Cove Haven Cemetery, Huntertown, Julia Perry, and More
About
Kentucky Life features our state’s great diversity with stories of its people, places and ideas. Since 1995, Kentucky Life’s focus has always been to help Kentuckians celebrate unique and regional people and cultures and present stories capturing the history and heritage of Kentucky.
Host, Chip Polston
Chip Polston began his tenure as host of Kentucky Life with the premiere of season 28.
A familiar face to Kentuckians, Chip has appeared on air during several KET pledge drives, was the host of KET’s Mixed Media and the longtime on-air personality for the Kentucky Lottery.
Chip is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and the University of Louisville. He is a lifelong Kentuckian and is thrilled to be traveling the state to highlight stories of the Commonwealth’s fascinating people and places.
Learn about the life experiences that led Chip Polston to his dream job as Kentucky Life‘s host.
Where will we go next?
Don’t miss any of our adventures; follow us on Facebook for updates, behind-the-scenes info, and more!
Recent Episodes
Season 28 Episodes
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TV Schedules
Upcoming
USA Cares; Beattyville Exhibit/Veterans Wall; Fort Knox Therapy Dogs - S23 E6
Premiered On: 11/11/2017
"Kentucky Life" salutes our veterans. USA Cares focuses on supporting military families in need, Beattyville's pride in its veterans is on display at Three Forks Historical Center and the Lee County Memorial Wall, and the Canine Assisted Therapy program helps Fort Knox veterans with traumatic brain injuries. A 2017 KET Production.
- Tuesday May 7, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 7, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Tuesday May 7, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 7, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
The Bell Observatory, CMH23 Radio, Hopewell Museum, Butchertown - S29 E14
The Bell Observatory at Western Kentucky University inspires future astronomers; a partnership between Prestonsburg's Mountain Arts Center and online radio station, CMH23 Radio, aims to support the next generation of country music legends; Chip visits the Hopewell Museum in Paris, Ky.; the history of Butchertown, one of Louisville's oldest neighborhoods. A 2024 KET production.
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 5:00 am ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 4:00 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 10:00 am ET on KET2
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 9:00 am CT on KET2
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 2:30 pm ET on KET2
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 1:30 pm CT on KET2
- Thursday May 9, 2024 3:30 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 9, 2024 2:30 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 9, 2024 11:00 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 9, 2024 10:00 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 9, 2024 11:29 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 9, 2024 10:29 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 1:00 am ET on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 12:00 am CT on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 9:30 am ET on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 8:30 am CT on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 12:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 11:00 am CT on KETKY
- Saturday May 11, 2024 3:30 pm ET on KETKY
- Saturday May 11, 2024 2:30 pm CT on KETKY
Dr. Clark's Kentucky Treasures - S12 E22
Premiered On: 12/02/2006
A special expanded edition tours 11 places designated by the late historian Dr. Thomas Clark as sites every Kentuckian should visit: the Abbey of Gethsemani, Augusta, the Cane Ridge Meeting House, Cumberland Gap, the Falls of the Ohio, the Fitchburg Iron Furnace, Land Between the Lakes, Lilley Cornett Woods, Mammoth Cave, Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, and the Speed Art Museum. A 2006 KET production hosted by Dave Shuffett.
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 7:03 am ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 6:03 am CT on KETKY
- Saturday May 11, 2024 6:59 am ET on KETKY
- Saturday May 11, 2024 5:59 am CT on KETKY
Woodland Native Americans; Indigenous Peoples Day in Stanford; Blue Wing Landing; Kathy Conroy - S23 E7
Premiered On: 11/18/2017
The cultural and historical significance of earthen mounds created by the Woodland Native Americans who lived in the land that would become Kentucky; Stanford celebrates Indigenous Peoples Day; take in the scenery, the history, and the bow-fishing along the Kentucky River at Blue Wing Landing; and scratchboard artist Kathy Conroy creates lifelike animal portraits in Pleasureville. A 2017 KET Production.
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 4:02 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 3:02 pm CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 8, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers; Maker's Mark; Effie Waller Smith; Haven Gillespie - S23 E8
Premiered On: 12/23/2017
Celebrate a Kentucky Christmas! Enjoy the acapella style singing of the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood Singers; Doug visits with Rob Samuels of Maker's Mark Distillery; learn about Pikeville writer Effie Waller Smith, a daughter of former slaves who published poetry books and short stories during the early 1900s; and songwriter Haven Gillespie (1888-1975), a Covington native, co-wrote one of the widest-selling Christmas songs of all time. A 2017 KET Production.
- Thursday May 9, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 9, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 9, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 9, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
South Union Shaker; Capital City Museum; West End School Louisville; The LEXington Theatre Company - S23 E9
Premiered On: 04/14/2018
The South Union Shakers in Auburn were a progressive community; the Capital City Museum highlights Frankfort's bourbon heritage; learn how the West End School in Louisville empowers its students and its community; and The LEXington Theatre Company brings in Broadway stars to work with Broadway hopefuls.
- Friday May 10, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 10, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
The Great Kentucky Hoard - S29 E15
In this special episode, find out how more than three million dollars in Civil War-era gold coins were found in a Kentucky farm field. How did they get there? For the first time, hear insights from the farmer who discovered them in what is now known as the Great Kentucky Hoard. A 2024 KET production.
- Saturday May 11, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KET
- Saturday May 11, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KET
- Sunday May 12, 2024 7:00 am ET on KETKY
- Sunday May 12, 2024 6:00 am CT on KETKY
- Sunday May 12, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KET
- Sunday May 12, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KET
- Monday May 13, 2024 2:00 am ET on KET
- Monday May 13, 2024 1:00 am CT on KET
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 2:00 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 1:00 am CT on KETKY
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 10:30 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 9:30 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 5:00 am ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 4:00 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 10:00 am ET on KET2
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 9:00 am CT on KET2
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 2:30 pm ET on KET2
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 1:30 pm CT on KET2
- Thursday May 16, 2024 3:30 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 2:30 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 11:00 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 10:00 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 11:30 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 10:30 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 1:00 am ET on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 12:00 am CT on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 9:30 am ET on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 8:30 am CT on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 12:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 11:00 am CT on KETKY
- Saturday May 18, 2024 3:30 pm ET on KETKY
- Saturday May 18, 2024 2:30 pm CT on KETKY
Lincoln: "I, too, am a Kentuckian" - S14 E27
Premiered On: 03/01/2008
In a special expanded edition of "Kentucky Life," host Dave Shuffett travels from Hodgenville to Springfield, IL to Washington, DC to explore the life and career of Kentucky's most famous native son. The program examines the many Kentucky people and places that profoundly influenced Abraham Lincoln with stops at his birthplace and boyhood home near Hodgenville, the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington, the Louisville home of close friend Joshua Speed, and many other Lincoln-related sites. A 2008 KET production.
- Monday May 13, 2024 7:00 am ET on KETKY
- Monday May 13, 2024 6:00 am CT on KETKY
- Monday May 13, 2024 6:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday May 13, 2024 5:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 3:00 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 2:00 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 7:00 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 6:00 am CT on KETKY
Bosnian Exhibit; Bosnian Coffee; Northern Kentucky Brotherhood; Wyatt Dagla Severs - S23 E10
Premiered On: 04/28/2018
Bosnian culture makes up a big part of Bowling Green and Western Kentucky University life; Doug learns about the flavors and traditions of Bosnian coffee; enjoy the acapella stylings of the Northern Kentucky Brotherhood; and Wyatt Severs' woodworking is a collaboration between the tree, his tools, and himself. A 2018 KET Production.
- Monday May 13, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday May 13, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Monday May 13, 2024 8:01 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday May 13, 2024 7:01 pm CT on KETKY
Treetop Adventure; Ward Hall; Feminist Artists of Kentucky; Filson Historical Society - S23 E11
Premiered On: 05/05/2018
Indulge your adventurous side with Treetop Adventure at Levi Jackson State Park, Georgetown's Ward Hall is one of the finest 19th-century homes in the nation, the Feminist Artists of Kentucky raise funds for children in need in Africa, and the Filson Historical Society is the home of Kentucky's history. A 2018 KET Production.
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 14, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Speedzeum; Reptile Zoo; College Heights Brewery; Ward Hall - S23 E12
Premiered On: 05/12/2018
Kentucky Life visits Owensboro's Speedzeum, visitors to Red River Gorge can see snakes from all over the world at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo, earn credits brewing beer at Western Kentucky University's College Heights Brewing, and more scenes from Georgetown's Ward Hall. A 2018 KET Production.
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 15, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Chia; Regional Meals; Farmer Brown Tha' MC; Venerable Trees - S23 E13
Premiered On: 05/19/2018
Heartland Chia in Simpson County is developing a versatile crop; get a taste of Kentucky's regional dishes though Kentucky Tourism and chef Ouita Michel; Farmer Brown Tha' MC mixes rap, agriculture, and the classroom to make tasty jams; and tree huggers are welcome to support the work of Central Kentucky's Venerable Trees. A 2018 KET Production.
- Thursday May 16, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 16, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Castle & Key; Children's Charity; Downtown La Grange; Mona Bismarck - S23 E14
Premiered On: 05/26/2018
Bourbon & Culture return to the Old Taylor Distillery in the form of Castle & Key, Children's Charity of the Bluegrass supports the work of dozens of charities, Doug tours charming La Grange in Oldham County, and the first American "Best Dressed Woman in the World" Mona Bismarck is celebrated again in Louisville. A 2018 KET Production.
- Friday May 17, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 17, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Louisville Tool Library, Lily May Ledford, McConnell Springs Park, Home for Wayward Babydolls - S29 E16
A tool library in Louisville aims to make DIY projects and community more accessible; banjo and fiddle player Lily May Ledford, whose career spanned seven decades, was the driving force of The Coon Creek Girls, a string band from Powell County formed in the 1930s that became one of the most popular and influential musical groups the state has ever produced; preserving McConnell Springs Park in Lexington; the Home For Wayward Babydolls in Rowan County accepts dolls from all over the world. A 2024 KET production.
- Saturday May 18, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KET
- Saturday May 18, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KET
- Sunday May 19, 2024 7:00 am ET on KETKY
- Sunday May 19, 2024 6:00 am CT on KETKY
- Sunday May 19, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KET
- Sunday May 19, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KET
- Monday May 20, 2024 2:00 am ET on KET
- Monday May 20, 2024 1:00 am CT on KET
- Tuesday May 21, 2024 2:00 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 21, 2024 1:00 am CT on KETKY
- Tuesday May 21, 2024 10:30 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 21, 2024 9:30 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 5:00 am ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 4:00 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 10:00 am ET on KET2
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 9:00 am CT on KET2
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 2:30 pm ET on KET2
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 1:30 pm CT on KET2
- Thursday May 23, 2024 3:30 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 23, 2024 2:30 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 23, 2024 11:00 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 23, 2024 10:00 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 23, 2024 11:30 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 23, 2024 10:30 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 1:00 am ET on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 12:00 am CT on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 9:30 am ET on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 8:30 am CT on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 12:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 11:00 am CT on KETKY
- Saturday May 25, 2024 3:30 pm ET on KETKY
- Saturday May 25, 2024 2:30 pm CT on KETKY
Refuge Ridge; Boundary Oak Distillery; Dippin' Dots - S23 E15
Premiered On: 06/02/2018
Howl with the wolves at Refuge Ridge in Whitley County, a new distillery has come to town in Radcliff's Boundary Oak Distillery, and the ice cream classic Dippin' Dots is still the coolest place in Paducah. A 2018 KET Production.
- Monday May 20, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday May 20, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Monday May 20, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday May 20, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Whiffle Ball; Treehouses; Life in Lynch; Football Rivalry - S24 E1
Premiered On: 10/06/2018
Playing whiffle ball at Princeton's Little Busch Stadium; go climb a tree (and enjoy a luxurious night in it) at EarthJOY Treehouse Adventures; African-Americans came to work in the coal mines and are now making new lives in Lynch; Dayton and Bellevue football teams meet again in the most-played rivalry in Kentucky. A 2018 KET Production.
- Tuesday May 21, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 21, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Tuesday May 21, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 21, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Central Kentucky Tours; Harden Coffee; Wigwam Village - S24 E2
Premiered On: 10/13/2018
Climb aboard and explore the Bourbon Trail with Doug Flynn and the good folks at Central Kentucky Tours, Harden Coffee in Campbellsville is a family business built from the "grounds" up, and meet some new neighbors at the nostalgic Wigwam Village Inn #2 in Cave City. A 2018 KET Production.
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 22, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Makerspaces; Spinal Cord Injury; Frank Duveneck; Duncan Hines - S24 E3
Premiered On: 10/20/2018
The only limit is your imagination at Makerspaces in Lexington and Burlington, a new lease on life after spinal cord injury at the University of Louisville, the life and art of one of Northern Kentucky's great artists Frank Duveneck, and Bowling Green's Duncan Hines is America's first foodie. A 2018 KET Production.
- Thursday May 23, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 23, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 23, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 23, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
eKAMI; Schneider's Candies; Barber Legacy - S24 E4
Premiered On: 10/27/2018
eKAMI teaches coal miners new trades in an advanced facility in Paintsville, grab a box of chocolates and the Opera Creams at Schneider's Sweet Shop in Bellevue, and fathers and daughters carry on a barber legacy in Louisville and Elizabethtown. A 2018 KET Production.
- Friday May 24, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 24, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Wisconsin's "Kentuck" Days, ROCK n' Rollers, Riverside, Eula Hall - S29 E7
A Northern Wisconsin town celebrates its unique "Kentuck" heritage at an annual festival in Crandon; ROCK - Roller Derby of Central Kentucky - is getting a fresh start; in Louisville, Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing stands as a testament to the significant role agriculture and the river have played in the development of the country; remembering Appalachian health care pioneer Eula Hall. A 2024 KET production.
- Saturday May 25, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KET
- Saturday May 25, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KET
- Sunday May 26, 2024 7:00 am ET on KETKY
- Sunday May 26, 2024 6:00 am CT on KETKY
- Sunday May 26, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KET
- Sunday May 26, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KET
- Monday May 27, 2024 2:00 am ET on KET
- Monday May 27, 2024 1:00 am CT on KET
- Tuesday May 28, 2024 2:00 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 28, 2024 1:00 am CT on KETKY
- Tuesday May 28, 2024 10:30 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 28, 2024 9:30 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 5:00 am ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 4:00 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 10:00 am ET on KET2
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 9:00 am CT on KET2
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 2:30 pm ET on KET2
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 1:30 pm CT on KET2
- Thursday May 30, 2024 3:30 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 30, 2024 2:30 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 30, 2024 11:00 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 30, 2024 10:00 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 30, 2024 11:30 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 30, 2024 10:30 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 1:00 am ET on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 12:00 am CT on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 9:30 am ET on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 8:30 am CT on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 12:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 11:00 am CT on KETKY
- Saturday June 1, 2024 3:30 pm ET on KETKY
- Saturday June 1, 2024 2:30 pm CT on KETKY
Heartbeats; Central Auto; Judy Drive-In - S24 E5
Premiered On: 11/03/2018
A Louisville music therapist honors the life and legacy of dying patients with melodies of heartbeats, Central Auto drives the community and the economy in Clay, and the stars on screen shine brighter than the stars in the sky at Judy Drive-In in Mt. Sterling. A 2018 KET Production.
- Monday May 27, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday May 27, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Monday May 27, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday May 27, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Dancing Well; Purple Toad Winery; Paradise Point - S24 E6
Premiered On: 11/10/2018
Veterans and their families affected by war heal through dance in Louisville, Purple Toad Winery is a top Paducah tourist destination and the state's largest winery, and vacationers at Barren River Lake can enjoy the funky junk and fun atmosphere at Paradise Point Marketplace in Scottsville, Kentucky. A 2018 KET Production.
- Tuesday May 28, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 28, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Tuesday May 28, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday May 28, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
The Lee Initiative; Candleberry Candles; Daniel Goff - S24 E7
Premiered On: 11/17/2018
Top chefs in Louisville mentor up-and-coming female chefs to take the lead in professional kitchens; take in the sights and smells at Frankfort's Candleberry Candles, and learn about the fascinating life of African-American Revolutionary War soldier Daniel Goff. A 2018 KET Production.
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday May 29, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Joe Bowen; Mammoth Bones; Banana Festival - S24 E8
Premiered On: 02/02/2019
Joe Bowen has carried the Olympic torch, walked 3,000 miles on stilts, and bicycled cross-country twice, and he calls Powell County home; mammoth bones from northern Kentucky found their way to Thomas Jefferson and made a new mark on history; and this Fulton County festival is bananas, celebrating the time when Fulton was known as The Banana Capital of the World. A 2019 KET Production.
- Thursday May 30, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 30, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Thursday May 30, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday May 30, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Exile; SuperChefs; Ulysses S. Grant (Pt. 1) - S24 E9
Premiered On: 02/16/2019
Chart-topping band Exile hits the road performing their greatest hits, step into the extraordinary at Louisville's superhero-themed restaurant SuperChefs, and explore the history of Ulysses S. Grant and his Kentucky connections and inspirations in this first of a three-part series. A 2019 KET Production.
- Friday May 31, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday May 31, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Disc Golf in Kentucky, NAILE, Trail of Tears Pow Wow, Artist Elizabeth Mesa-Gaido - S29 E8
Disc golf combines the precision of traditional golf with the exhilaration of frisbee and fosters a welcoming community; the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE) showcases Kentucky farms and the farming tradition; the Trail of Tears Pow Wow in Hopkinsville is an annual gathering for Native Americans from across the U.S. to remember and honor those who walked, and died, along the Trail of Tears; meet Elizabeth Mesa-Gaido, a Cuban American artist and professor of art at Morehead State University. A 2024 KET production.
- Saturday June 1, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KET
- Saturday June 1, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KET
- Sunday June 2, 2024 7:00 am ET on KETKY
- Sunday June 2, 2024 6:00 am CT on KETKY
- Sunday June 2, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KET
- Sunday June 2, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KET
- Monday June 3, 2024 2:00 am ET on KET
- Monday June 3, 2024 1:00 am CT on KET
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 2:00 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 1:00 am CT on KETKY
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 5:00 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 4:00 am CT on KETKY
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 10:30 am ET on KETKY
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 9:30 am CT on KETKY
- Wednesday June 5, 2024 10:00 am ET on KET2
- Wednesday June 5, 2024 9:00 am CT on KET2
- Wednesday June 5, 2024 2:30 pm ET on KET2
- Wednesday June 5, 2024 1:30 pm CT on KET2
- Thursday June 6, 2024 2:30 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday June 6, 2024 1:30 am CT on KETKY
- Thursday June 6, 2024 11:00 am ET on KETKY
- Thursday June 6, 2024 10:00 am CT on KETKY
- Friday June 7, 2024 9:30 am ET on KETKY
- Friday June 7, 2024 8:30 am CT on KETKY
Somerset Art Scene; Aluminum Recycling; Brigid Kaelin - S24 E10
Premiered On: 02/23/2019
Somerset rolls out the red carpet and puts their artists, musicians, and local brewery in the spotlight; the aluminum can in your fridge has a life cycle and migration you'll have to see to believe; and Brigid Kaelin brings Kentucky flair to an international audience through her Louisville roots. A 2019 KET Production.
- Monday June 3, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday June 3, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Monday June 3, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Monday June 3, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Young at Heart Big Band; Maple Ridge Soaps; The Savage Radley - S24 E11
Premiered On: 04/06/2019
Young at Heart's group of octogenarians keep the classics alive by performing throughout Central Kentucky, Maple Ridge Soaps in Bracken County makes soap the natural and 2800 B.C. way, and western Kentucky's The Savage Radley sing about small-town Kentucky life. A 2019 KET Production.
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Tuesday June 4, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Mountain Mushroom Festival; Spoonbread; Robert Penn Warren - S24 E12
Premiered On: 04/13/2019
Morels are the rockstars of mushrooms, and Irvine celebrates them at the annual Mountain Mushroom Festival; Berea's Spoonbread Festival highlights this traditional Appalachian food, and Kentucky can boast the only American author awarded both a fiction and a poetry Pulitzer Prize, to Guthrie's own Robert Penn Warren. A 2019 KET Production.
- Wednesday June 5, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday June 5, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Wednesday June 5, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Wednesday June 5, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Clogging; Ebonite Bowling Balls; Rough River Dam State Park; Forest Giants - S24 E13
Premiered On: 04/20/2019
Kentucky's state dance is alive and well in Owensboro at the Lanham Brothers Jamboree; Hopkinsville is home to the nation's largest producer of bowling balls, at Ebonite International; the Falls of Rough and Rough River Dam are a vacationer's paradise; a Danish artist brings Forest Giants to the giant forest at Bernheim in Bullitt & Nelson counties.
- Thursday June 6, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday June 6, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Thursday June 6, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Thursday June 6, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
Mustang Makeover; Bluegrass in Japan - S24 E14
Premiered On: 04/27/2019
People throughout the nation are training thousands of wild mustangs and showing off their skills to help find homes for these beautiful horses and take a trip to Tokyo to meet with some of bluegrass music's biggest fans. A 2019 KET Production.
- Friday June 7, 2024 4:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday June 7, 2024 3:00 pm CT on KETKY
- Friday June 7, 2024 8:00 pm ET on KETKY
- Friday June 7, 2024 7:00 pm CT on KETKY
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Dr. Clark's Kentucky Treasures - S12 E22
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The Bell Observatory, CMH23 Radio, Hopewell Museum, Butchertown - S29 E14
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Latitude Arts Community; Kayaking Bourbon Co; Webster Co. Coal Mine Disaster; Camp Zachary Taylor - S23 E3
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Hopkinsville Eclipse; Eclipse at Franklin; Man o' War Anniversary; Lost John - S23 E2
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Idlewild Butterfly Farm; State Fair; Dan MacPhail Antlers; One Fateful Pitch - S23 E1
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Devou Park; Central Kentucky; Stearns; Old Fort Harrod (Kentucky's Anniversary) - S22 E18
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Certified Midwives; Garden Roller Rink; Sports Radio Broadcasters in Rowan Co. - S22 E17
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Downtown Taylorsville; Henderson Wetlands; Joe Downing; Constitution Square (Kentucky's Anniversary) - S22 E16
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Old State Capitol (Kentucky's Anniversary); Patrick the Miniature Horse; Second Stride; National Farm Machinery Show - S22 E15
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Lincoln: "I, too, am a Kentuckian" - S14 E27
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STEM Camp, The Little Loomhouse, Putting Paws to Work, The Falls of the Ohio - S29 E12
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Primate Rescue Center; Cave Hill Vineyard & Winery; Kory Caudill - S22 E14
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Boyce General Store; Pivot Brewing; Western Kentucky Botanical Garden; Kelsey Waldon - S22 E13
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Haven Gillespie; Pasta Garage; Lexington Comic Con; Arson Dogs - S22 E12
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Louisville Zoo - Part 3; Kentucky Postcards; Rhonda McEnroe - S22 E11
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Schnitzelburg Dainty Festival, Red River Gorge Climbers' Coalition, Pine Mountain State Resort Park, Laid Back & Luna - S29 E11
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Louisville Zoo - Part 1; Col. Charles Young; Rosine - S22 E9
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Eagle Bend Alpacas; Torrent Falls Climbing Adventure; Kentucky By Design - S22 E8
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Baker-Bird Winery; Botherum House; Minnie Adkins - S22 E7
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Missionaries of Charity; Grace Cafe; KSNPC Volunteers; Misfit Island - S22 E6
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Flag Retirement; Willa Brown Chappell; Saddlemaker Pete Harry; EKU Veterans - S22 E5
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Tahlsound, Planting Appalachia's Future, the Flooding of Old Burnside, Theatre Camp for Everyone - S29 E10
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String Mountain Music, Appalachian Astronaut, Kentucky Coal Museum, Bluegrass Bullies - S29 E9
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Josephine Sculpture Park; Red Bird Mission; The Hilltoppers - S22 E4
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Buried Treasure
“The Coins Kept Coming”
In 2023, a Kentucky farmer discovered a cache of more than 800 gold and silver Civil War-era coins buried in a cornfield — a rare find one coin expert said was “hard to comprehend.” The discovery triggered an avalanche of media interest from around the globe, with stories appearing in The New York Times, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine and USA Today, among others.
On this brand-new special episode of Kentucky Life, for the first time, we hear from the farmer, as well as antique coin expert Jeff Garrett with Mid-America Rare Coin Galleries, offering their thoughts about that fateful day and the discovery now known as The Great Kentucky Hoard. We also hear from UK historian Amy Murell-Taylor on what was happening in Kentucky during the Civil War that may have led to these coins being put in the ground, and we go exploring with three guys who call themselves The Dirt Nerds as they search for buried treasure in the Bluegrass.
Fearing an onslaught of fortune seekers on his property, the Kentucky farmer went to great lengths to remain anonymous and silent — until now.
“I initially found the 1856 Seated Liberty Half Dollar probably 20 to 30 feet from where the hoard was located,” the farmer told Kentucky Life. “I would have never believed what came next. Things that only happen in dreams. When I continued walking and saw the glint of gold – a thick reeded edge. When I pulled the coin from the ground, I was astonished when I realized I was holding a $20 Double Eagle from the 1860s. After I flipped the first clump of dirt over the next 45 minutes to an hour, the coins kept coming. I knew it was hundreds.”
Premieres: KET Saturday, May 11 • 8/7 pm
Chip Talks with the Farmer
Had you ever made any discoveries like this before, and was this the type of thing you were looking for?
Never in a million years did I think I would ever come across anything even close to this. Normally, when I’m not working, I wander the fields searching for native American artifacts and anything that may have been lost hundreds of years ago.
Talk me through the day leading up to the discovery – in general, what had you been doing?
I was in the fields as any other normal day, when I had gotten off work, I started walking a portion of the property I had seen broken pieces of pottery and brick strewn in a fairly confined area when I came across the first coin. Something that has happened a decent amount of times. I found my first “old coin” when I was maybe 9 walking the fields around my hometown looking for arrowheads, and boom, there it was a pristine 1937D Mercury dime, sitting there basking in the sun. This time it was a little more exciting beings it was a beautiful 1856O Seated Liberty half dollar which was almost perfect minus a few marks from where it had been struck by farm equipment. Little did I know what that would lead to next.
When you first looked down in the dirt and saw the coins, what was going through your mind? Did you realize the enormity of what you had just found and that this was a life-changing event?
I initially found the 1856 Seated Liberty Half Dollar probably 20-30’ from where the hoard was located. I would have never believed what came next. Things that only happen in dreams. When I continued walking and saw the glint of gold….a thick reeded edge… when I pulled the coin from the ground I was astonished when I realized I was holding a 20$ DOUBLE EAGLE from the 1860s. After I flipped the first clump of dirt over the next 45 minutes to an hour the coins kept coming. I knew it was hundreds. I guessed initially around three to maybe 400 coins. To my surprise when I got home and started counting the total was over 800 coins. 770 of which were gold.
The very first thing I would have done would have been to clean off the coins – Jeff said you were smart enough to not do this as it greatly enhanced their value. How in the world did you know not to do this?
I have been in the hobby of walking fields and admiring coins from the age of we’ll say ten or younger. My dad had gotten me into coins after he had collected all the way back since the late 1970s. He had always warned me against cleaning anything silver. Knowing that gold is far softer than silver it was a no-brainer for me to leave them be. They had quite a bit of rust on the surfaces, I assumed either they were in an old iron box or something that corroded over the years and left a lot of the coins encrusted.
Walk me through the days after the discovery – what were you thinking?
I knew right away that I had made an enormous discovery. I hadn’t heard of such a find in the US in ages. I spent hours researching each coin and the different years and varieties to check for rarities and key dates. I knew that anything with a D mint mark from the time would be very rare and valuable. Out of 700+ gold coins, I believe only ONE was minted in Dahlonega Georgia. I found a few other gold dollars with mint marks some rarer than others…but after researching the key dates for the Liberty Head 20$ I realized I had not one…but EIGHTEEN of one of the rare dates, the 1863 20s. This is when my head began to spin and I knew I needed help.
Jeff literally wrote the book on coins like this – how did you find him, and how much reassurance did it bring you that you’d connected with such an expert?
I had actually posted on a social media group I am a part of, and one of the members mentioned that I should reach out to a Jeff Garrett. They said he was the expert on US minted Gold Coins. I began to research his name and read of his incredible and very extensive background in the coin world. I was skeptical at first, something of this magnitude is HUGE and people can be extremely greedy in times of other’s fortunate events. I sent him a very vague, very short email with a picture of one single 1863 Double Eagle, stating only that I had a coin I knew was potentially valuable. We agreed to meet in his office in Lexington, where I brought six of the Double Eagles and a few other coins from the find. By the end of our meeting, I revealed to him that was a very very small portion of what I had discovered, and that I had 12 more 1863 Double Eagles at home along with several hundred more gold coins of the same timeframe. Everything else from there came down to personally transporting the coins to Sarasota to NGC where we met with Mr. Mark Salzberg and Dave Camire for the next steps in cleaning, grading and preserving this incredible discovery.
Any advice you’d offer to treasure hunters or anyone else out there captivated by this story?
Keep your eyes out and never stop looking. I never even imagined I would find one gold coin in my entire life. Let alone something so significant it has its own hoard name. There are hundreds of stories of lost treasure, hidden staches from bandits and just the superstitious wealthy old guy who didn’t trust the banks…
Has this changed the way you walk around and look at things?
Surprisingly, not much, as I said I have spent many years wandering the fields and river banks looking for anything that catches the eye. My Father did it before me, my great-grandmother had one of the most incredible museum-worthy collections of arrowheads all found walking cultivated land and the banks of the rivers. I guess maybe it’s in my bones, I have always been extremely fascinated with discovering items from the past.
