But I did make it to Bowling Green later that day, around 4PM Central time, if memory serves me correctly.
Now here's the 2nd part of my series on the adventures I've had during my 15 years of living in the south.
6. US Space and Rocket Center
I am a fan of the Apollo space program from the 1960s. I've read a dozen books on the subject, watched as many movies, TV shows, and documentaries about that time period that I can find and I have a small collection of Saturn V rocket models.
Only 3 hours away from my Smith's Grove home is the US Space & Rocket center. The museum serves as the official visitor's center for the Marshall Space Flight Center. The facility is literally the cradle of the development of the technology and hardware that helped the United States win the race to the moon.
Among the exhibits on display are a space shuttle, an Apollo command module, a lunar module, and my all time favorite museum display, a actual Saturn V rocket.
In May 2006, I got opportunity to stand underneath a real Saturn V rocket!!!! I can't tell you how thrilling that was for me. Even 8 years later it still makes me smile. Look closely at the picture below. Take my word for it that's me.
I also had the chance to walk around a lunar module in a setting that was meant to simulate being on the moon. I added the stars in the back ground to this picture to make me look like I'm on the moon. This is one of my all time favorite pictures of me.
If I had to choose my favorite vacation, after the two trips to Walt Disney World of course, it would be the one to the US Space and Rocket Center.
7. Branching Out To Ballparks
I didn't realize it before I moved here but south central Kentucky is a great place to live if you are a baseball fan. There are a lot of cities with Major League teams within a days drive. It's like the trunk of a tree with branches reaching out to many Major League Baseball stadiums.
Over the last 15 years I've been to see 5 teams in cities that are relatively close by. I've been to see the Cincinnati Reds play at least 6 times, the Chicago White Sox twice, I've been to see the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Milwaukee Brewers each play once.
Out of all the ballparks I've been to I would have to say that Miller Park in Milwaukee was my favorite. It was the first, and still the only, domed stadium I'd ever been to. The experience of walking from a parking lot under an umbrella trying not to get drenched in a rather heavy rain and into a stadium where there's a completely dry baseball field was a very strange and unique experience.
This picture was what I saw through the windshield of my Vue just before I got out of the car to walk in to the ballpark.
This is the view from just behind the section where I sat for the game.
Minor league baseball had been even a bigger part of my Kentucky baseball experience. I've already mentioned the Louisville River Bats, but I've also been to see the Sounds, the AAA team in Nashville several times.
Of course without a doubt the team that has been the biggest part of my baseball fandom over the last several years is the Bowling Green Hot Rods. From the start of the 2009 season until 2012 I had a season ticket plan. I've been to dozens and dozens of their games. The most unique experience I've had at Bowling Green Ballpark is being a guest commentator on their radio broadcast for an inning during the 2012 season.
As far as I'm concerned there is no doubt that living in Kentucky has made a big difference in the way I've been able to enjoy baseball. Over the last 15 years I've gone out to the ballgame probably more often than I had the entire 39 years I lived in the Lehigh Valley area.
Now I know I wrote in yesterday's post that these 15 adventures are not in any order. For the most part that is true but these next 3 have to be grouped together to maintain a logical continuity.
8. Zanies Comedy Club
I'd always wanted to go to a comedy club but never had the chance until I moved to Kentucky. Zanies comedy club in Nashville, Tennessee is where I've been going to see my favorite stand up comics for more than a decade. I've gone to shows by myself, with my wife, with friends, and even church members.
Among the most famous comics I've seen are John Pinette, Frank Caliendo (pictured below) and Bob Zaney.
The most common genre of stand up comedy I've seen at Zanies is Christian comedy. This group of "clean comics" have included: Jeff Allen, Brad Stein, Ken Davis, Paul Aldrich and Taylor Mason.
Without a doubt the two Zanies headliners that have had the most influence on me are ventriloquists Taylor Mason and Jeff Dunham.
On April 1, 2006 Michael and I went to see Jeff Dunham. This was before Jeff became the comedy star that he is today. He was still working in clubs back then.
Seeing Jeff that night reminded me how much I loved the art of ventriloquism. It was his performance that helped me make the decision to try to learn to be a ventriloquist again.
Seeing Taylor Mason, on stage showed me a that you can let the audience in on the joke when it comes to the reality of performing ventriloquism and even include them in the act. His non-conventional approach on stage gave me a new perspective on performing.
Here's a picture taken after his performance on Feburary 13, 2012. The pig is named "Paco."
He has also written a wonderful book entitled "The Idiot's Guide To Ventriloquism." I have it on my Kindle and refer to it often. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn ventriloquism from the ground up or even just wanting to learn how to write good solid comedy material.
Experiencing just exactly what good comedy performances look like is good for anyone who aspires to be on stage themselves or even if they just want to be funnier. Not only that it's a great way to enjoy a night out with your friends.
For me Zanies has given me the chance to see some of the best comedy around right from the front row.
9. Vent Haven Ventriloquist Convention
After seeing him at Zanies in the spring of 2006 I started following Jeff Dunham's blossoming career. While doing so I heard him mention that was an annual convention for ventriloquists. He said it was an event he tried his best to attend every year.
While searching the internet for some help in learning ventriloquism again I found information about the Vent Haven ventriloquism museum in Kentucky, near Cincinnati, OH. I also found out that Vent Haven was the sponsor and host of the ventriloquism convention I'd heard Jeff Dunham talk about. It was taking place in July 2006.
The convention's website gave all the information I needed to know including a schedule of "classes" that would be offered. I decided that I wanted to go to the convention to meet and learn from the experts.
I went for 2 of the 4 days of the convention. I met the puppet maker Steve Axtel. Over the years I have purchased many of his puppets and products.
I took classes from a few ventriloquists that I had never heard of at the time. That doesn't mean they weren't the best in their field. Mark Wade, Tim Horn, and Pete Michaels were at the top of their field. The fact that I had never heard of them before just told me that ventriloquism was in need of a public revival.
That revival would be led over the next few years by and Jeff Dunham and Terry Fator, who gained national attention when he won America's Got Talent a year later in 2007.
By the way I did get to meet Jeff Dunham and have my picture taken with him. The "Jose Jalepeno" puppet he is holding was used in his lecture to discuss the importance of flexibility and the skill of improvisation in performing.
I took a tour of the Vent Haven Museum here are some of my favorite displays including some Edgar Bergen and Paul Winchell characters.
Also while at the convention bought several props to help me get started in my own ventriloquism career.
The most important purchase I made on that trip to Fort Mitchell took place in a truck stop along I-65 at exit 105 which is marked Lebanon Junction/ Boston.
That's where I got my first puppet, Irving the fish. It just so happened that the Sunday morning after I got back from the convention I gave the children's sermon at church.
Excited and motivated from the convention I decide to take a bold step. I cut a whole in a shoe box and used Irving to present the sermon. As you can tell from this picture both the children and the adults (check out the choir members in the back ground) were captivated by my efforts. I was hooked. I've been doing ventriloquism ever since.
Being in a place where I could go see Jeff Dunham at Zanies In Nashville and see the potential of the world of ventriloquism at the convention was a life changing series of events. And a couple of years later I would experience yet another event that would also encourage me in my puppet ministry.
10. One Way Street's International Puppet Festival
Two years after going to the Vent Haven Convention I went even further north to just outside Chicago to attend yet another gathering of ventriloquists. This time the group's interest was more specialized. It was festival of Christians who worked with puppets.
One Way Street, a Christian based puppet ministry materials and supply company out of Centennial, Colorado, held the festival annually on the campus of Olivet Nazarene College in Burbonais, Illinois.
The International Festival of Christian Puppetry and Ventriloquism was a week long learning "camp" mostly for church groups made up of kids and teenagers involved in puppet ministry. But there was a program and classes offered for ventriloquists as well.
Having been ministering to the children in my church with ventriloquism for 2 years I was excited that there was a gathering of other Christians who were involved in the same ministry.
I learned a lot from the classes and met a lot of fellow Christian ventriloquists. Among the experienced and inspirational vents I met was Liz Von Seggen. I learned more from her during the few days I was at I-fest than any other ventriloquist I've ever met.
The best thing about I-Fest was finally meeting others who aspired to be successful in their ventriloquist ministry and being taught by those who already had been. It showed me that even though sometimes I felt very isolated in my ministry there were others out there who were just like me.
There you have 5 more of the 15 adventures I experienced during my first 15 years living in south central Kentucky. I have the final five and wrap up my retrospective of my first 15 years in Kentucky in tomorrow's post.
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