The Last Monday
Last weekend was Court Days in my hometown. This happening is the most important event on the community calendar and most residents have a love-hate relationship with it. This year was the last last traditional Monday Court Day to be celebrated, a tradition since 1796. My friend Liz Prather (in the pic above) is all in on Court Days every year and loves to document the happening. This past year she took that love to another level with the Mt. Sterling (KY) Court Day Oral History Project. The project is a series of interviews with people involved with the long-running Court Day, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky’s oldest running festival. Court Day is held every third Monday in October and is situated throughout historic downtown Mt. Sterling.
Thinking about the community happenings of your hometown (by birth or choice) are great invitations to write and fits in super well with the origin stories that my writing students are exploring this week. How have those traditions changed? What traditions have been lost? What happening would you love to document with your one wild and precious life (or retirement)?
Of course you can also find inspiration in the photo gallery or oral histories linked above.
