Datebook: August 19 – Orville Wright’s 140th birthday

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world’s first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903. In the two years afterward, the brothers developed their flying machine into the first practical fixed-wing aircraft. Although not the first to build and fly experimental aircraft, the Wright brothers were the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible. The brothers’ fundamental breakthrough was their invention of three-axis control, which enabled the pilot to steer the aircraft effectively and to maintain its equilibrium. This method became standard and remains standard on fixed-wing aircraft of all kinds. From the beginning of their aeronautical work, the Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving “the flying problem”. This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time who put more emphasis on developing powerful engines.

It’s Friday, August 19th.

Tomorrow Grand Rivers Marina Day includes sail boat rides, children’s water fun, a Street Dance, and a Big Fireworks show at Dusk. Activities are at Green Turtle Bay Marina and Resort and Lighthouse Landing Marina and Resort.

Tonight Murray Art Guild opens a show of images by Debi Danielson titled “Project 365 Photography”. There’s a reception at the gallery at 500 North 4th Street from 6 to 8 p.m.

Tymeless Hearts, Inc. hosts a carnival at Murray’s Chestnut Park from noon to 6 tomorrow. It includes clowns, petting zoo, pony and kids’ train rides, health checks, and more, benefitting families of children with heart defects.

Lone Star Rodeo of Crofton performs at West Kentucky Fairgrounds in Hopkinsville tonight and tomorrow night at 8. Adult tix are 15 dollars at the gate. See bareback bronc, saddle bronc and brahma bull riding, calf, team, and cowgirl’s breakaway roping, steer wrestling and cowgirl’s barrel racing.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit play Lovett Live tomorrow night at 7:30. Tickets are $16.

Enjoy the weekend!

 

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Datebook: August 18 – 55th birthday of film composer John Debney

John C. Debney (born August 18, 1956) is an American film composer. He received an Academy Award nomination for his score for Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. John was born and raised in nearby Glendale, California, where he began guitar lessons at age six and played in rock bands in college. Debney earned his B.A. degree in Music Composition from the California Institute of Arts in 1979. In the early 1990s, Debney began to score indie films and Disneyland attractions. In 1993, he scored his first studio feature, the Disney comedy Hocus Pocus starring Bette Midler. Debney has since gone on to have a career composing scores for many films including Iron Man 2, The Passion of the Christ, Bruce Almighty, Elf, Sin City, Chicken Little, Liar Liar, Spy Kids, The Emperor’s New Groove, The Scorpion King, The Princess Diaries, and Predators.

It’s Thursday, August 18

Paducah School of Art Painting faculty Bilan Liao hosts a grand opening of her new gallery Saturday beginning at 5 p.m.. It’s at 520 North 7th Street in Lowertown. Liao’s art includes stories of her family who endured hardships during the Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Cabela’s King-Kat Tournament Trail Fishing Series brings Midwest catfish anglers to Prizer-Point Marina & Resort, Cadiz, Saturday. Tournament fishing is from 6:30 to 3 with weigh-in at Prizer-Point through 4 p.m. Late registration is tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. See prizerpoint.com. There’s also a kids fishing rodeo with registration from 8 to 9.

The Paris Henry County Arts Council presents The Barons Dance Band at Lee Academy for the Arts Saturday at 7 p.m. It’s a free concert, but refreshments and snacks will be sold to raise funds for the Council. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Lee Academy for the Arts is at the intersection of Crawford and Lee in Paris.

Thanks for listening. See other events at wkms.org.

Datebook: August 17 – 100th birthday of three-time World Chess Champion Mikhail Botvinnik

Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. (August 17, 1911 – May 5, 1995) was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while playing top-class competitive chess. He also developed a chess-playing algorithm that tried to “think” like a top human player, but this approach has been superseded by a brute-force search strategy that exploits the rapid increase in the calculation speed of modern computers. Playing top class chess for decades, being an eminent chess author, one of the pioneers of computer chess, and a great chess teacher in his late years, Botvinnik is widely regarded as the most influental chess contributor in the 20th century.

 

It’s Wednesday, August 17.

Madisonville Community College’s Back to School Bash is Saturday from 3:30 to 10 p.m. in front of the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts. Eddie and Alonzo Pennington open from 3:30 to 5 followed by PB & J from 5 to 6; Southern Drawl from 6 to 7, Library Trio from 7 to 8, Larry Grisham of the Beat Daddys from 8 to 9, and Sexstone from 9 on. Food concessions available.

This weekend Murray’s Playhouse in the Park presents “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”. Shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The box office opens an hour before the show.

Tomorrow the National Quilting Museum in Paducah hosts an Appraisal Day from 9 to 4:30. Each 30 minute appraisal costs $50. Make appointments at 270-442-8856 or see quiltmuseum.org for more. The museum is at 215 Jefferson Street.

Come visit at The Looking Glass Coffee and Curiosities WKMS Meet and Greet in Martin Thursday, August 25 from 9 to 11 a.m. Thanks!

Datebook: August 16 – 135th birthday of illustrator Ivan Bilibin

Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin (16 August 1876 – 7 February 1942) was a 20th-century illustrator and stage designer who took part in the Mir iskusstva and contributed to the Ballets Russes. Bilibin gained renown in 1899, when he released his illustrations of Russian fairy tales. He was the designer for the 1909 première production of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel. He delivered lectures in the Soviet Academy of Arts until 1941. Bilibin died during the Siege of Leningrad.

 

It’s Tuesday, August 16.

Easter Seals West Kentucky, Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky and KY-Spin, Inc. host a workshop “individualized education program – IEP”, including meal, in Paducah Thursday, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.. Families learn how to advocate during the IEP process. Sign up in advance at 270-444-9687. The ESWK Child Development Center is at 801 North 29th in Paducah.

Thursday — the stroke/head injury support group meets at 5:30 p.m. in the Murray Calloway County Hospital’s Center for Health and Wellness Conference room. For more call 270-762-1557.

Maiden Alley Cinema presents Richard Linklater’s 1993 film Dazed and Confused tonight at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 and two complimentary beverages come with each ticket purchase. It’s film brew night, and proceeds benefit the Cinema, in the alley near the riverfront in Paducah. Tickets are $15 for members, $20 for non-members.

See wkms.org for details about the stories of former residents of Land Between the Lakes heard on Constance Alexander’s series Connecting People and Place. Thanks!

Datebook: August 15 – Sir Walter Scott’s 240th birthday

Sir Walter Scott (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832) was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet. Scott was the first English-language author to have a truly international career in his lifetime, with many contemporary readers in Europe, Australia, and North America. His novels and poetry are still read, and many of his works remain classics of both English-language literature and of Scottish literature. Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of The Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor. Scott suffered from a decline in popularity after the First World War. Nevertheless, he was responsible for two major trends that carry on to this day. First, he essentially invented the modern historical novel; an enormous number of imitators appeared in the 19th century. Second, his Scottish novels helped rehabilitate the public perception of Highland culture after years in the shadows.

It’s Monday, August 15.

The American Red Cross offers opportunities to give blood in Paducah this Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday there’s a collection at Paducah Bank, 555 Jefferson Street from 8 to noon; and at Lone Oak Church of Christ, 2960 Lone Oak Road from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m. On Thursday there’s a collection from noon to 6 p.m. at Broadway United Methodist Church, 701 Broadway.

Christian County’s Grandparent Support Group’s regular monthly meeting at the Pennyrile Area Development District Office, 300 Hammond Drive, Hopkinsville is from 10 a.m.-on, Wednesday.

The regular monthly meeting of the Quad County Elder Abuse Council meets at the Majestic House, Highway 62, in Princeton at noon Wednesday.

Thursday there’s a meeting of the Alzheimer’s Support Group in Lourdes Hospital’s Marshall Nemer Pavilion Board Room from noon to 1:30. At 6 p.m. in the Pavilion’s Borders Community Room there’s a meeting of the advanced bariatric surgery of Paducah support group.

See the text of our daily datebooks at the Front Blog at wkms.org. Thank you for being with us.

Datebook: August 12 – 30th anniversary of the IBM PC

The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981. It was created by a team of engineers and designers under the direction of Don Estridge of the IBM Entry Systems Division in Boca Raton, Florida. The original PC proved too expensive for the home market; at introduction, a PC with 64 kB of RAM and a single 5.25-inch floppy drive and monitor sold for $3,005 ($7,257 in today’s dollars).

 

 

It’s Friday, August 12.

Murray State’s Residential Colleges open at 10 a.m. tomorrow for new students move-in – An Explore Murray event starts at 6:00 at the CFSB Center. Residential Colleges open at 10 a.m. for move in for all returning students. Sunday at 7 p.m. there’s a Marching Band Performance on the steps of Lovett Auditorium, the WKMS Street Fair and Waterfield Wired.

Tomorrow Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area’s Homeplace offers a program on White Oak Basket Making with Janice Milligan from 10 to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. There’s also a moonlight canoe trip at 7:30 for which reservations are required at 270-924-2020.

Murray State seeks moderately arthritic dogs weighing between 40 and 60 pounds for a five month research project on arthritis medication. Dogs accepted receive free monthly blood work, physical exams, arthritic analysis and a natural medication during the study. For more contact MSU graduate student Baly Barlow at (502) 299-2259 before August 20.

Use wkms.org to put your public service announcements on air and online. Thanks!

 

Datebook: August 11 – 55th anniversary of artist Jackson Pollock’s death

Paul Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956), known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. Pollock’s most famous paintings were made during the “drip period” between 1947 and 1950, a time when he experimented with unique methods of applying paint to canvas. After struggling with alcoholism for his entire adult life, Pollock, on August 11, 1956, at 10:15 pm, died in a single-car crash in his Oldsmobile convertible while driving under the influence of alcohol. Find more about Jackson Pollock and his work here.

It’s Thursday, August 11.

Murray Reads Maya is engaging readers for acclaimed author Maya Angelou’s speaking at Murray State’s CFSB Center on Wednesday, August 24th at 8 p.m. Use the website murrayreads.org to join the list of participants, to see special events, and to learn more about Ms. Angelou’s writings. Tickets for the reading are $10 at Ticketmaster.com.

Western Baptist Hospital’s annual free Childbirth Fair is from 10 to noon Saturday in the atrium of Doctor’s Office Building 2 in Paducah. Dr. Edward O’Neill will answer questions about the region’s first Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Tour the birthing center and register for the free maternity program, Stork Central. Call 270-575-BABY for more.

Graves County High School hosts a 5KRun/Walk to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, in memory of Tori Beth Waggoner. Late registration is $25 starting at 7 a.m. Check-in is at 7:15 and the run starts at 8.

Murray State students are returning to campus, so drive safely. Use wkms.org to stay in touch with our region. Thanks.