Woods And Waters Plans Second Annual Land Extravaganza

Special to Capital Living

Woods and Waters Land Trust is delighted to invite the public to a fundraiser to protect lands in the lower Kentucky River Watershed on Saturday, September 18.

 

The Land Extravaganza features a hike, dinner, a silent auction and music by Joanna Hay and Jeff Ellis.  This year we will be celebrating the acquisition of the Trust’s first conservation easement – land owned by the Schimmoeller family - permanently protecting land in this watershed!

 

Tickets are available at Frankfort Tourism Commission, located at 100 Capital Avenue. Advanced tickets are $30 for adults and $8 for children under 12. The day of the event, tickets are $35 adults and $8 for children under 12. The event takes place rain or shine.

 

Dinner at the Extravaganza will feature local, homemade food and outdoor dining, including:

Russ Kennedy’s barbeque, Stone and Ember’s artisan bread with Amish butter, Cedar Ring Green’s lettuce, Blackberry Heaven’s potatoes and a selection of homemade side dishes including potato salad and pasta salad. Attendees can enjoy a dessert smorgasbord and fresh made sun tea. A variety of wine and beer will be sold separately

 

The Land Extravaganza takes place at 1746 Gregory Woods Road in the hills north of Peaks Mill and the scenic Elkhorn Creek Valley.  As you drive up Gregory Woods Road you will be entering one of the largest blocks of forestland in the central Kentucky region.  The lower Kentucky River watershed – Woods and Waters Land Trust’s focus area – has several large forest blocks, which have been identified as significant by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission.

 

The event is adjacent to Gregory Woods, which contains Franklin County’s best example of climax beech-maple forest.

 

Host of the dinner is Hannah Helm, vice president of the Trust.  Her house was built using salvaged barn lumber and boasts 24 different kinds of wood.  Prajna Construction of Versailles designed and built the house, which was a stop on the 2009 Solar Tour.

 

The Extravaganza schedule also includes an optional hike for those who arrive promptly at 4:30pm.  Hikers will car pool to the hike site, which is five minutes away.

 

According to event hosts, Woods and Water is excited to host a tour of the first land to be placed under a conservation easement.  The Schimmoeller Family Land covers 125 acres at the headwaters of Cedar Creek Watershed.  It is 99 percent forested and shares a ½ mile border with Kleber Wildlife Management Area, a 2,500 acre tract of public land managed by the state. The hike will last approximately one hour and will be of easy-to-moderate difficulty.  Please wear appropriate shoes.

 

Directions to the event are: US 127 North from Frankfort to KY 1900.  Go Right on KY 1900 for 8.6 miles.  Go left on Gregory Woods Road for 1.7 miles.  1746 is on the right.  Signs will be posted from Frankfort.

 

Thanks to the generosity of donors, this year’s silent auction features original artwork, native plants, tools, gift baskets, and certificates for meals, canoe rides, and more. Event sponsors include Earth Tools, Inc., Farmers Bank, Inside Out Design, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Andrew Cammack and the Kentucky State University Division of Aquaculture.