Kentucky Arts and Culture

Justin Rivers, 29, of Bowling Green, will continue his journey on “The Voice,” after advancing Tuesday night to next week’s live performances on the NBC singing competition show. Rivers, who is worship pastor at Crossland Community Church, was pitted against fellow contestant Savannah Berry during the knockout rounds broadcasted Tuesday.

Two Frankfort natives have been nominated for Tony Awards, highlighting their work in theater. George C. Wolfe was nominated in the best director category for his work on Nora Ephron’s “Lucky Guy.” He’s one of four directors competing for the Tony in that category. And Will Chase was nominated for best actor in a featured role in a musical for his performance in “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” He’s among five men vying for the award.

The Kentucky Arts Council awarded more than $50,000 in grants to six organizations to provide “creative aging and lifelong learning” arts programs for Kentucky’s senior citizens.  The Arts Access Assistance grants were created last fall to support programming for specific underserved groups. The first fiscal year of funding will support programs for the state’s senior citizens.

In the annual Kentucky Writers' Day program at the Capitol, Governor Steve Beshear inducted poet Frank X Walker as the state's new poet laureate. Walker is the first African American to hold the post, and at 53 years old, the University of Kentucky professor is also the youngest. The Kentucky Arts Council announced Walker's appointment in February.

Almost the entire life of Andy Narell has been devoted to mastering the steel drum.  The steel drum, also known as the steel pan, was invented in Trinidad, where it was first made from the lids placed atop oil drums. The Grammy-Award winning percussionist describes his instrument as an engineering feat that defies the odds. Narell spoke with WEKU’s Roger Duvall.

Pikeville's Hatfield and McCoy River Trails will open Friday for people to enjoy floating down the calm waters of the Levisa Fork River this summer. The service will offer canoes, kayaks and float tubes to rent and have two- and four- hour trails to choose from.

For the third year in a row, residents and visitors will converge on downtown Frankfort for the Governor’s Derby Celebration, the traditional local precursor to the Kentucky Derby. The event, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 4, is free to the public.

The Paul Laurence Dunbar High School marching band has been selected to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2014. Wesley Whatley, creative director for Macy's, flew from New York City to Lexington to make the surprise announcement during a concert Thursday night. Whatley said more than 175 bands applied to participate in the parade, and just 10 were selected.

Her personality, the times and her background gave Mary Todd Lincoln a place in history and made her one of the more controversial first ladies to occupy the White House.  The Lexington native is the subject of a documentary airing Monday on C-Span.  Producer Mark Farkas says his documentary fills gaps left by Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster film “Lincoln.”  Reporter Stu Johnson spoke with Farkas.

Thousands of people converge on Pike County this weekend for the 37th annual Hillbilly Days Festival.  It will feature crafts, food, and games plus a good dose of Appalachian heritage in downtown Pikeville.  Some 300 vendors have set up for the event.  Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President Jared Arnette says it’s a time to show their pride and products.

Time magazine has issued its 100 "most influential people in the world" with two Kentuckians on the list. Actress Jennifer Lawrence—an Academy Award winner and star of The Hunger Games franchise—is listed among influential artists, alongside Steven Spielberg, Frank Ocean and Jimmy Fallon. Though she now lives in California, Lawrence was born and raised in Louisville and her family is still in town. (And she was recently spotted at a Louisville coffeeshop.)

Heaven Hill Distilleries celebrated a milestone in its history Tuesday with the filling of its 6.5 millionth barrel of straight Kentucky bourbon. Local elected officials and bourbon industry professionals gathered in the cistern room to witness the filling of a new white oak barrel marked No. 6,500,000 with 53 gallons of the spirit. “It is indeed a proud day for our company and our extended Heaven Hill family,” Max Shapira, Heaven Hill president, said.

An inaugural auction of Sporting Art is planned this fall at Keeneland.  It will feature a wide assortment of paintings and sculptures of equine, hunting, and fishing from the U.S. and England.  The first Sporting Art Auction will follow Keeneland’s fall meet and November sales event.  It will include about 200 artworks from contemporary British and American painters and sculptors.  Keeneland President Bill Thomason says it’ll cap off a busy autumn.

Volunteers will soon be recruited for the maintenance of Kentucky’s abandoned cemeteries.  Through its “Adopt a Cemetery” program, Ann Johnson of the Kentucky Historical Society, says people can commit to the care and restoration of abandoned graveyards.  “But, they would take care of it and go back and do a maintenance like maybe once a year.  That type of thing.  And if they want to discontinue that, they can discontinue that.  We would hope that they would not, but at least, if they’ve adopted it to begin with, then they’ve gotten it cleaned up and in really good shape, that’s the most important thing,” said Johnson.

It might not be uniquely Kentuckian, but bourbon is certainly uniquely American.  Its roots can be traced back to the first European colonists who discovered corn whisky was a nice alternative to rum. A new book from Louisville Historian Michael Veach traces bourbon’s influence on US history.  Veach spoke with reporter Charles Compton.