Winchester | Clark County

STRIDE provides resources for individuals with disabilities to thrive. Kevin Beck, one of the program’s first participants, is evidence of the program’s mission in action.

Carter Muzic lost his father at age 2. Raised by his mother, the high school quarterback now models masculinity built on talking through hard things instead of holding them in.

Cole Adams Maier followed in her mother’s footsteps to the judge’s bench. These days, she not only manages a courtroom, she’s a busy mom, wife and athlete.

Identical twins Alyson and Caitlyn have been clogging for 30 years. After winning multiple national titles, they now teach the next generation Kentucky’s official state dance while building community.

For more than 25 years, veterinarian Patrick Reister has cared for animals of all sizes at Boonesboro Animal Clinic. He is also taking care of people.

Doug and Carrie Shepperson love caring for their land, their animals and each other. During a decade of farming together, they’ve had to adapt to many challenges. But a new challenge has them concerned.

For the Howard family, growing tobacco is more than a business. It’s a way of life shaped by long days, shared responsibilities, and a work ethic passed from one generation to the next.

As Clara Watts enters a new chapter in life, she’s determined to keep up with her teammates, even when things that come easily to others aren’t so simple for her.

Clint Pace is up with the dawn on his cattle farm, tending to the land and bringing up his boys. And that is plenty for him.

Gus is a therapy dog with the Winchester Police Department. To the department, Gus is comfort, community outreach and, in their own words, a tool. What does it mean for American policing to need a dog like him?

At the Webb family’s tobacco farm, Ben Webb and his father, Benny Webb, carry on a multi-generational tradition where family comes first and that family extends to their beloved workers.

The All Voices Reading Room is a banned-book library that aims to foster understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion. The only problem is, few readers show up.

For 60 years, Patrick’s Barber Shop has been more than a place for haircuts, fostering friendships and community connections across generations.

Mary Pence reflects on recovery and weaves together community while working as Peer Support Specialist at the Recovery Community Center. She now has the role of the person who helped her recover.

Martha Venable Johnson’s FishBack Farm is a living museum, and she is uncovering new pieces of ancestral history every day. She spends her days restoring her family home and her nights learning about those who lived there before her.

Mona Baxter noticed a growing stray cat population in Winchester, and she decided to do something about it in her own special way. She says the work has kept her out of trouble, but others might disagree.

Pastor Garvin Ricco Floyd uses his own life experiences to be a beacon of hope in the community through his faith.

As a shepherd, Doug Ashcraft raises livestock and continues to raise up the next generations of farmers. From show ring to classroom, he is a cornerstone of the agricultural community and is leaving a legacy stretching far beyond the pasture.

Steven Caudill, an Army veteran and retired police officer, has found a second career portraying the famous Kentucky frontiersman. A nod to his family’s heritage, it has helped him overcome a personal struggle.

With a full calendar and an even fuller heart, former American Idol contestant Lauren Mink is committed to bettering her hometown. The third-generation Winchester resident never considered a home elsewhere..

Dominic Bernal, 17, is an Elvis Presley tribute artist. He is building a career performing as ‘The King’, but longs for his own identity.

Amy Graybill Green is a retired middle school teacher who isn’t relaxing one bit. At 56, she’s training for the toughest horseback rides of her life, and she has new scars to show for it. 

Jenny Turner, 68, lives a ‘beautiful, boring life’ with God and her community at the heart of it. When not working with elderly people in her day job, she is volunteering at hospice and her church.

Though managing a cemetery and supporting his children in rodeo competition, Zach Wills helps people through challenges.

Danielle White felt alone when she moved to Winchester. Since taking over the Fly Witches, a bungee fitness business, she has found her community.

Cody McCord and his fiancée, Marissa Thompson, found themselves in the absence of animals when their relationship began. A petting zoo and a new sense of purpose followed.

Ed Burtner worked as city manager and mayor of Winchester for more than 41 years. Now retired, he continues to serve his community through public radio.

Single mom Tara Hull confronts challenges while raising her two children. From financial insecurity to personal health issues, she faces life head on.

Business owner, tie maker and online content creator Mason Rhodus uplifts his community with kindness. Despite an outgoing, energetic public persona, he finds strength in the simplest of places.

An injury when she was a high school basketball player led Caitlin Crump to find a vocation that she loves. She is the athletic trainer at George Rogers Clark High School.

Exercise helped Erin Skinner Smith overcome an early childhood spent in leg braces. Now the yoga therapist helps others heal their bodies.

As night-shift police sergeant, Jansen Thomas manages raising a young family and the stresses of his job with optimism. Finding little moments of calm with his coworkers and family contrasts the chaos of police work.

After 25 years of living with addiction, Kelly Jones works at the treatment center that helped her get sober. Now, she is facing a new challenge.

From Vietnam to Winchester, Amy’s Asian Kitchen serves more than just a meal. She has done a lot for the community, and in the process has found a new home.

For nine years, pastor Steven Moore has helped his son, Lincoln, navigate the world with Spina Bifida, a developmental birth defect. Now with a toddler to care for as well, Steven’s faith helps him bear his burdens — and offers his family and congregation a place to lay theirs.

After battling alcohol addiction and depression, Justin Taylor found blacksmithing. The trade offers him an outlet, keeps him motivated and allows him to focus on the positive parts of life.

For more than a decade, Creative Coffee Roastery has been caffeinating and connecting Winchester one cup at a time.

For decades, Dr. Steven Lee has run Winchester Animal Clinic. The community comes for the medical care but stays for the compassion.

Moriah Sallaz’s passion for hair-styling started at age 15 when her mom finished chemotherapy with an unsuitable wig. Now, Moriah is the lead instructor at a cosmetology program.

Since 2012, the Brown family is known for transforming the basement of the Clark County Parks and Recreation Center into an elaborate haunted house — carrying forward a tradition rooted in their shared love of all things spooky.

In tribute to her father, Phyllis Abbot, 83, started a transitional housing facility for homeless women veterans 11 years ago in an old school building. Although there is plenty of need, keeping the 32 beds filled has been a challenge.

The award-winning librarian at Baker Intermediate School, Katie Berner, works alongside community members and husband Collin to foster curiosity and a passion for learning.

From a life of alcoholism to a life of faith and sobriety, Ale-8-One warehouse supervisor Fred White draws on his experiences to help people at work and beyond.

Brennan and Serena Gilkison have built a sprawling farm on mostly leased land. As rising land values, generational change and development pressure reshape agriculture around them, their son’s future as a farmer is uncertain.

From murals and decorative finishes to portraits, Kim Comstock has built a career on versatility, persistence and an enduring need to create.

Savannah Satterwhite, 10, a seventh-generation farmer, balances her busy school life with her passion for raising and selling produce and caring for cows on her family’s farm.

For James and Bree Bowman and their children, spontaneity is a way of life and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They live downtown, and own two businesses in the same building.

Robbie Graham, coach of the reigning Kentucky girls’ high school basketball champions, doesn’t stop coaching when he steps off the court.

After overcoming addiction through faith, Kenny Allen finds purpose in barbecue, building a business that feeds people physically and spiritually.

At Maka Mia Pizza, owner Mike Williams’ welcoming energy is always on the menu alongside his popular pizza, hoagies and chicken wings.

Beer and brewing fanatic Tyler Montgomery runs a brewery and pub along with a brewing-themed magazine based in Winchester. He builds his community through his passion for beer and connects through his love of conversation.

Brandeon Hampton’s bison business helped restore a piece of Kentucky’s history, when herds roamed the state until the early 1800s. Now, he is looking to the future.

For 30 years, business partners and best friends Roy Bowen and Scott Leedy have been building and restoring guitars, an endeavor fueled by their shared love of rock music and tinkering with instruments.

Sara Cavill runs Twilight Riding School on the farm where she lives with her husband Greg and more than 30 animals. including 14 horses. She cares deeply about her relationships with the animals, her students and her family. 

The South Main Grocery & Grill is a Winchester staple, operating continuously since 1952. Owned by Heather and Steve James, the hybrid market, diner and deli is run by their family and frequented by regulars who feel like they’re part of it.

Teams can be found all around us. One kitchen in town — at Tacos Lunas y Más — has built a team of friends and family members to provide an authentic Mexican experience.

Kentucky River Field School is a home away from home for young adults searching for a place to work, learn and adjust to life beyond the classroom.

Sandi Beard was never a cat person, but then, more than a decade ago, her husband brought home a cat. She now has 30 cats at her at-home rescue.

Scotty Mitchell is 17. He’s the captain of the football team, the president of the National Honor Society, is very involved with his church, and has big goals for his future.

After a lightning strike burned down the winery that Harkness and Cathy Edwards built from the ground up, their youngest daughter, Nini, fought to preserve their legacy and continue the family business.

Cheerleader Mileigh Wills, 18, broke her leg 10 weeks ago. She is working hard on her recovery to fulfill her dream of cheering for Western Kentucky University.

Olivia Root is a high school senior striving to make change through the music she creates. She is loved by her fellow band members and the director says she has made a lasting impact on the program.

An item on the honey-do list led a Winchester man to become one of the United States’ few master dry stone masons. His career started with a mess of a project in his own backyard.

Battling Stage 4 cancer, 15-year-old Coltin Duncan leans on the support of his family, community and faith to get through each day, with a smile on his face. “If anyone can do it, he can do it,” his father said.

The new directors at Dancer’s Pointe ballet studio have become enamored of the Winchester community as they help guide the studio and lead by example.

In four years, Clark County Public Schools Superintendent Dustin Howard has ‘completely transformed the community perspective of our district’ through a hands-on approach prioritizing students.

Brenda Siebold made a connection with dogs early in her life, and made a career of working with them. The latest chapter of that story is in Winchester, where she has her own training business.

In Clark County, Jill Blanton built a preschool for every 4-year-old. Now she’s mentoring the next leaders who’ll run it, including teacher Emily Smith.