Country Music Gateway 23

06/25/2023

05/22/2023

05/21/2023

Come on up or down to the Freedom Ridge Welcome Center!!

02/26/2023

Dr. Ralph Stanley would have celebrated his 96th Birthday today. Born in Dickenson County, VA on this date back in 1927, Dr. Stanley is considered to be one of the most influential artist in Country & Bluegrass Music history. His legend lives on.

11/22/2022

Congressman Rogers Applauds a $1 Million ARC Grant for Backroads of Appalachia Nov 21 2022 WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) applauds Backroads of Appalachia for earning a $1 million competitive grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to promote tourism through ...

10/21/2022

10/17/2022

We are just 2 days away from Thunder Beach 2022 with Indian Motorcycles of Panama City Beach and Born to Ride Magazine Southeast!
If your attending the Rally do not forget to stop by and see our booth and display at Indian Motorcycles of PCB, meet our volunteer rally team, and register for your chance to win one of our custom barrel tops donated courtesy of our friend Marty Jordon and ”Written in Stone”. Also stay tuned right here on our page for live coverage of Thunder Beach 2022 starting Wednesday October 19th at 9:00am!

Let’s Rally Appalachia!

10/10/2022

Loretta Lynn is one of the most awarded musicians of all time. She has been inducted into more music Halls of Fame than any female recording artist, including The Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and was the first woman to be named the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year in 1972. Lynn received Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. She has won four Grammy Awards (including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010) and sold more than 45 million records worldwide.

But before arriving in Nashville to push boundaries with her music, country legend Loretta Lynn lived in Butcher Holler with seven brothers and sisters, including country music’s Crystal Gayle. Now, visitors can tour Loretta Lynn and Crystal Gayle’s homeplace to see the mountain cabin that was the foundation of their successful careers.

After touring the Butcher Holler homeplace, visitors can stop in Webb’s General Store, which was depicted in the film, “Coal Miners’ Daughter.” Previously named “Number Five” store due to a nearby mine, the store is over 100 years old and owned by Loretta’s family. Purchase Moon Pies, RC Cola, sandwiches, keepsakes such as autograph photos, t-shirts and other collectables.

https://prestonsburgky.org/attractions/butcher-holler/

10/04/2022

https://news-expressky.com/news/october-marks-35th-anniversary-of-pikeville-cut-through-project/article_99173426-43c7-11ed-b8ac-0b9b7fb31492.html?utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR3R36X5GE2IKamlg-h-CRVb6azbl3dwxUHIQL4ywR_ioj6Ptx5ALCXOuVc

Thirty-five years ago this week Pikeville, Kentucky took on one of the largest engineering feats in the world and became forever known as the city that moved mountains.

10/03/2022

Samuel May was born and raised in Virginia by the son of a Revolutionary war veteran. He moved his family here and soon after built the family home in 1818. Workers gathered hand-hewn logs from the surrounding forests, molded Kentucky clay bricks on-site, and ground freshwater mussel shells out of the Levisa Fork River into lime. This house is significant not only for its exceptional Federal craftsmanship but also because its owners and their families played major roles in the development of Prestonsburg and Floyd County.

Samuel was an ambitious businessman and instrumental in the construction of the Mt. Sterling-Pound Gap Road, which paved the way for increased commerce to the area. In its heyday, this home was a social and political hub surrounded by almost 400 acres of land. By the 1830s, May became a state representative and went on to be a senator. It was from the balcony of his home that May is said to have delivered political speeches to citizens gathered on the lawn of the house, while in the meadow below he hosted horse races at his own personal racetrack.

https://prestonsburgky.org/attractions/local-history/