Bourbon barrel issue filled with high-proof irony

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

First let me state that I am not a teetotaler; nor am I anti-bourbon anything. However I choose not to imbibe these days for several reasons, only one of which is an attempt to set some sort of example for my children.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that businessman Steve Hayden's plan to install a giant bourbon barrel next to Keene's Depot is generating opposition. And let's call the barrel what it is -- its a device to attract attention to Hayden's store, Keene's Depot.

No one seems to want to say out loud that the reason this project exists -- at the very least -- is to serve as a business-builder for Hayden. You can dress it up in any reasoning you wish, but in the end it remains a vehicle to attract people to his business. He's the one funding the project, he secured free labor for it, and ultimately it's his baby.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not critical of Hayden at all. The man has for many years been one of the area's top entrepreneurs in tourism. He's one of the hardest working men in tourism, and he's successful because he's worked harder than others to be that way. I don't blame Hayden for wanting a new landmark attraction on his doorstep.

But what's good for the goose should be good for the gander.

It wasn't too many years ago, in the swell of patriotism that followed 9/11, auto dealer Edwin Cecil approached the Bardstown City Council about a flag pole for his lot on KY 245 across from Taco Bell (his business was located at the site of 44 Auto Mart).

Cecil's request for the flag pole was knocked down by the council on the grounds it would attract undue attention to his business, and in the eyes of the city's sign ordinance, it would become a de facto sign. The council nixed his request.

Cecil cited his desire to display his country's flag, and and I'm sure he knew a side benefit was greater visibility for his business. But he had good reason for seeking a tall flag pole. His business sits below the level of KY 245. A taller pole would get the flag high enough so it wouldn't look odd flying at eye level from the roadway. His request was denied, though his consolation prize was the OK for a pole less than half the requested height. In the end, Cecil never installed the flag pole.

How is the world's largest bourbon barrel different? Neither is designed to be used for advertising per se, and neither would have had the business name on it. In one case, something that might attract attention to a business (in the name of patriotism) was nixed; with the barrel (it's request being made in the name of "bourbon heritage" and "tourism"), there appears to be no problem.

Cecil's intent was not to create a landmark attraction that would attract people to come by for photo opportunities. The same isn't true of the bourbon barrel.

Not everyone is proud of Nelson County's bourbon heritage. Some oppose alcohol use on religious grounds, others simply because of the impact it may have had on their lives or those of someone they love. I suspect many people have misgivings about the barrel, but only a vocal few have stepped forward.

The Bardstown I grew up in 40 years ago was a very different place that the town we see today. The buildings and many of the people are the same, but its a very different mix of people, faiths and backgrounds.

Alcohol was a daily part of life, even for us kids. Even if we didn't drink it, we saw it, smelled it, and watched its effects on our parents, neighbors, and family members.

Fast forward a few decades, and not only has our community changed, but there have been in place for years organized efforts to educate kids about the dangers of drug and alcohol use.

The permissive attitude about alcohol has changed somewhat in our community, too. Even the local distilled products have changed. The industry has literally reinvented itself. What once was deemed "pedestrian whiskey" has become an exclusive, high-end product savored for its unique sensory experience. Bourbon is no longer simply a vehicle to get you from "zero to drunk" in 30 minutes.

But what's this have to do with plans for the world's largest bourbon barrel?

I wonder who else sees the irony that this project to pay homage to the bourbon industry is being built using free labor from minors -- kids too young to drink -- and ironically, the same ones targeted by anti-alcohol messages at their schools.

How many DARE graduates are working on this vocational school project at Nelson County High School -- a school which sports a smashed up car with anti-alcohol graffiti near its main drive?

Many of the high school students who are building this are probably well-acquainted with our local distilled spirits. At their age they're going to do what they can get by with anyway. But what's the message we want to send to the younger kids - for example, the younger siblings of those laboring to build the barrel?

In a story in the Friday, April 28th edition of The Kentucky Standard, Mayor Dixie Hibbs said she "didn’t relate the bourbon barrel project to impaired driving, alcoholism or underage drinking, but understood from where opponents views were coming."

Hibbs put her own ironic twist on the issue by telling the newspaper "Maybe this is a good time to educate young people on the risks of alcohol."

The City of Bardstown is definitely sending a mixed message. On one hand, the city supports alcohol and drug prevention education through its own Community Prevention Center and the PATH Coalition; on the other, it supports a project that sends a different message promoting the area's bourbon heritage at a major intersection near our most famous tourism landmark, My Old Kentucky Home.

The message to our kids is clearly "Do as I say, not as I do."

On April 11th, the PATH Coalition sponsored a town meeting to address the issue of underage drinking. The Standard had an excellent editorial about the meeting in its Friday, April 14th issue, part of which is below:

For decades underage drinking in Nelson County has been considered a “rite of passage” something that all young people go through. Parents who know better are torn with feelings of hypocrisy remembering their own experience.

Signals sent by such mixed messages are not just confusing but are enabling. Change has to start somewhere and for this group of determined individuals Nelson County is the place and the time is now.

Bourbon production is a part of our heritage, and it's a part that I'm proud of. And yes, it's supported many families with good paying jobs over the years. But just where do we draw the line on responsibly promoting it with an eye toward our children? As noted in earlier stories in The Standard, the project has the support of city and county government, and everyone else along the way, from planning and zoning to the historic review board.

Who was watching out for the public's interests on this project?

I don't recall a public meeting to discuss it, though apparently it was mentioned previously at the Bardstown City Council. As project opponent Jennifer Barrie pointed out, it appears at this point to be "a done deal." The Mayor says the city didn't vote on the project, though the council did vote to accept the Historic Review Board's recommendation on the concept. Her message is clearly "Don't blame us, we didn't approve it."

Regardless of your opinion of this project, one thing seems pretty clear to me -- the people in elected and appointed positions failed to speak for that growing minority of local residents who aren't proud their community will soon be known for the world's largest bourbon barrel.