We Danced on Broadway

Almost a year ago Terry and I got invited to join a group of people to travel to Italy.  We were really excited.  BUT, it finally came down to going to Italy or getting my kitchen redone.  Since I realllllly wanted my kitchen done over, we opted out of the trip to Italy.  Terry said we could still take a trip, so I chose Wisconsin.  So now you are asking, why in the world would they choose Wisconsin.  Well, since I was a little girl and studied geography I learned that Wisconsin has beautiful lakes, lots of farmland, and lots of cows.  My kind of place.  And, as it turns out, my brother-in-law, Dave Decker, grew up in Wisconsin.  Who better to be a tour guide?!  So, Terry and I called Dave and Martha, my sister.  They are always ready to travel and quickly said yes.


We left Atlanta this morning around 9:30.  The day could not have been prettier.  The scenery was great.  As we passed thru Chattanooga, there were two huge flags hanging from a bridge in commemoration of 9/11/2001.  People were honking their horns as they passed under the flags.  It was quite moving.  We drove on thru TN, and as we got into KY the temperature began to cool.  The leaves are turning a little teensy bit golden on some trees.  And all the green is looking tired, as if it has held its beauty as long as possible and is about ready to just drop from the trees.  It was 80 degrees when we arrived in Paducah.


For us quilters, Paducah is mecca.  There is a huge quilt meeting here every year where about 30-40 thousand quilting enthusiasts converge.  There is also a mega Hancock's of Paducah located here that has tons of fabric.   So here I am, panting to get down to Hancock's.  And wouldn't ya know it.....the store closed about 30 minutes before we rolled into town.  Dang it!!!!!  Probably the only time in my life I'll get to Paducah, KY!!!


The lady at the front desk told us about something called Broadway after Dark that takes place in downtown Paducah on Saturdays.  We made our way downtown way before the starting time.  We walked around and learned a little about the town.  Paducah is built beside where the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers converge.  In fact, we could see right where they converge.  And they both run into the Mississippi River about 23 miles north.  George Rogers Clark defeated the British here in 1789 and stopped their movement into the Illinois territory.  Lewis & Clark came thru in 1804 in preparation for exploring the west and trying to find a way to the Pacific.  The market place near the river was originally a log cabin trading post that was built by Lewis & Clark.  It later became a wood frame building.  Then in the early 1800s it turned into a brick building  and then it was turned into a museum in later years.

Living Statue of Liberty

A 4 1/2 mile long flood wall is built along the Ohio River running north and south of Paducah.  The walls are at least 12 feet high and the walls themselves look like they are at least thirty feet above the river itself.   In March and April the river swells such that it sometimes gets to the bottom of the wall.  In 1993 the walls had 18 inches of water against them for two weeks.  I know this is hard to imagine, but if you could see this in person, you would know this is one heck of a lot of water!  There are breezeways along the wall, and when it looks like the water will get really high, there are giant gate-like doors that are inserted into locks and then securely fastened to keep out the water.  One other thing about the flood walls.  The wall is divided into panels.  In the 1960s an artist from Louisiana was hired to paint pictures about the history of Paducah. The cost of each mural is $10,000.  Money is raised by organizations, private individuals and fund raising to pay for each mural.  To this day the artist is continuing to paint the beautiful murals.


Well, Broadway after Dark finally started.  It was three blocks cordoned off.  There were about 6 or 7 street musicians/bands that played music, a living Statue of Liberty, carriage rides (which we definitely enjoyed), and balloon creations.  The weather outside was great, people were having a great time, and Terry and I danced in the street!  The people of Paducah were friendly and welcoming and we will leave here tomorrow with good memories of a town that I thought was only known for its quilts.

Mural on flood wall.  This is the old market place.

Barge pushed along the Ohio River towards the Mississippi