• Formal Tea and Reception, Friday evening, January 6: Mary Allender, chair, assisted by members of the Home Demonstration Clubs.
• World's Biggest Pot of Chili, Saturday, January 7: Don Wesley, Chair.
• Inaugural Parade, Saturday afternoon, January 7: Paul Barry Jones, J.T. Coomer, Mayrine Rogers, and State Senator Doug Moseley.
• Formal Dinner, Saturday night, January 7: Sue Stivers, Chair. (Tickets, $10 per person.)
• Inaugural Ball, Saturday, night, January 7 (post-banquet): Barbara Barnes & Phyllis Yarberry, Co-chairs. (Tickets, $10 per couple.)
• Finance Chairman & Treasurer: Don Moss of State Farm Insurance, assisted by Gaylon Yarberry & Ed Waggener.
• Publicity: Allen Reed, general manager, WAIN AM & FM radio, assisted by Ed Waggener.

"An assumed theme for the entire proceedings was that 'a new day is coming for Columbia and Adair County,' and if the enthusiasm and support shown by the turnout Saturday is any indication, there is not only going to be a 'new day' but also many 'better days' in the near future for many of us."

"When Columbia, Adair County, KY was the focus of attention - some of it not so respectful as they ought to have been. Jealous, one would guess. The Columbia/Adair County Inauguration Day, happened of a Saturday, many survivors recall, Saturday, January 7, 1978. More than a few have memories of the day. Some think there hasn't been anything like it since."

There's gotta be a Protective Spirit looking over Adair County.

Else how can you explain the Perfect Weather for the Perfect Inauguration Celebration which Adair County enjoyed on Saturday.

During the Parade the downtown thermometer was showing a balmy 63. And Sunday afternoon it started sleeting, then freezing, then snowing.

But not Saturday, not Inauguration Day. The Weather was as if requested.

Everybody had a great time

Everybody had a great time. We got a chance to show off the County to an estimated 6500 local and visiting spectators. Newsmen were here, politicians were here; the curious came, the chili-hungry and the warning-of-hunger farmers came.

The weekend moved so fast, only happy glimpses remain.

...there was the Reception, elegantly prepared and carried out by Mary Allender and Sue Stivers. A dense fog cut the crowd, but still, the attendance exceeded expectations...those who attended remarked that Columbia is lucky enough to have Merkley Lounge at Lindsey Wilson College for such occasions...

...of seeing Nancy Berley, royally dressed up in a super-smart burgundy crushed velvet pants suit...

...there were the night scenes Friday night, of the chili bowl being prepared, of the last minute preparations by Larry Alexander, the electrician who designed the heating devices. And then, glimpses of the Columbia-Adair County firemen, those there-when-needed heroes, hosing down the Square, readying it for the next morning...

...there were the anxious people, up early Saturday morning, to see a roped-off square, worrying that the drizzle and overcast might turn to showers and downpours...

...and the sight of the young county judge and the new mayor, out at 8:30 a.m. The mayor in casuals, the judge already decked out in a pin-strip three piece business suit. And of the ubiquitous "World's largest chili bowl" t-shirts...

...of going home and seeing my oldest son, Pen, dressed up in the same attire, of the two-year-old, Tom, demanding a chili-shirt...and of giving him one at 9:00 a.m. as a way of pacifying him until "p'rade" time...

...of going to the open house at W.A.I.N, and seeing Jeff Kay broadcasting in a chili-shirt, and Allan and Teresa Reed, and John Begley and Dr. McDonald relaxing after readying the new station for the Big Day (and of seeing the Big Day get its first disaster when the two-year-old spilled punch on the hall floor; but they didn't mind. Great folks!)...

...of tasting the chili for the first time. Of seeing the pleased expression on Master Chef Carl Harris' face, and the excitement of George Neal and the Columbia Lions at putting out the good Stuff to the public...

...of knowing the day would be a success, when Pete Walker's double, his son Hughes, and Louisville lawyer Mike Noyes showed up and announced they might want to practice law in Columbia...

...of keeping up with the two-year-old Tom, while Linda, Pen and Anita Compton completed the newspaper float; of being "rescued" by Catherine Montgomery, who "borrowed" Tom until his Aunt Glinda came by to take a ride on the float...

...of watching politicians swap stories. Seeing R.L. Walker and George Wade come to the Square and give their blessing to the occasion and listening to Walker and Walker and Noyes and Pat McWhorter, George Atkins representative, discuss the upcoming Governor's race...

...of wondering if the crowds would be in town, if the newsmen would be here. At being relieved to meet Andy Mead of the Lexington Herald and hearing Ron Garrison, a photographer for the Herald was here; of seeing Ken Hoskins and Pam Spaulding of the Louisville Courier-Journal here; of being pleased that the Campbellsville paper had a photographer-newsman on hand for the event; of the relief at knowing that TV coverage would be here when Columbia's own Jim Shepherd of Channel 13, Bowling Green, drove up in his Chevette and packed out his 45 pound video camera; and hearing that WAVE-TV and WHAS-TV had newsmen present; and remembering that Paul Harvey's staff, called at the insistence of Eldon Trubee, had promised that the commentator would tell about the chili bowl in his Monday broadcast...

...of being worried when things quieted down around noon, and of wanting some noise, some music, something going on over the PA system; of watching Larry Russell Bryant doing behind the scenes work while his boss, Judge Brock, was getting ready for his own appearance...

Of wondering about sales

...of wondering how the day would affect sales in Columbia, and of learning from Ann Cundiff that the Daily Statesman had set a daily record for subscriptions with 68 people coming by Saturday morning to get in on the Inaugural Special...

...of wondering if Inauguration Day would be a homecoming, and of learning it was, when I saw a favorite son of Columbia's, Hopkinsville businessman Bobby Collins, in town with his specially outfitted travel van...

AND THERE WERE MORE GLIMPSES...glimpses remembered the magnificent show of the tractorcade...of seeing Grover Cleveland Gilpin and Clint Baise, two usually reserved farmers, out demonstrating; and of Cowboy Larry Legg being so prominent for the American Agricultural Movement...

...of being relieved at seeing the sun peep through the clouds at noon, and of the bands forming, and at discovering that the town was jam-packed on every street, not just the corner I was on...

...of seeing Bill Walker with Mayor Harvey Sloane, and of hearing Walker tell about the Inauguration being a chance for Mayor Sloane to see Dr. M.C. Loy's new clinic, and of the instant friendship the two men made--a friendship that might not have been but for the festivities...

...of seeing Duel Gabbert, who'd been photographed with the Louisville Mayor before, renewing his friendship; of watching Mayor Sloan with former Louisvillian Carl Harris...

...of watching the parade begin, with Grand Marshall Wayne Perkey coming by with Mayrine Rogers; of seeing the grandeur of the Mayor's Big, Black Continental carrying Sue Stivers, and Dan Ellis; of the new County Judge and his family riding in the Big, Black, Fleetwood Cadillac of Larry Russell Bryant's--and of the nice touch of pomp added by the two small American flags on the Caddy...

...and of the surprise everybody got when the Mayor waved from his 'bago, the new recreational vehicle he rushed to buy before the Inauguration...

...of the thrill of hearing the Ft. Knox marching band and the Adair County bands; and at wishing that the local bands had their leader here to share the glory of the occasion...

...of watching the excitement of the kids when the Burger Queen float went by with Queenie Bee on it; of wondering again and again at the beauty of mechanical marvel the Columbia-Adair County Jaycees put into the parade, the float with the giant hammer which pounded up and down, building a better Columbia and Adair County--the float designed by Billy Burns Pickett and painstakingly built by Adair County's finest young men...

...of the excitement of seeing my own fellow workers and our beautiful Miss Print, Joyce Wisdom, and the kids and mothers on the newspaper float...

...of being pleased at the performance of the emcee, Senator Douglas Moseley, who knew just what to say at the right time...

...of being shocked at how realistic the cannon booms were when Morgan's raiders of Russell County fired in the direction of the old hotel ruins--seeing the smoke clear, hearing the glass shatter over Grimsley's Jewelry, and thinking how clever it would have been to have had a "before and after" shot of the cannons being fired and then showing the hotel ruins...

...of knowing that the temper of the day was right when Rev. Raymond Martin delivered the invocation...

...of choking emotions when Lula Kate White delivered the magnificent unaccompanied solo, "America," and of Doug Moseley adding to the charged emotions by inviting the thousands-voiced multitude to join with her in repeating the anthem...

...(of the rendition eliciting thoughts of another grand singer, Mahalia Jackson; of thinking Mrs. White is in the same class or better)...

...of watching the awards presentations. Of seeing the guy who likes to work behind the scenes getting things started, Gaylon Yarberry, running around during the program in a (heaven forbid plain) white teeshirt...

...of feeling pleased with the day, proud to have had a part in it; of feeling no hostilities toward the doubters who had said it would never happen; the Old Guard which fought it; of remembering that it just doesn't matter who's against a project--just who's for it; of thinking that finally a New Capable Minority was forging the New Day...

...of watching the humorous episode when Larry Russell Bryant drove up after the ceremony in the Big, Black, Fleetwood Cadillac and George Neal held the door while Judge Brock and his family boarded the limousine and rode off, chauffeured by Bryant...

...of trying to see if any of the TV stations had gotten the event on the 6:00 p.m. news; of Mother telling us that [channel] 13 doesn't have Saturday local news.

...of hurrying to the Banquet; of being proud of Linda with her florist-bought-rose-with-baby's-breath in her hair and her original equipment dimples...

...of the surprise at seeing the capacity turnout of fine ladies in floor length gowns and men in vested suits or tuxedos...

...of the pleasant surprise when I finally got to the buffet and had a chance to spear-my-own right-rare roast beef prepared by the Dillon House...

...of hearing raves for the event, and the food, from the group gathered; of seeing Very Important Columbians from every church, from both political parties, from every line of business, assembled in such numbers as never before...

...of a prescient feeling, hearing Lindsey Wilson's forceful President-elect John Begley deliver the invocation asking guidance for "this county and this town" we love...

...of seeing history made at the banquet, as Columbia and Adair County learned to both recognize its leadership giants of the past and renew a faith in the future by honoring the New Day...

...of thinking that the community really has proper sense of values when Bill McClendon delivered a touching tribute to former to Mayor W.R. Murphy and of a speechless--for once--Dr. Murphy accepting a plaque with tears in his eyes; of the pride Mrs. Murphy exuded seeing the occasion...

...of the heartfelt applause Adair Countians rendered when a beloved political giant, O.A. Durham, was honored; of realizing that in Adair County, Cotton's presence is an absolute necessity for a good time...

...of the emotion-charged atmosphere when a poised, gracious Helen Flatt, made that long walk to the speakers' table to accept an award honoring her husband, past-sheriff Noah Flatt; of realizing that the applause was both for him, as he gallantly holds onto life in his hospital bed following a massive stroke, and for Mrs. Flatt, one of the Special People of Columbia, Adair County, and particularly Lindsey Wilson College...

...of watching the animated Wayne Perkey entertain like Vegas; of watching the crowd from the rear alternately watching Perkey and Dr. Heimo Reckmann, as Perkey did his Lufthansa Airlines skit in his best German accent; it made Dr. Reckmann's evening...

...of seeing Shirley Grant of the Dillon House, looking all the more like a young Elizabeth Taylor, finding it difficult to hide her pride as was inundated with accolades for an unforgettable catered dinner...

...of seeing the evening close with the happiest revelry as the New Day celebrants ended 30 hours of Inaugural Festivities, dancing to the swinging music of "Eloquence"; at seeing things Go Right for a smiling Cousin Barbara Barnes, who planned that first Adair County Inaugural Ball...

...of awaking early Sunday morning to get a Courier; of being pleased with Courier-Journal coverage; of realizing that Ken Hoskins' story told it all--well; that Pam Spaulding's photos were excellent; that it would be a hard act for a local boy to follow...

...of going home to find that the two-year-old, Tom, was refusing to go to Sunday School without his chili-shirt...

...of the pleasure of seeing the coverage of the event in the Sunday Lexington Herald-Leader, including a full-color front page photo and pictures on another page and picture and a story on a third...

...of anticipating the final assessment of this One-of-a-Kind Event...

Remembered Glimpses.

We had our Day.

• American Agricultural Movement--an organized attempt 1977-1979 to bring to the attention of the general public the depressed economy of American farmers at the time.


• Atkins, George--future candidate in the 1979 Kentucky democratic gubernatorial primary; he finished well back in a nine-person race.


• Dillon House--a restaurant opened in Columbia on april 1, 1977 in the old Dillion residence on the corner of Greensburg & Dillon Streets, co-owned by Maxine Wade and Shirley Grant.


• Grimsley's Jewelry--then located on the Square between Campbellsville Street and the north corner of the Square.


• Martin, Rev. Raymond--pastor of the Columbia Christian Church since the fall of 1967.


• Mcdonald, Dr. L.R.--president of Lindsey Wilson (Jr.) College 1971-1978.


• Merkley Lounge--full name The Annice Merkley Lounge, located on the campus of Lindsey Wilson College. Named in honor of a long-time girls' dormitory matron, the lounge, part of a new dormitory, was formally opened on Saturday, November 16, 1968, as part of lindsey's homecoming activities. prior to her marriage in 1929, Mrs. Merkely, then Miss Gailor, had attended Lindsey Wilson College for two years.


• Old Hotel Ruins--the new Adair Hotel, located on the exit corner of the Square and Greensburg Street, had burned in early November 1977, barely two months before the inaugural celebrations.


• Perkey, Wayne--long time morning radio personality on WHAS 840 Radio, Louisville. At one time, his was the highest rated radio program in america.


• Reckmann, Dr. Heimo W.--Adair Memorial Hospital radiologist since 1962.


• Sloane, Harvey--had just finished a four-year term as Mayor of Louisville, the first of two non-consecutive terms he held the office. It already was openly known he planned to run in the Democratic primary for the 1979 Kentucky gubernatorial race. He lost the primary bid to eventual governor John Y. Brown.


• Trubee, Rev. Eldon--pastor of the Columbia-Union Presbyterian Church. He and his family had arrived in town in 1977.