Renfro Valley Entertainment Center

Day 4: Jackson County and Renfro Valley, Kentucky

My parents worked in the back hills of Jackson County, Kentucky for a short time after graduating from college. In fact, my brother was born there (rumor has it, incurring a hospital bill of a whopping $12). My dad worked for the US government and my mom as a rural school teacher. They were idealists with integrity. They stirred the pot and ultimately chose an early exit from the ugly politics of this depressed area.

Now that you've got our little connection to this place, I'll bring you back to 2012. On Thursday of our vacation with my mom and dad, we continued our travels by Huber van through the winding roads of Jackson County and McKee, Kentucky. Up and down narrow tree-lined mountain highways. Following unmarked, gravel "roads" through standing water and forgotten cemeteries. At the mercy of our GPS navigator, whose roadless floating arrow clearly couldn't identify that we were on a path at all. My parents could find very little along the way that had changed over the past 40 years.

By evening, we rejoined civilization. Well, a small touristy town called Renfro Valley. We promptly picked up tickets for dinner and a show at the Renfro Valley Entertainment Center. And we enjoyed a musical 1950's-style show called "Malt Shop Memories" with busloads of octogenarians from various seniors' groups. DT and I could have easily been spotted as the only audience members not eligible for the senior discount.

This is the barn where the thespian magic happens in Renfro Valley.

The next morning we walked through the town shopping district, which clearly didn't cater to early morning visitors, but didn't seem to bother us much.

We just about had the town to ourselves as crafters began opening their doors.

Who wouldn't want to take a ride in this stage coach?!

We fed the night-starved fish from the wooden bridge by this old mill. And then it was off for another Kentucky adventure in the Huber van.