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The Mountain Workshops is an intense week where a select group of participants work in small groups with top journalism professionals to learn visual storytelling.
View stories from Cynthiana and Harrison County, Kentucky
Cynthiana and Harrison County, Kentucky
October 29 - November 2, 2019
Residents call it the “Maiden City” because it was named for Cynthia and Anna, daughters of the man who donated land to start the town in 1793. All these years later, the Harrison County seat remains focused on family and community spirit.
People in Cynthiana and Harrison County appreciate where they live. It is a community rich in history, neighborliness and dreams for a brighter future.
Biancke's invites its guests to put the phone down and talk to the person sitting at the next table. It’s a place where families and friends gather to reminisce and to dream of a better tomorrow.
Since Roger Slade’s father died when he was young, he fears losing his loved ones. Now, Roger is comforted by the afterlife and gives ghost tours in his haunted opera house.
James Smith is in his second term as mayor of Cynthiana. He not only serves the townspeople but also fills the roles of theater owner, pastor, husband and ghost-tour guide.
Reed and Ashton Masterson are illusionists who grew up practicing magic in Cynthiana and now perform hundreds of shows across the country. Magic has literally changed their lives.
Robin Gassett and his Licking River Outfitters provides wounded soldiers and disabled veterans with opportunities to hunt — and to bond with others like them.
After 48 years of marriage, Gary and Debbie Lizer have found a new togetherness in their time with their grandchildren, their faith and their work to preserve God's creation.
Austin Jones is known throughout Cynthiana for his happy energy. The 30-year-old man has Down syndrome. When he was young, the community banded together to watch out for him. Now, they're good friends.
Bruce Florence has learned that staying engaged is important as you grow older. She fills her time by finding a need in her community and working to fix it.
By day, Kenny Whitaker is a truck dispatcher. By night, he is Cynthiana's country balladeer. With songs of life and love, Whitaker explores how values, like music, change with age.
Farming dates back in the Clifford family for six generations. With rising farm costs and reduced tobacco allotments, Ben finds new ways to support the family while still keeping the farm.
Bonnie Teater, 72, stays young by doing things for others. Her community is her passion. But Bonnie wonders what will happen when age forces her to slow down.
Harrison County is a community of families, friends, neighbors and classmates. Relationships and connections run deep, and you can see it in the faces.
After a lifetime of being a daughter and caretaker, Beth Laytart is enjoying her newfound solitude. She doesn’t care for large crowds or social situations — unless she’s playing the piano.
At his grandfather's request, Daniel Potter moved to Cynthiana to help run B.A. Maintenance Services, Inc., the family business George Velat had founded in 1987.
Mike Jones always knew he was different. He grew up wanting to be like his brother and friends, writing lyrics on the front steps. Today, he is on the stage.
Jerry Jenkins didn't have to go far to make an impact. The former principal and coach has been shaping lives since 1962. Now, in retirement, he is shaping something else.
Taylena Cason Burgan runs VanHook Hardware with her husband, Kent. The family business has been around for more than a century, yet faces an uncertain future.
Once determined to never return to her hometown, Cynthiana native Annastasia Hicks is now embedded in her community and doesn't plan to leave it or the Ashford Acres Inn.
A mother and co-owner of an auto repair shop, Jackie Arnold struggles with her son's brain tumor diagnosis and related complications but is comforted by her strong community.
Debbie Shehadi was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in New Jersey. But through determination, perseverance and guts, she achieved her dream of owning a Kentucky horse farm.
Christine Garnett is bringing coding to elementary and high schools in Cynthiana. She is laying the foundation for young people to effectively navigate the virtual world.
Tanya and Bubba Blake are living their dream of owning a sports bar, the Drunken Monkey. But the experience is turning out to be harder than they ever imagined.
After buying the last breeding herd of Gotland ponies in North America, Leslie Bebensee revived the rare breed. Today, she inspires others to embrace preservation and sustainability.
O.C. Jones, a sergeant with the Cynthiana Police Department, is a self-described “city boy gone country.” O.C. lives in a log cabin with his wife and works to be self-reliant.
Brandon Barnett comes from a long line of tobacco farmers. With the crop's decline, he is searching for the next big crop to keep the farming tradition in his family.
Family Court Judge Heather Fryman finds a balance between her work and her home life on the farm where she lives with her husband, two daughters and almost 200 animals.
In high school, theater was her refuge. Now Katelyn Chanslor works to bring Cynthiana a children's theater program, with the hope of directing her students toward a brighter future.
Lowell Clifford has been farming for most of life. Widowed and growing older, his passion for farming endures. But his struggle to maintain the farm grows.
Whether it’s working in the Cynthiana Fire Department, volunteering in the community or training his bird dogs, it’s always a family thing for Fire Chief Jay Sanders.
Ada Adair drives the bookmobile around Harrison County, delivering books for the Cynthiana-Harrison County Public Library. She hopes the traveling billboard invites residents to other library events.
High school senior Anna Midden juggles dance, family, school and work while pushing toward her dream of becoming a Rockette at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
Shonda Judy, a local photographer, increases animal adoption rates and educates the community about animal welfare by photographing animals in the local shelter and managing a local nonprofit.
Social worker Megan Nickerson counsels expectant parents on healthy homes for children. As a single mom in college, she had help from the same program.