, words those children will see as their beds are assembled.

Listen to my interview with Ben in which we discuss how you can help this effort, how we can bridge the divide between despair and hope with something as simple as a bed.

Ben’s office phone number is (502) 485-3288 and his email is ben.langley@jefferson.kyschools.us.

Rachel Platt
Director of Community Engagement