Appalachia's Front Porch

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Appalachia's Front Porch

Your guide to Tri-State travel, events, outdoor adventure, and Appalachian charm.

09/05/2026

Two remarkable stories of courage, right here on in Appalachia's Front Porch.

📍 Piketon 59 at Catlettsburg's Riverfront
In April 1862, during Colonel James A. Garfield's Eastern Kentucky Campaign, 59 people from the Slone and Johnson families made a break for freedom in one of the largest group escapes documented in Kentucky history. They hid in a riverbank hut waiting on a Union steamer, survived an attack from armed pursuers, and were rescued by the steamer Piketon, carried first to Catlettsburg, then on to Portsmouth, Ohio. Find the marker at the Catlettsburg Riverfront off 26th Street.

📍 Asbury Parker Memorial at ARMCO Park in Ashland
This one traces a single man's journey. Asbury Parker escaped slavery at Clinton Furnace in 1857, crossed the Ohio River near present-day Huntington, and found help in Ironton from Gabriel Johnson and the Quinn Chapel AME network. From there he made his way north, all the way to Fort Malden, Canada. The memorial itself is a scale replica of the old furnace stack, built by Boyd County Parks and Recreation and Shawnee State's Center for Public History.

Both markers carry a QR code linking to video documentaries and deeper research, so you can stand where it happened and hear the full story on the spot.

These two locations are part of the Appalachian Freedom Heritage Trail including 27 stops across Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia telling the stories that shaped this region. Two of them are ten minutes apart, right in Boyd County.

Which stop are you visiting first? Tell us below 👇

09/04/2026

In Appalachia’s Front Porch we love when the summer comes to an end. That means the leaves will start changing, soup season begins, and football season kicks off for the Marshall University Thundering Herd. 🏈🦬

The Herd opens their season away this weekend at Penn State, but we look forward to September 12 when we invite everyone to the Joan C Edwards Stadium 🏟️!

If you are coming in for the game check out our website, plan your visit and make a weekend of it!

Marshall University Athletics

09/02/2026

Make an evening of it. 🥂

Before Wynonna Judd takes the stage at the Paramount Theater Ashland on October 2nd and 3rd, settle in at one of the many locally owned restuarants in the area and make an evening of it. To see a full list of dining options within a thirty minute radius of Ashland, see our website.

08/29/2026

Make your way to Greenbo Lake State Resort Park September 25-26, for the annual Jesse Stuart Weekend. Packed with activities to learn about his Appalachian heritage, and it's free to attend.

Friday you can hop on a peaceful boat ride across Greenbo Lake, hike to Seaton Ridge in the 714 acre Jesse Stuart Nature Preserve (yes, that includes "Old Opp's Cabin" from The Good Spirit of Laurel Ridge), and sit in on a session with JSF board member John W. McCauley sharing an unpublished Stuart manuscript never before seen by the public.

Saturday kicks off with an 8:45 a.m. bus tour of W-Hollow, the actual land that inspired Stuart's writing, followed by a Greenup County tour hitting Naomi Deane's home place, the old Greenup County High School, Leslie's Drug Store, Courthouse Square, and the Greenup County Library's first edition collection. Cap it off with a trip to the JSF Bookstore in Ashland, where weekend attendees get 10% off.

Bus seats are first-come, first-served with JSW attendees getting priority, so plan to sign up at the registration table when you arrive. Staying the weekend? Call the Jesse Stuart Lodge at 606-473-7324 for room reservations.

This is Appalachian storytelling you can walk through. 📚 ✍️

08/28/2026

September is stacked, y'all. Fall festival season is here and it's spread across all three sides of the porch, KY, OH, and WV, so pull up a chair and start planning your weekends.

We've got the whole lineup for you right here in one guide, fairs, heritage days, rib fests, and even a Mothman sighting. Save this one, screenshot it, send it to your people.

Whichever weekend you pick, you're never more than 30 minutes from the next one. That's the beauty of this porch, there's always somewhere close to go.

Which one's already on your calendar? Tell us below 👇

08/26/2026

Our community is full of creative artisans. Check out the Huntington Art Walk.

08/25/2026

Quarter Horse racing just made its debut at Sandy Ridge, and we officially have a new fall tradition.

Sandy's Racing & Gaming cut the ribbon and the horses didn't waste any time proving why everyone's been talking about this. Rolling hills, an ice cold drink in hand, and a program full of names like Wrs Quick Kid and A Valiant Cowgirl. If you love a good afternoon of speed and community energy, pull up a chair.

This is exactly the kind of thing we mean when we say you can do big things in small towns. 🏇 Giddyup!!

08/20/2026

Pull up a chair, this weekend's porch plans are here.

From KY to OH to WV, here's what's happening across the region (all within 30 minutes of each other):

📍 Laid Back Country Picker performing in Cascade Caves at Carter Caves State Park
📍 Gate City Cruise In, Catlettsburg, KY
📍 72nd Annual Pilot Club of Huntington Antique Show at the Marshall Health Arena

Whether you're crossing the river or just crossing town, there's a reason to get out this weekend.
Which one are you hitting first?

08/18/2026

Pull up a rock and stay a while.

Tucked inside Carter Caves State Resort Park, the Three Bridges Trail takes you under three natural sandstone arches in just over 3 miles, each one carved by nothing but wind, water, and thousands of years of patience. Smoky Bridge is the star of the show, but Raven Bridge and Fern Bridge are just as worth the walk.

Fun fact: Smoky Bridge stands about 90 feet high and 120 feet wide, making it one of the largest natural bridges in all of Kentucky.

Right now is the sweet spot to go. The heat's breaking, the trail's quieter than usual, and the light through those arches in the morning is worth the trip alone.

📍 Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, KY
🥾 About 3.2 miles, easy to moderate loop
🕐 Best light: mid-morning

Come sit under Smoky Bridge and see why folks keep coming back.

Which bridge would you visit first? 👇

08/15/2026

Since 1874.

Po***ck's Jewelers in Ashland, KY has been part of this community for over 150 years. Isaac Newton Po***ck opened his doors on Wi******er Avenue before the automobile existed, before the electric light bulb, before anyone had heard the word "skyscraper." He just believed the people of Ashland deserved beautiful things that are carefully made and honestly sold.

Those beliefs still show up every day with Clay Hill, a certified gemologist appraiser who trained at the Gemological Institute of America. He runs the same store his grandparents bought in 1955.

Whether you're looking for an engagement ring, getting a piece repaired, or just browsing , Po***ck's is worth a visit.

📍 Po***ck's Jewelers, 913 Wi******er Avenue, Ashland, KY
Est. 1874. Where Ashland gets its heirlooms.

Address

Ashland, KY
41101

Website

http://www.appalachiasfrontporch.com/

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