KSPF Events

The KY State Parks Foundation has fundraising and friendraising events from time to time across the state. In addition, the KY State Parks Friends Groups host events to benefit specific state parks. Browse our event list for details of specific events.

Questions? Contact Us.

    KSPF Online Contest

    The KY state parks system is one of the most beloved resources in Kentucky. Memories have been made for generations of families…not only from KY, but from all over the world. We wanted to hear some favorite and special memories involving a KY state park.

    The KY State Parks Foundation collected stories and remembrances involving the state parks to try and find the best. The prize for this contest was a two nights at any state park in the system. At a recent KSPF Board of Directors meeting the top three entries were selected.
    Thank you to everyone who participated, and please watch the KSPF website for the next contest!

    WINNER
    By Kathy L. Richie Fair

    Go Faster Daddy!

    Sometimes, the most important memories of life are not things you really remember until much later. Sometimes, especially when you are in those heady “run full steam ahead” days of childhood, you just let the days roll on by, without even knowing that you are making memories. And then, at a more mature age, something happens and you realize those memories have been with you all along. They flood back into your head, your heart. That’s how I would describe my favorite memory of Kentucky State Parks.

    I’ve been going to Kentucky parks, and especially Buckhorn Lake State Park, since I was a girl. I’ve swam, fished, trailed, and played through childhood and into those adolescent days of lazy insolence, when my parents had to coerce me to go, mostly for family reunions. And then, as an adult, I stopped going, too busy making something of myself.

    But, when I had children, something called to me, something pulled me back in. So, I packed my husband (who had never been to Kentucky) and my first born into the car, and we drove across the flat corn fields of Indiana, through the horse parks of Lexington, and up that gut wrenching winding, twisting road to Buckhorn State Park. My family thought I was crazy! But after checking in, I took them out on the balcony of our room, and the peaceful beauty of those mountains overcame every winding hairpin curve. We fell in love. For me, it was like coming home. For my husband, it was like finding a calm place to just be. And for my boys (we had another son four years later), it was the fun, games, fishing, and the people.

    Since then, we’ve been to the waterfalls in Cumberland, climbed those long, dark,
    scary stairs to the most wondrous Natural Bridge I’ve ever seen, walked through caves that left us filled with intense glory at Carter Caves, swam in countless pools and lakes, ate far too much Derby Pie, and walked enough trails to fill my nature loving soul. Each memory is special. Each is close to being my favorite.

    But my favorite, the one that keeps us coming back to Kentucky, is the kind of memory every parent understands. Long ago, I remember being on Buckhorn Lake while my daddy drove the boat, and I yelled, “Go faster, Daddy! Go faster!” The wind in my hair, the mountains rising gently around us, the sparkling water rippling away, I was in wonder! But, I forgot those memories, until as a grown woman those gleeful childhood times came back to me, because I saw that glee reflected in the eyes of my boys. I saw that wonder, that delight, that joy of living! Out on the lake, wind whipping in his hair, the mountains rising gently around us, and the sparkling water rippling away, my son yelled, “Go faster, Daddy! Go faster!” And I knew why I come back every year. Our children have inherited our own inheritance, that glee, that wonder, that peaceful beauty and those heady days of full steam ahead. And I thought to myself when I saw my sons’ pure joy on that boat, “I want this to last forever.” What makes these parks special is that we can make it last forever, for my sons and their children and for all generations to come. My favorite memory of Kentucky is watching my sons discover that beauty and joy just like I did so long ago, and knowing that Kentucky State Parks will be there for more generations to come.

    RUNNER UP
    By Joan Campbell

    How can I choose? All my memories of Buckhorn Lake State Park at Bowlingtown are special. The park is built on my ancestral lands—-that in itself denotes specialness. Sometimes I just call the lodge to hear Pat, Jason, Martha, or whoever is working the front desk say, “Buckhorn Lake State Park, how may I direct your call?”

    We chat for awhile—-I ask, “ What’s going on—-wish I was where you are—-what’s the weather like—-what’s cooking in the Bowlingtown Cafe’—-is anyone in the lobby I know?” I hate to hang the phone up; when the connection is broken, I feel melancholic and disconnected.

    What conjures these emotions? Is it the memory of standing on the balcony and looking on the land that I once called home? I can see the very spot where I was delivered by the Frontier Nursing Service into the arms of a loving family. I remember the creek where I splashed and played while Mommy filled the wash tub with water to be carried up the hillside. I can see the stone steps—-all that remains of the two-room schoolhouse I attended. I remember the day I ran away from school because the teacher made me stay in for recess because I missed too many spelling words. I can see the faces and hear the voices of those who also called this fertile river valley home.

    Those same voices still call, though the faces have changed. They are the voices of the next generation—-they belong to my children and my grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins—-five times removed. I allow myself to reminisce for a few moments and then began to make more memories. We splash in the pool now instead of the creek. We play golf on the graveyard hill and hike the remembered woods. We share a meal while viewing the curvaceous lake, eat s’mores around the campfire, play Rook like fools, fall asleep by the huge, stone fireplace and try to cram a lifetime into a too-short day.

    So, my favorite Buckhorn Lake State Park memory isn’t a day or event that belongs on a man-made calendar or clock—-it is a feeling that lives in the very marrow of my bones and breathes in the depths of my soul.

    When my life here is over, I plan to have my ashes scattered around the tree that Sue, the recreational director, had planted on the site where I lived. My tree doesn’t stand alone; it is surrounded by the trees of my parents and my nine brothers and sisters. At the roots of each tree, there is a brass plate that has an inscription depicting a proverbial statement. Mine reads “Forever Home.”


    RUNNER UP
    By Stacy O’Dea

    Crunch, crackle, snap were the sounds from beneath our feet, as leaves and twigs crumbled into nature’s carpet of beauty. What an escape from our daily calendars of school, work and commitments! What an untapped playground full of new discoveries, just waiting for us to stumble upon! Our recent visit to Natural Bridge State Park proved to be a day worth repeating no matter who you ask.

    We walked. We ran. We hopped in and out of freshly fallen leaves of brilliant colors. Paths, where springtime streams had run freely, now offered discovery centers full of footprints from the forest’s families. My heart leapt as the pathway became a classroom full of questions and explanations, from science to literary comparison. We split up engaged in one-on-one conversations, then merged back to family sharing without skipping a beat. Pointing was even allowed and encouraged when weird things were spotted!

    We found the perfect sanctuary that satisfied and stimulated our family. It met Dad’s budget. A full day of activity at no cost and surprisingly close to home! Papa’s storytelling came to life as he pointed out similarities from his boyhood. The forest offered an awesome canvas for Gammie’s family photos. Every sense was heightened as our children explored freely and followed where their curiosities led them.

    As the mom, my heart leapt with joy. I didn’t want the day to end. None of us did. We stretched our minds, as well as our bodies, that day. We connected even more as a family. I smiled just knowing that lifelong memories were being created before our very eyes.

    Our only regret – Why did it take us so long to experience Kentucky State Parks?

    Audubon State Park "After Nature" Art Exhibit

    April 13, 2011 - June 12, 2012

    Audubon Museum presents “After Nature,” a captivating botanical show by Artist Michael Aakhus. Michael is an Artist, Professor and presently acting as the Dean of Arts at USI. His work has been exhibited widely and is represented in many public and private collections throughout the world. The work in this exhibition will be based on paintings and photographs inspired by travel and the natural world. A new area of exploration will be combining images of flowers with human figures taken from photo documentation done at various sites around the world. The work will continue to examine diverse cultures and landscapes with an eye to bring together many different elements in a rich tapestry of expressive color and iconography.

    The public is invited to the opening reception Thursday, March 31st from 6:00-7:30 at the JJA Museum.

    Staff Contact: Kim McGrew-Liggett at (270) 827-1893 or kim.mcgrew@ky.gov