Day 26
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up:

What's Kentucky Round-Up?

LEARNING TWO THINGS I SHOULD HAVE ALREADY KNOWN.

Yesterday I ran around Nicholasville to get some Kentucky Round-Up posters put up around town.  I stopped into The Boot Store to see if they would want to be a vendor.  Cowboy boots and John Michael Montgomery... seems like a natural. (Status: Boot Store ON HOLD.  Owner not in store at the time.)

I learned two things on that two hour trip (one lesson per hour, not bad):

1. 4-H kids actually do grow up, and get jobs and college degrees, and houses!

2. Large multi-national corporations do not support the community by putting up any posters (even nice ones like the KY Round-Up poster) because it might mess up their pristine, designer-designed entryways.

Back to #1:  I was a 4-H Horse Club leader for six years. Loved working with the kids and their new horses -- and their hopeful parents, some of whom didn't have a clue about what to do with a horse.  Luckily, we all learned and no one got injured.

Stopping at the Boot Store, there was one of my 4-Her's, working full time, planning to enter Nursing school at UK, bought her own home last year, and was gorgeous and confident. I remember my worries when her parents bought her a 2-year-old to train when she was about 11, and they got into barrel racing. She survived, and even thrived -- and so did the horse.

Walking into Tractor Supply, there was a second one of my 4-Her's, who knew me immediately although I didn't recognize her.  I think the last time I saw her she was 13.  I remember she rode an Appaloosa.

At Southern States, I didn't know anyone, but the women at the front desk were all excited about Kentucky Round-Up and asked for two posters so they could put them on their front doors on both sides.  Now that's what I like to hear.

So that was all good.

Now for #2, the multi-national companies who have a NO FLYERS policy.  Remember when we went to the corner store, and on the front window or on the front of the check-out counter were flyers about yard sales, church pot lucks, local horse shows, PTA bake sales.. it was a veritable cornucopia of neighborhood information.

Fast forward to 2013.  Corner stores go out of business, replace by the big box stores which have 300, or 400, or 500 stores around the U.S.  RULE #1: Each one has to look the same.  Store fronts and windows and signage are all designed at the corporate HQ.  And most policies like allowing local groups to post information about their events -- VERBOTEN!  Might look messy.  Might hide a sale sign they have up.  People might block the door reading them.  Bah Humbug.

So, I was turned down at Lowe's and Rite Aid.

I expect to be turned down as well at Walmart and KMart.  But I'll try.

By the way, if you can get some posters up in your area (tack stores, feed stores, barns...) let me know and we'll send you some.  (director@kentuckyhorse.org)

See you tomorrow.