by - Col. Tamar Alexia Fleishman
I was extremely honored last year when
Gov. Paul Patton of Kentucky named me a Kentucky Colonel, Kentucky’s highest
honor. The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels is a philanthropic organization
dedicated to aiding the welfare of Kentucky’s citizens. Aside from being a huge
fan of all things Kentuckian, I am the agent for Night Train, the famous
Southern Rock band from Mossy Jaw, Kentucky.
Most people think about Col. Sanders when
they hear about Colonels, and yes, he was made a Kentucky Colonel for bringing
acclaim to the Commonwealth with his famous chicken. Though Gov. Isaac Shelby
declared his trusted Militia guards to be "Kentucky Colonels" back in
1813, the nonprofit group was founded in 1931. Some of the charities that have
benefited from the Kentucky Colonels this year are the American Heart
Association of Central Kentucky, Bellewood Presbyterian Home for Children, the
Bardstown Community Theater and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Bluegrass.
Kentucky Colonels reside all over the
world, so each year, on the day after the Kentucky Derby, we hold a reunion
barbeque. In years past, the party was held at Wickland (Governor’s Mansion to
3 Governors), in Bardstown, KY. This year, it was held on the grounds of the
St. Joseph’s Childrens’ Home in Louisville. Now, a minor controversy arose,
because some of the Colonels want everything back in Bardstown. The charming
town of Bardstown is in Nelson Co., where much of America’s bourbon is made and
many of its fine racehorses are born. Indeed, it is the site of Federal Hill,
the plantation that inspired Stephen Foster’s "My Old Kentucky Home".
My guess is the barbeque will return to Bardstown someday, but I’m just a fledgling
Colonel -- it’s not for me to say!
If you ever get to attend the Colonels’
barbeque, the dress is casually elegant. Most of the women (and men) wear fancy
hats. Don’t wear heels, as I did, because they’ll just get lodged in the mud
and you’ll end up stripping off your stockings behind a tree and running around
barefooted. Our weather was in the upper 80’s and very sunny. With the warm
outdoors, the first stop I made was to the mint julep tent. Ah, the famous
drink of the Derby and a favorite cocktail of Colonels! I’ve had my fair share
of mint julips before, and nobody, but NOBODY makes ‘em as good as the ones at
Barbeque. The secret, I think, is having a big, tall glass of crushed ice, with
plenty of fresh mint, simple sugar syrup and quality bourbon. Really, think of
the proper julep as being a chunkier version of a bourbon snow cone -- now
that’s refreshing!
Here’s an interesting point about the
cocktail tent: they carried many brands of bourbon. You don’t see that at many
catered functions! I strongly suspect the reason is, the different companies
are still run by some of the old Kentucky families, and they all count many
Colonels amongst their corporate officers. So that nobody’s feelings get hurt,
each are represented at Barbeque. Thus, there was a choice of Jim Beam, Evan
Williams, Makers Mark, Woodford Reserve and Heaven Hill.
Along with cocktails, you can’t forget the
tasty food! First, I sampled Kentucky Burgoo. Since you’re probably wondering,
Kentucky Burgoo is a traditional stew, now made with lamb, pork, chicken and
sometimes beef. It has a tomato and spice base, with little vegetables thrown
in. During Daniel Boone’s time (the founder of Kentucky), it most likely
contained squirrel, venison, wild turkey and anything else he could lay his
hands on. It’s supposed to be "gamy" and lamb definitely gives it
that quality.
Then, I sampled the barbeque. The pulled
pork or chicken sandwiches were topped with "Mark’s Feed Store BBQ
Sauce", made in Middletown, KY. The Original sauce is thinner and more
orange, while Tomato sauce came later, as a result of customers’ demands. The
Tomato sauce is thicker with honey. Side dishes included green beans with bacon
and homemade potato salad. If you’re going to make potato salad
"Kentucky-style", you’ll use little new red potatoes, big chunks of
hard-boiled eggs, poppy seeds, fresh chives, green onions and mayo. Dessert was
homemade buttermilk pie, which is sort of a cross between pecan pie minus the
nuts and a sugar cookie. Of course, I washed everything down with that favorite
quencher of the South, sweet tea.
Besides eatin’ and drinkin’, there’s lots
to do at the Colonels’ Barbeque. I met a delightful Colonel involved in the
thoroughbred industry and the Robb Report, Robbie Switzer. He introduced me to
many re-enactors of famous historical people that he knew. So, introductions
went thusly: "This is George Rogers Clark, or also, Mel." Other
re-enactors included Daniel Boone, "Grandpa" Jones (do you remember
Hee-Haw?) and Colonel Sanders. We also listened to the live 50’s music of the
Monarchs and bluegrass stylings of Kentucky Blue. The Emporium is where you do
your souvenir shopping . . .but you’ll want to go early. They ran out of
t-shirts in my size (which is a Top State Secret). I did get the special pin commemorating the
Barbeque; it’s a point of pride for Colonels to wear all the pins of all the
Barbeques they’ve attended over the years.
The Colonels’ Barbeque is one of the most
famous parties of the South: if you ever have the chance to go as a Colonel or
Colonel’s guest, I hope to see y’all there.