DANVILLE GUIDE.
Our move to Danville was very last minute, so much so that Jesse and I had only visited the city a handful of times before arriving. It seemed nice enough at first….pretty much the ideal picture of Small Town USA. We didn’t necessarily expect it to be what you might call “progressive.” But happily, we were truly surprised. OK…so maybe “progressive” isn’t the right word….but Danville is on it’s way! We have discoverd wonderful restaurants growing all of their own food. Microbreweries making high quality beer in a county that only recently legalized the sale of alcohol. A processing facility that butchers and sells only local, grass fed, hormone and antibiotic-free meat. And mostly, we have found lots of friendly, welcoming people who make this a true community.Here’s a short list of the things we think make Danville great:
This is where we are….RIGHT NOW! We don’t have internet at Ye Olde Warrenwood, so this is where we come to check our email and escape work for a little while. I am sure that every public library is wonderful, because libraries in general are pretty wonderful…but I happen to believe that the Boyle County Public Library is REALLY wonderful. We kind of can’t believe how nice this little library is. It is SO lovely and full of books (obviously), but also full of art. There are all sorts of interesting installations throughout the building, including multiple pieces by local glass artist Stephen Rolfe Powell. How cool is that? Plus, they have a huge TV in the front entrance that is always tuned in to the bald eagle cam. We love the bald eagle cam.
This is the biggest gem we have discovered so far in Danville. Marksbury is a small, locally owned butcher and processing facility in Garrard County. They also have a retail store that sells tons of local produce, our favorite cheese, milk, bread, honey. It is unbelievable to have a place like this so close to us....small-scale processing plants are almost unheard of, especially because the rules and regulations often cater large, commercial operations. We love this place, and hope to maybe one day sell our own food there! Also, they get big bonus points for giving Wendell dog treats. And by dog treats, I mean enormous smoked pork legs.
As mentioned, Boyle was a dry county up until 2010. Because of this, The Beer Engine can proudly claim to be Danville’s oldest microbrewery! They have an ever-rotating list of beers, and also serve tapas with local ingredients (lots of stuff from Marksbury!) This is where we have connected with several awesome farmer friends (these guys!). And as if it isn’t amazing enough that a small Kentucky town has it’s own (really good) microbrewery, The Beer Engine isn’t the only one! There is also Lore, which sells home-brewing equipment.
This little store is a lot like Wine + Market (oh, how we miss you!). They have wine, beer, whiskey, and bourbon….but also lots of local foods, specialty cheeses, and breads. Jesse particularly likes their champagne selection. There is a little bar/restaurant next door that often has tastings and live music.
Danville is often referred to as the City of Firsts, and poignantly now houses our first farm together! All-in-all, we've loved our short time here so far and look forward to all that we haven't discovered about this place: meeting the local gardeners whose plots we see poking out around their houses and seeing more of the local art, local theatre and the just more of the locals in general. There are so many more places we haven't mentioned, like more local restaurants and Shaker Village and Centre college. If you are ever in the area, definitely stop by any one of these places and prepare yourself for a great experience or two, we've made a habit of it!
STICKERS.
"Land abuse cannot brighten the human prospect." - Wendell BerryWhat we've chosen to do with our lives is not always easy to explain to people, or easy for them to understand, and our endeavors often get relegated to the "hippie" section of people's minds. However, that is not how we think of ourselves, or what we're doing. We work way too hard to be overlooked as absurd. We think of ourselves as serious entrepreneurs who not only consider community and environment, but employ it. We try and survive in cahoots with nature, not in spite of it. Lucky for those of us who have dedicated our lives to this symbiosis, we have people such as agrarian essayist and Kentucky author Wendell Berry to give the movement grace and eloquence; to distinguish our lifestyle as something other than just rebellion; and to inspire us and others to never forget the land we stand on and live off of.Recently Wendell Berry was chosen to speak for the National Endowment for the Humanities' Jefferson Lecture. "[The] most prestigious honor the federal government bestows for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities," according to the NEH. We wanted to share with everyone the speech he gave, a speech which was promptly followed by a member of the board joshingly (but unfortunately, truthfully) noting that Wendell's views do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. government.We thought it would be cool to post the speech in full here but it's quite long so please follow this link. I know we talk A LOT about Wendell Berry, but it's decidedly worth a read, as a way to both get to know Mr. Berry, and perhaps a way to understand better the world in which, or more appropriately on which, we live.
SWEETGRASS.
As we mentioned, we are starting to meet some people. Starting to connect. Starting to find a community here in Danville. I am planning a big ol' post about this city and all the great places we are discovering, but in the meantime, we wanted to share a bit about some new friends.Jacob and Carolyn are young farmers, much like us....they were interns on a farm and are now starting their own adventure together called FOOD LEAF FARM. They have veggies and chickens and goats, plus they make the most wonderful and delicious granola. We are kind of obsessed with them....and their OHmazing granola. It is made entirely with organic and local ingredients....they are even planning on growing and pressing their own sorghum this year! So wonderful. The best part is, you can try some for yourself and we hope you will! Sweetgrass Granola is available at GOOD FOODS in Lexington, MARKSBURY in Garrard County, GRASSHOPPERS out of Louisville, and even ONLINE! We really kind of love these people, even though we just met them....and are so happy to share them with you guys.- Hannah.
