history – The Great Kaysby

Future History

Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated by living history. I remember being little (the 90s) and thinking it was so cool how people got to dress up as characters from the past and bring history to life. I remember going to Civil War era and turn of the 20th century living histories the most. One of my all time favorites was to a Civil War village where they told my (still) favorite ghost story: the hitchhiking ghost girl. Now as an adult who has been exploring living history the last few days, I got to thinking about living history in 80 years or so. How will they represent the late 1900s and early 2000s?

The first thing I imagine in “Future History” is museums dedicated to the evolution of portable technology. I can see it now! Welcome to the Apple Oasis: A Salute to Tablets and Phones! Another thing I imagine is the costumes of the living history characters. They won’t be in fancy dress like our current living history folks; they will be in Converse, mom jeans, and crop tops! And their hair will be all the colors of the rainbow instead of hidden under a bonnet! Additionally, in “Future History” they will talk about “when cars used fuel and had to be driven by a person”. In fact, people might pay to drive a car themselves! Finally, I imagine a lot of “Future History” being virtual reality as opposed to actually visiting places. While I enjoy going and viewing history in person, I’m sure there are just as many who like to view it on a screen from their own home! No matter what happens, I’m sure “Future History” will be interesting!

Do you enjoy living history? What do you think about “Future History”?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

The Day History CHANGED

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Last night when people across the country went to bed, a woman had never been Vice President of the United States. Today, just before noon, that changed forever when Vice President Kamala Harris changed history by taking the Vice Presidential Oath of Office. Whether you voted for Biden and Harris or not, you cannot deny the significant historical change of today!

As an elementary aged girl in the late 80s and 90s, I remember hearing the question “Would you rather be the first woman in the NBA or the first woman president?” Understand that this also predates the WBNA being formed. I remember saying first woman in the NBA with hesitation partially because I wanted to give “the cool” answer, but also because the idea that a woman could be president seemed impossible at the time. Truth be told, even though my own state had a female governor from the time I was seven months old until I was four, the idea of women having a major impact on politics seemed impossible at the time. Watching history be changed today, I wish I could go back and tell nine or ten year old me, “Just you wait. Women will have power politically in America!” Guess what? Today, we have that power!

Many years after being that little girl, as I look at the world through “mom eyes”, I am beyond thrilled that LilKsby – who is partially Pacific Islander – will grow up in a world where he sees that all people regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender CAN achieve political offices that once seemed impossible. I am tickled pink that the first Vice President he will remember is a female of color! I am also elated that his peers will grow up in a country where doors have been opened for everyone! Doesn’t that make you feel the empowerment behind the historical changes today?

History aside, I made two other thought changing observations today. Did you know that the Hebrew meaning of the word “Salem” is peace? How ironic that a place where the name of the town meant peace would be synonymous with witch trials! Also, did you notice the number of officials wearing purple at the inauguration today? Think about it…if you take red (Republican) and blue (Democrat) and mix them together, you get purple. What a great symbolic gesture of unity! What if as this change grows the country went from red or blue to all together purple? Peace could be in the works! Peace in our land would be another great change to history!!

Here’s to change!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Leaving Laramie

The past couple months I’ve had the privilege of working on a production of The Laramie Project. I had the job of costumer which involved making “like big ass wings” for a band of angels, and I performed the part of Trish Steger. Trish is a real person – as are all the other characters in the play – who lived in Laramie, Wyoming when Matthew Shepard was murdered.

“Who is Matthew Shepard?”

That’s a question I was asked yesterday, and at first I didn’t know how to respond. I was flabbergasted that someone didn’t know who Matthew was. I thought knowing about Matthew was as common as knowing about Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Mother Teresa. I explained in brief that Matthew was a young man killed for his sexual orientation.

However, Matthew was so much more than that! He was a college student studying political science, friend, son, and brother who was passionate about equality. In his brief time on earth he saw more of the world than some of us will ever see as he lived in Saudi Arabia and went to high school in Switzerland. Tragically, he was savagely murdered in Laramie, Wyoming for being gay. At the time of his death he was 21 years old, and now it has been 21 years since his death. I can’t believe that time has passed so quickly that Matthew has now been gone for as long as he was alive. Matthew’s death has had a lasting impact not only through The Laramie Project, but also with The Matthew Shepard Foundation (https://www.matthewshepard.org/) and legislation such as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

For me personally, The Laramie Project has been important because I believe that it is essential to remember events and notable persons of the past. When we – society as a whole – forget the past, then we cannot learn from it and create a better tomorrow. This is the same reason that I liked being a part of The Crucible back in the spring and enjoy teaching it each year! By remembering history through the arts, we can experience the raw emotion of the past and use said emotion for improving our own minds and the minds of those around us. We can teach love, tolerance, and fairness! We can inspire hope and change! Through the arts we can also continue the legacy of ordinary people who’ve purposefully or unintentionally played a part in extraordinary things!

So as I leave Laramie behind, I can say that being a part of this show – even though I only had 6 sets of lines and dressed folks – has been an impacting, significant experience that I have learned from and will never forget. To all those who were part of the cast and crew, you did a terrific job of breathing life into Laramie! To all those who saw the show, I hope you felt moved to make a difference to someone in your life! To those who didn’t see it, take some time to learn about Matthew Shepard (another great resource is http://eatromaine.com/1/index-laramie.html).

Most of all, never forget…

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

KY-ish Staycation

“Staycation all I ever wanted…staycation no time to get away.”

The idea of a staycation – officially a bona fide Merriam-Webster word since 2009 and allegedly used as early as 1944 by the Cincinnati Enquirer – has been a growing trend in the US since the financial crises of the late 00’s. The idea of a staycation is simple: enjoy a vacation while being able to sleep at home. Staycations can be as easy as hanging out at home and just doing fun things like vegging on the couch, playing video games, and watching TV. They can also be a trip to somewhere within a 3 to 4 hour drive from which you can go and come back in one day. Either way, they are typically cheaper and require less advance planning than a getaway vacation. With summer fast approaching, I thought I’d talk about some great Kentucky-ish (aka some are in Tennessee or Southern Indiana also called SoIn) staycation spots!

Corvette Museum – Now I don’t know a lot about engines or specs on a transmission, but I know pretty and shiny! Oh and you can see a cool exhibit of some cars falling in a sinkhole! You’ll also have a chance to see the only 1983 Corvette in existence which as an ’83 baby I find interesting. As an added bonus, you take the tour at your own pace which allows you to spend as little or as much time in the museum as your attention span allows. Adults – $10 – http://www.corvettemuseum.org

Kentucky’s Stonehenge – So this guy, Chester Fryer, built Stonehenge replicas in his yard. It is really neat to walk through (which you do at your own leisure) both because it is pretty to look at and the work that went into the development is amazing. We went and saw it in 2008! FREE – http://www.kystonehenge.com

Lincoln Birthplace – good if you either like history (me) or climbing a lot of stairs (not me). The natural spring on the property is beautiful as is the replica cabin. Plus, the tree from the property known as the Boundary Oak totally provided the name for a local distillery! Don’t you think Lincoln would have totally approved? FREE – nps.gov/abli/index.htm

Cumberland Falls – home of the epic Moon Bow! Which BTW is not someone mooning you in front of a waterfall! It has been billed as the Niagara of the South and is very pretty. Thankfully, there is a lot to do at the State Park because truth be told you can only stand around looking at a waterfall for so long before it becomes boring. But in the park you can go white water rafting, attempt to take a raft up under the falls, hike, enjoy activities in the lodge, chill in a cabin, etc. All this makes it a great location! Some free activities, some not so much – parks.ky.gov/parks/resortparks/cumberland-falls

21C Museum Art Gallery – This is the uniquest gallery I’ve ever been to! I love the variety of media represented in their installations. A favorite of mine is the installation shaped like a tornado made up of items salvaged from a tornado. It is a quick tour, but well worth it with everything else on Museum Row! Free – 21cmuseumhotels.com/louisville or for those in the Lexington area 21cmuseumhotels.com/lexington.

Discovery Park of America – Just across the Tennessee line is this gem of a museum! There is literally something for everyone here and the building is shaped like a dragon! Plus, for an additional fee you can attempt an escape room. Oh! And for no additional fee you can climb on an old train and pretend to be a conductor or the dude in the caboose! General Admission Adult – $14.95 – discoveryparkofamerica.com

Mammoth Cave – home of a really cool tour where the only light is a lantern you (aka Mr. Kisby when we went) carry on the journey! Plus in the cave are cool features like an abandoned TB hospital, old mining equipment, and supposedly a ghost or two! Prices vary by tour – nps.gov/maca/index.htm

None of these tickle your fancy? Here are some other popular attractions!

Louisville Slugger Museum – Free mini bat with admission!
Squire Boone Caverns – Lot of stairs, but you get to see a coffin!
Indiana Caverns – Is it a walking tour? Is it a boat ride? Is it both?
Frazier Museum – Lots of old school sharp objects and shiny armor!
Speed Art Museum – Good art, good times!
Rauch Planetarium – Space fun for the whole family!
Newport Aquarium – Fish? Pretty! Sharks? Freaky Fun! Penguins? I LOVE PENGUINS!
Forest Edge Winery – Good wine, great people!
Castle Post – It’s a castle in Kentucky…enough said!
Keeneland – It is beautiful and you can gamble KY style by betting on horses!
French Lick and West Baden Inns – cool 1920’s architecture, a freaking amazing dome, gambling, and wine with Italian food.

There’s a lot more staycation kind of things to do around Kentucky, but these are some of the tops I recommend! Let me know which ones you like best!

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