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Page 1: Vent Magazine August 2009

Owensboro Kentucky’s Premier Publication

AUGUST2009TAKE ONE

Page 2: Vent Magazine August 2009

1320 Carter RdOwensboro, KY 42301-2648

(270) 689-9824

Hours:

Monday - Closed

Tuesday - Saturday11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Friday - Saturday Dinner5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Sunday Brunch 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Now Open Friday and Saturday Night

Page 3: Vent Magazine August 2009
Page 4: Vent Magazine August 2009
Page 5: Vent Magazine August 2009

04 Perfect Storm: OMU’s Rate Increase

06 Holy Broken Debris

08 Lighter Living: Sugar

09 Chad’s Mc Column: Barbies before Boys

10 Big O Music Fest

11 3G in Owensboro

13 Friday After 5

14 Chrysler Rebound

17 VENT

18 Coupons

GET VENT DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME. Call (270) 314-0196 to find out how.

Visit www.ventmagowb.com for article up-dates and to leave comments.

Contacting VENT

Advertising:[email protected] or

call (270) 314-0196

Questions or Comments: [email protected] or

[email protected]/ventmag

VENT Magazine is proud to print in Owensboro with w w w . v e n t m a g o w b . c o m

Page 6: Vent Magazine August 2009

VENT Magazine is proud to print in Owensboro with

Page 7: Vent Magazine August 2009

ewelry is an investment. It lasts for decades and it’s worth more than a dollar value. Jewelry is a gift for anniversaries,

weddings, birthdays and graduations and for any day.

Lance & Company Jewelers is a new face in Owensboro with more than 40 years of experience. Owner Lance Embry brought his family from Newburgh, Ind. to Owensboro to pursue his career in our community.

A family-owned business, formerly known as Brinker’s Jewelers, Lance & Company is creating a new wave of custom and classic jewelry for the Owensboro area.

With more than 30 years of experience, Lance has the knowledge to craft and acquire jewelry that not only stands out as unique but suits customers’ needs and desires.

Lance’s daughter, Mandy, has worked with him for 10 years, helping to hone the business with a fresh face into a business that understands and develops personal relationships with customers.

Lance has enjoyed building relationships with customers to help him understand and acquire pieces that he dedicates to the customer, mak-ing them one-of-a-kind. True passion, creative craftsmanship, pride and thought make Lance & Company different from other jewelers.

With several courses of diamond training under her belt, Mandy not only assists her father with the business, she also helps by modernizing custom designs with different programs and working with designers to give the company a unique image.

Lance & Company also supports local jewelry designers as well with a showcase of local designers in the store.

Owensboro businesses try to support others, and Lance & Company has been doing that since it opened. The company has donated to several different organizations including the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, Casa, Foundation for Health, Hospice, Girls Inc, The RiverPark Center, Theater Workshop of Owensboro and The Bluegrass Museum.

Lance & Company hopes to bring new and exciting pieces to Owens-boro, everything from high fashion, diamond engagement rings to high quality watches.

When you are ready to search for that special gift, make it personal and make it worthwhile. Sit down and relax. Either Lance or Mandy will create the perfect piece for your special someone.

Visit Lance & Company in Wesleyan Park Plaza or call (270) 686-0001.

Diamonds Are ForeverBy: Kitty Kizer

VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8 07.

Page 8: Vent Magazine August 2009

Usually, I’m not the type of girl that would attend a paintball tournament, but there’s a first time for everything. I arrived at Dia-mond Lake, where the AXPS Paintball Tournament was held, and I felt lost.

Pop-up tents stood at the top of the hill as both genders walked around in their paintball gear, ready for battle. I thought to myself, “What is the purpose of this game?”

Ten minutes later, things got interesting.

As I stood 10 feet behind the large fenced-in play area, my heart thumped rapidly in my rib cage. Guns fired. Teammates shouted directions. Paintballs splattered against boulders with surprising force. It was exciting; hence the slogan: “Feel the adrenaline.”

Each game seemed to last just a few seconds, but they actually lasted four minutes. I couldn’t wait to watch more. Teams lined up on the side lines waiting to battle. They were hyped up, yelling and screaming. Even I shouted a little.

It was a cloudy day and had rained previously — perfect weath-er for this particular sport.

Each team started the game in the portal for about five minutes, during which time they discussed their plan of attack and position-ing.

The countdown began. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. The whis-tle blew. Players ran and ducked behind boulders for protection.

Guns fired constantly. Men went down but the game went on.

The tournament lasted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Ridge Boys played in the tournament that day. The players on this team ranged from the age 20 to 43. Joey Driver, Byron Tichenor and Nathan Stiff were three of the five-man team.

All three said that paintball is a challenging but fun extreme sport.

“Getting shot hurts like someone popped you with a towel,” Driver said.

Ridge Boys started playing in 1998 on a ridge, and that’s how they came up with the name. They won the Midsouth Champion-ship two years in a row and the Intense Sports Series three times.

Eight teams went to the semifinals that day. The Ridge Boys ranked number three with a score of 420. Visit southeasternpaint-ball.com or axpspaintball.net for more information and to see how the teams faired in the final battles.

Next time you’re chilling at home with your buddies, thinking there’s nothing to do, then put your game face on and head out to Diamond Lake and visit AXPS Paintball and feel the adrenaline if you can handle it.

Contact AXPS at (270) 229-0002 to learn more about rental packages or visit the field at 7301 Hobbs Rd. at Diamond Lakes.\

Paintball By: Kitty Kizer

08. VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8

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The stepping down of the Theater Workshop of Owensboro’s execu-

tive director Mike Filbin incidentally signaled the changing of the guard to

the next generation. Filbin, an incredible asset to TWO, will in one way or

another continue to contribute so that the show must go on. And while

he does, a relatively younger generation is in preproduction to show Ow-

ensboro that TWO can dazzle in the spotlight.

Enter Kevin Clark, a 27-year-old graduate of Kentucky Wesleyan Col-

lege with a Bachelor of Fine Arts emphasizing in theater. Clark, who has

been involved with TWO since 2000, is directing the upcoming produc-

tion, Come Blow Your Horn, which will run October 24, 30, 31 and No-

vember 1, 6, and 7.

Clark has been involved with theater in some fashion most of his life;

recently he had a role in Little Shop of Horrors, and assistant directed

Quilters with Todd Reynolds directing.

Come Blow Your Horn is one of Neil Simon’s first plays and tells the

story of two brothers, Buddy and Alan, in downtown 1960’s Manhattan.

Buddy, a bit into debauchery, tries to show his brother the meaning of life

and ultimately finds it himself.

Directing a 1960’s script does possess the potential to be dated, but

Clark realizes the task ahead of him. In order to keep the script fresh, he

is straying away from any rewriting and inadvertently any copyright issues.

“I feel that modernizing the piece might take away from the content,” he

said.

However, some separation from the film version exists, so don’t go

expecting Old Blue Eyes to serenade you.

Executing his directorial debut with support from Pablo Gallastegui

as assistant director, and set design/construction by Randy Buehler (The

Sugar Bean Sisters), Clark intends to fill the seats with fresh faces using

relatively fresh faces in production.

Clark’s work represents what the theater scene in Owensboro and

other areas needs: a reassurance in involvement from the next genera-

tion. With a cast of seven mostly in their 20s to 30s, the entire ensemble

embodies a new wave.

“You (the director) hope for surprises, although you have someone in

mind when reading the script,” Clark said.

Since 1955, TWO has been supplying Owensboro with the arts and

culture from youth drama, summer musicals and the regular dynamic

season. With people like Clark and others stepping up, Owensboro can

expect the stars to shine on the stage for another generation.

Time TWO Change By: Casey Aud

VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8 09.

Page 10: Vent Magazine August 2009

Great for Company Outings & Church Groups

VENT Magazine is proud to print in Owensboro with

Page 11: Vent Magazine August 2009

What composes the soundtrack of your life? Or even easier, what song best represents Owensboro? The answer lies in a local son of the city, Andy Brasher, whose music and melodies evoke visions of cruising the countryside on a motorcycle and singing by a campfire with the spirits hanging in the air above you.

The bearded, bohemian Andy Brasher went from bonfire guitar jams to paying gigs and collaborating with Nashville musicians. Being a one-man singer/songwriter, manager and distributor is enough to exhaust anyone, but Brasher laughs it off because it’s the only way he knows.

Brasher, toting his guitar to parties and friends’ houses began covering songs by his musical influences, ranging from British Invasion rock era, folksy tones of Dylan and Neil Young, to the aggressive guitar and vocals of Alice In Chains. After developing his skill and some encouragement from friends, Brasher started recording.

Before his current solo project, Brasher took part in the band White Trash Totem Pole by responding to an ad for a singer at the music center. Now, Brasher says that he still plays with the band once or twice a year, but the members basically use the band as a recording machine.

Ten Pound Pie, a three-piece collective unit, came after WTTP and is currently working on an album that has been put on hold approximately 10 times.

“I was joking with a friend the other day about TPP’s album being like Guns and Roses’ Chinese Democracy,” Brasher said. Chinese Democracy was delayed several times and took more than a decade from start to fin-ish.

Ten Pound Pie plays once or twice a year as well. “We do have the album cover, which is progress,” Brasher jokingly

added.To most musicians, living in Owensboro might serve as a handicap,

but to Brasher it is a blessing. “I can make a living here and travel to Nashville for the networking that can’t be replaced.” Owensboro is es-sential to Brasher not only because of family, but because it pays. “There’s hundreds of musicians that are down there (Nashville) that will play for free,” Brasher said.

Supporting yourself as a musician is not an easy task and a major source of income is paying shows. An ultimate goal for Brasher is to support a family with revenue from concerts, record sales, and royalty checks, which is what musicians refer to as “mailbox money.”

“As a musician you have to do anything you can,” he said. “It’s al-ways fun and awesome but the transition to earning a living at it is a little hairy,”

Brasher said some weeks he will play up to six shows on top of con-stantly writing. “It’s a part of me.”

Brasher, the ever-evolving musician that he is, sometimes has to turn off the business side of his musical lifestyle to nurture his creative energy. By utilizing a songwriting palette of piano, guitar, mandolin and ukulele, Brasher paints a vision that represents his spirit, a soulful and welcoming voice.

When asked if there was a song that represented Brasher he referenced, “Indian” from his album Crows and Buzzards.

You can hear Brasher at the Boiler Room on July 31 where he will release the Bogue Project album with Dustin Bogue, a musician that he intends to tour the Midwest with.

Brasher fans can look for his next album coming out winter 2009, Last of Our Kind, which is a combination of musicians that has culminated in the backing band Brasher has been trying to construct for some time.

To reach Brasher and all his musical endeavors, contact him on his MySpace page and his official Web site, AndyBrasher.com.

By: Casey Aud

THE PLUG

VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8 11.

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Phantom EnergyThere is a vampire in your home, and he’s making your electric-

ity bill higher. He waits until you leave a room, go to sleep, leave the house or turn your back, and then he sucks electricity out of your plug-ins.

Phantom energy, vampire power, phantom load , idle current — whatever you call it, phantom energy is electricity consumed by appli-ances plugged into an electrical outlet while the appliance is turned off or in standby mode.

When you turn off your TV, it’s not really off. While your screen saver may save your monitor, it does nothing for your electric bill. And when you plug your cell phone in before going to sleep, once it’s fully charged, the charger just keeps unnecessarily sucking electricity.

In Owensboro, since OMU generates electricity from coal, that means the utility company has to burn more coal, emitting more pollu-tion into the atmosphere.

A recent trend in electronics is remote access and instant startup. In manufacturers’ attempts to make appliances more user-friendly, the manufacturers have decreased the time required to start appliances. In order to do that, the appliances must continue running certain compo-nents so that the appliance will restart quickly. Those components can use as much electricity while in standby as when turned on.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “75 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics is consumed while the prod-ucts are turned off.”

Your coffee maker, your TV, your computer, your cordless phone and virtually any other appliance you have plugged into an electrical outlet is constantly drawing electricity even if it’s turned off. Switch-ing your computer to standby mode only saves a minimal amount of electricity. Appliances in standby mode, maintain a constant flow of electricity to switch on easily and quickly.

TVs and other appliances that can be powered on with a remote control are constantly in standby mode. The same goes for DVD play-ers, cable boxes, satellite receivers and CD players or MP3 docking stations.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 20 percent of your energy bills are from electronic appliances, and according to United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 10 percent of the electricity consumed by the U.S. as a whole is estimated to be from phantom power.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program recommends that appliances consume less than one to two watts while in standby mode, but that is a low number. The program recommends desktop computers to draw less than three watts in standby. As of 2006, the average desktop computer draws 10 to 15 watts in standby

mode. Computers connected to a network on average draw 70 watts because they maintain a steady stream of communication with other computers.

To stop phantom power, the first step is to walk around your house or apartment and unplug any appliance that does not need to be plugged in at all times: coffee maker, printer, scanner, blow dryer, toaster and any other appliance that you aren’t using.

Next to computers, TVs, DVD players and entertainment systems are some of the largest drains on phantom power. Rather than reaching behind your entertainment center and yanking all those chords out, plug them into a surge protector and just turn off the surge protector. Do the same with your desktop computer when not in use. The surge protector not only protects your appliances from electric surges and lightning strikes, it also acts as an on / off switch for electric current.

When purchasing new appliances, look for the ENERGY STAR® and EnergyGuide labels. ENERGY STAR® is the government’s seal of energy efficiency. The EnergyGuide label provides two important pieces of information, the estimated kilowatt hours used per year and the estimated yearly operating cost of the appliance.

Also, check into the watts an appliance uses while in standby mode. Become an informed consumer and save yourself money and prevent unnecessary consumption of electricity.

When you go to buy a new computer, consider a laptop rather than a desktop. Laptops consume less electricity in general, not just in phan-tom power. But don’t run your laptop while plugged in unless the bat-tery is low. On the same note, don’t bother charging battery-powered appliances unless necessary. Most of these battery-powered appliances are designed to function for several hours without needing to be re-charged.

While it may take a few minutes to boot your computer every morn-ing, shut down your desktop before going to sleep or before leaving your office or are away from your computer for at least an hour.

While you can’t prevent some appliances from drawing phantom power, such as your refrigerator or washer and dryer, you can use basic energy saving techniques to save electricity.

Only run your washer or dryer for full loads. Dry heavy cotton clothes and towels together and light clothes together to limit drying times. And if you shop for a new dryer, look for one with a moisture sensor, which will automatically turn off the dryer when clothes are dry, rather than running for a set amount of time regardless of when the clothes finish.

Phantom power is for the most part a preventable loss of electricity. Take the five minutes to walk around your home and unplug unneces-sary appliances and stave off the phantom, saving money and energy.

Lighter Living

By: Matt Weafer

12. VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8

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www.danhauers.com

VENT Magazine is proud to print in Owensboro with w w w . v e n t m a g o w b . c o m

Page 14: Vent Magazine August 2009

VENT Magazine is proud to print in Owensboro with

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They had no clue I was watching them from across the way. I felt a little guilty snooping, but I couldn’t resist spying on such an intimate mo-ment between a father and son.

The father had set up a batting tee in the yard and was prepared to brave the 90 degree weather to show his son the proper way to hit a baseball. His young son had to be a player, outfitted in baseball pants and an Atlanta Braves helmet. I had to squint to see it, but it even ap-peared that the little All-Star had a pack of Big League Chew crammed in his back pocket. The six or seven-year-old looked like a professional. It wasn’t until I saw the first swing of the bat that I realized how difficult it would be to groom this particular boy into the next Hank Aaron.

The kid missed the ball completely. The fa-ther reached down to tee up the ball again, and, although I wasn’t in close enough proximity to hear what he was saying, it had to be encourag-ing because the boy wrapped the bat around his neck with such purpose, like he had only one swing to chop down an oak tree that would be used to build his family’s sole means of shel-ter. The only problem was, when he swung his mighty aluminum axe, he chopped down the tee instead of making contact with the ball. As the father stretched to grab the ball again I couldn’t help but reminisce about similar moments with my dad. One in particular flooded my memory banks, as I watched the little kid swing and hit a dribbler that the father only had to walk a few yards to retrieve.

“Just keep your eye on the ball,” Pops said from the other end of the batting cage at South-ern Little League. I was about 10 years old at the time. My dad threw another pitch toward the plate, and I gritted my teeth, closed my eyes and took another whiff at it. Strike 20!

“Dang it,” I yelled, “Dad throw it in here so I can kill it.”

Dad ducked his head in disgust, then caught himself and quickly glanced back at me. “That’s all the balls, son.” He picked up the ball-bag and walked toward me.

I turned to see all the balls along the backstop behind me. I hadn’t so much as tipped a single one, and this wasn’t our first trip to the batting cage. My dad had been working with me for days trying to help me make the transition from tee-ball to live pitching.

Dad started to pile the balls into the bag. “You gotta swing level, Pedro,” he reminded me again.

I grimaced when I heard him call me Pedro. I hated that nickname. He used to sing songs call-ing me that in the morning before school. I still have nightmares about it. Once my wife even woke me up insisting I was muttering “Pedro” in my sleep. “You’re not throwing me any good pitches,” I wined.

“There are 20 balls back here and you didn’t hit a one of them,” dad said solemnly, placing the last ball in the bag, striding back to the pitch-er’s mound. “You can do it, son. You just have to believe in yourself.”

Dad was trying to encourage me, and, de-spite the fact that his arm had to be sore, he had probably thrown me at least 100 pitches every day for the past week, he still trudged forward ready to offer me 20 more chances to make him proud.

Ten additional opportunities to make contact flew past my Easton bat and slammed into the fence behind home plate. I was really starting to get frustrated now, and I could see the disap-pointment festering in my father’s eyes, no mat-ter how hard he tried to keep it concealed. My dad had been the starting catcher on the 1971 Daviess County High School state champion-ship baseball team and had, on many occasions, given me one of those you-couldn’t-have-come-from-my-genes stares.

“Focus, Pedro. Open your eyes and drive the bat through the strike zone.”

“Try throwing one in the strike zone,” I re-taliated, even though I knew that most of the pitches I had lashed at had been tossed perfectly over the plate.

Dad flung another ball towards me before I was ready. I swung anyway and missed again. Sweat mixed with my tears as I missed again and again and again. I tried to remember all the words of encouragement my dad had offered to me over the years, tried to piece together all the bits of instruction I had listened intently to over the past week, but I still came up empty on the next several pitches.

I saw my dad shake his head as he reached down in the bag for another ball. “We’re out of balls again,” he started to say, then added, “Wait a minute, there’s one more,” before I had the chance to bang my lumber on the ground in dis-gust. “Hit this!” He giggled.

I had my eyes wide open, for a change, and I could see that it wasn’t a baseball that dad had pitched this time, but something much smaller in diameter. I kept my weight back per dad’s

advice and saved all of my leverage for the mo-ment of impact. Crack! The golf ball sprung off my bat like it had been shot out of a cannon.

I didn’t even have time to celebrate my achievement. Dad had been caught by complete surprise and never had a prayer of getting out of the way. The golf ball hit him right between the legs and he fell into a heap.

I thought I had killed him.How could I explain this to mom? I ran to-

ward him prepared to do the Heimlich or some-thing. “Dad, are you okay?”

He managed to roll over and moan. He was able to move the muscles of his face enough to form a grin. He couldn’t speak, but he didn’t have to; the grin said it all. Said everything I needed to hear. His grin said, “That’s my boy.”

The father I was secretly watching in the yard across from my summer school window ran and got the ball one last time. I couldn’t see the per-spiration on his brow or the frustration building on his face, but I knew from experience they were both accumulating, as he placed the ball on the tee and nodded at his little ball player.

The kid swung again, except this time the re-sult was different. This time the ball exploded off the tee like the golf ball from my bat so many years ago.

The dad was jumping up and down for joy and I think he probably screamed excitedly for his boy to run the bases, because suddenly the kid flung his bat and took off towards first.

The dad attempted to move to the side, but the bat hit him square in the dome and he fell on to the lawn, reaching up for his head. I know it hurt like hell, yet the father bounced up almost as quickly as he had been knocked from his feet and sprinted off to round the bases with his son. One hand clutched that of his little Hank Aar-on and the other held the Fred Flintstone lump that was growing on his noggin, but when they rounded third I could see he was smiling. They both were.

And I hope the boy, who had just knocked his first home run, had enough sense to do what I never did after my dad finally lifted himself off the dirt in 1982 — had the fortitude to say what I am going to say now, 27 years later.

Thanks, Dad.Love,Pedro

Written by: Chad McCollam

VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8 15.

Page 16: Vent Magazine August 2009

Who done it International Mystery Writers’ Festival Returns

By Lee Denney

16. VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8

Page 17: Vent Magazine August 2009

Who came to the eleventh hour rescue of the International Mystery Writers’ Festival just when it looked as if it was curtains for the 2009 event?

Was it Owensboro Grain Company with a gift on the BB&T Plaza or perhaps Owensboro Medical Health System with a check in Cannon Hall? Maybe t’was Joni Berry, the widow of local native and nightclub singer Jody Berry, with an endowment in the theater named for him.

When you don’t have a clue (or Clue), you go to Zev Buffman, President and CEO of the RiverPark Center. Producer of 40 Broad-way plays and musicals with 27 Tony nominations, Buffman seems to gather ideas for Owensboro’s downtown the way Reid’s Or-chard harvests apples: by the bushel. It was his brain child that grew into the International Mystery Writers’ Festival in 2007.

He said the suspense of the elusive funding was solved by all of the above, plus money from Kentucky, Owensboro and Daviess County governments. “We are lucky to get what we got with ev-erybody struggling in this economy. We’ve made some adjustments and we’re going to have a festival, August 12-16.”

Buffman asserts that the festival is not scaling back, but rather is charging ahead with new innovations. “We were able to negotiate with the Agatha Christie estate for the rights for the American premier of four plays that have never been done in this country. We will be bridging into live radio with NPR (National Public Radio) and developing a CD market for these mysteries.”

When professional actors step before microphones in Jody Ber-ry Theater, in costume and in character, they will be speaking lines from Agatha Christie plays first broadcast on the BBC between 1937 and 1954, including “Yellow Iris,” featuring Belgian Inspector Hercule Poirot. The other works are “Personal Call,” “Butter in a Lordly Dish” and “Three Blind Mice,” the latter of which inspired the longest running play in history, “The Mouse Trap,” with more than 23,000 performances in London.

“When we actually got the scripts from the estate, they were the only ones in existence, with hand-written directions in the margins for cuts and edits to keep it within the time range,” Buffman said. “We rebuilt those scripts for the live theater.”

Not only will the plays be performed at the RiverPark, WNIN-FM (the National Public Radio station in Evansville) will broadcast all four of the productions live to tri-state listeners and to audi-ences tuned to participating NPR stations around the country.

And the Agatha Christie estate has awarded the RiverPark Cen-ter the U. S. and Canada touring rights, so the stage productions of the four plays built here can move on to colleges, universities, and repertory theaters before ending up on Broadway.

Louisville native Sue Grafton, the author of the well-known “al-phabet series” of mystery fiction novels, will be the recipient of the “First Lady of Mystery” award, to be presented by the First Lady of Kentucky, Jane Beshear. The author of “A is for Alibi” through “U is for Undertow” will do book signings and master classes about

writing mystery novels. The public may purchase tickets for a Sat-urday evening dinner in her honor.

Previous First Lady of Mystery honorees have been veteran stage, screen and television actress, Angela Lansbury — for whom the Festival’s “Angie” awards are named — and Mary Higgins Clark whose world-wide best sellers have earned her the label of “Queen of Suspense.”

At the time this article was written, most of the participants had not been announced, but the usual number of well known writers, producers, directors and actors involved in current television se-ries and motion pictures are expected. Two time Oscar winning ac-tor Gene Hackman was here last year along with Josh Hutcherson, a 16 year old actor born in Boone County, Kentucky. He appeared in the 2008 film version of Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” Among the dozens of others who took an active part in previous festivals, include the creators of “C.S.I,” “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “Columbo” and “Murder She Wrote.”

Buffman reports that ticket sales have been “amazing.” With about a month to go before opening night, more than 40 percent had been sold. For more information about ticket prices and a calendar of events, contact the RiverPark Center box office or go online at either www.riverparkcenter.org or www.newmysteries.org.

Karen Miller, Executive Director of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau, recognizes the unique-ness of the International Mystery Writers’ Festival. “It offers our community a fantastic opportunity to meet writers, actors and to see wonderful performances, and it also brings in people from all over to our great city.”

George Skiadas, owner of the Famous Bistro is a big fan of the festival as both a businessman and a member of the community. He agrees that the event brings people from all over the country into Owensboro’s downtown, creating a huge boost in his restaurant’s business. Skiadas called the festival “tremendous . . . not just a re-gional event, but a legitimate national destination.”

The Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce did an eco-nomic impact study after the first year of the festival and deter-mined that it was responsible for $3 million to $5 million dollars pumped into the local economy. Buffman said, “We’ll have every possible hotel room booked for that week in August for both staff people and festival-goers.” Fifty percent of the 2008 audience came from out of state, but organizers hope that by holding this year’s event in August rather than June, there will be more community participation because fewer local folks will be out of town.

It may have looked for a while that the International Mystery Writers’ Festival might go dark for 2009, but as Buffman put it, “far from the doom and gloom of January we are alive and kicking.”

Because of hard work and a bit of good fortune, the name of one of Christie’s more famous plays won’t apply in the foreseeable future: “And Then There Were None.”

International Mystery Writers’ Festival Returns

VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8 17.

Page 18: Vent Magazine August 2009

The recent passing of the Michael Jackson created a spike in mu-sic sales worldwide. The “King of Pop” already touted the number one selling album of all-time, Thriller, with over 50 million copies sold. Based on sales since Jackson’s death, it looks as if that number will continue to grow. In the week following Jackson’s death, Thrill-er, along with Number Ones and Essential Michael Jackson, were numbers one, two and three in sales according to Nielsen Media Research.

Many music stores and online retailers — such as Amazon.com — sold out of Jackson’s material. Within hours of his death, Jackson occupied the top 15 slots on Amazon’s best-selling albums list. While traditional sales spiked, digital content of Jackson’s work saw the largest boost of all in sales. Despite record breaking sales numbers, those companies marketing “digital” media were in no danger of selling out of Jackson’s work.

Jackson’s death caused a surge in sales of traditional media like

CDs, DVDs and Vinyl; however, digital downloads exploded. In fact, over 2 million of Jackson’s tracks were downloaded in the US dur-ing the week following his death. No other artist has sold more than 1 million downloads in a week since Nielsen began tracking in 2004. These figures do not include the hordes of fans that viewed his videos online via YouTube and other online viewing sites. Visible Measures reported that videos of “Thriller” were viewed over 28 million times in less than a week.

Although, I didn’t rush to the local music store or purchase an album from Amazon, I did jump on the digital media bandwagon. On a recent road-trip, I found myself listening to the Michael Jackson station on Pandora via my Blackberry; then a short while later, I even downloaded a few ringtones from Thriller and set them as the default to my phone.

While some artists have been resistant to embrace digital media, mainly due to the increase in piracy and “stolen” music, it is time we all embrace digital media because it is here to stay. In addition to increasing sales for established artists, the digital medium can act as a springboard for up-and-coming artists looking for their big break. Over 8 million artists have been discovered on MySpace alone, in-cluding stars like Sean Kingston and Lily Allen. Last year’s dance craze, Soulja Boy was discovered on YouTube. Soon after his dis-covery, he launched his own MySpace and Facebook pages, and now he’s a star. The Internet doesn’t turn off, it’s on 24/7 and it’s global, allowing to new and established artists to reach the masses even while they are sleeping.

Social Networking sites, like MySpace and Facebook, are just one of many channels available for you to tune into digital media. I-tunes, Rhapsody, Napster and many other online music services make it easy to purchase digital tracks, whether you want one song or an unlimited access monthly subscription. Wireless carriers have been offering downloadable music for some time and its popularity is growing. The Yankee Group reported that digital music revenue in the US grew to $1.98 billion by the end of 2007, and will reach $5.34 billion by 2012.

For you music fans out there that are Blackberry users, there are a few must-have music applications. iHeartRadio, Slacker and Pan-dora are three great apps that all include unique special features. iHeartRadio streams live music from Clear Channel radio stations across the country. Since I recently relocated from Columbus, Ohio, this program is great because I can still listen to the Morning Zoo on WNCI whenever and wherever I’d like.

Slacker allows you to listen to certain genres, much like the music channels you may be familiar with on your Cable TV. Whereas with Pandora, you select an artist or song title from which the program builds a station centered on your artist of choice along with others of similar taste. The best part about all three applications is that they are free.

So, whether you are an artist looking for your big break or a con-sumer looking for the convenience of being able to get your hands on the music you want, when you want it, digital media is your an-swer. If you are trying to get “discovered,” start a Facebook, MySpace and YouTube site promoting your work. If you are a fan, think twice before dropping $14.99 on your next CD.

By Chris Jourdan

TE

CH

18. VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8

Page 19: Vent Magazine August 2009

By: Kitty Kizer

VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8 19.

t’s Friday night, but unlike your typical weekend, you aren’t sitting on your couch watching Scrubs reruns wishing you had somewhere to go; you’re at war.

As you huddle behind a barricade, gunfire zipping by overhead, you peek around the corner for your enemy.

You hear a scuffle around the corner and then your friend shouts as he is gunned down.

You’re the only one left, you realize.

Enemies whisper to one another as they surround you.

Low on ammo, you leap from behind the barricade and fire as many shots as you can until you’re gunned down.

Luckily, this is just laser tag.

The Ozone at 553 Triplett St. is Owensboro’s year-round laser tag facility.

Owners Jason Ebelhar and Keith Schroeder wanted to create a family-oriented, inexpensive opportunity for entertainment. All ages are welcome to play. Parents can interact with their kids and have a good time as well.

Ozone opened its doors in March 2008 with more than 4,000 sq.-ft. of playing area and two levels to explore. Fourteen people can play at a time in teams, or you can play solo.

Ebelhar and Schroeder have added some upgrades since they opened the doors, including track lighting along the ramps and new carpet along with two room additions, a slide and a conces-sion stand.

On a Friday night, I invited my friends to a cook-out and later that night, we went to The Ozone. We had a blast.

It was dark and lit by black lights. Big, bright barrels sat around the playing field as barricades. I planted myself in an isolated area with a window, propped up and ready for battle. My vest started vibrating, which meant I was shot. My teammates shouted, “They’re coming!”

I took off, not realizing where I was going and ran smack into a wall. The funny thing was that I kept trying to run through the wall.

The game lasted for twelve minutes and it was worth every bit of $5. We were hot and sweaty, but we had a great time. Just be sure to wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes if you go laser tagging. Your performance will be better, I guarantee it.

Parties, lock-ins and walk-ins are all welcome. The public has shown a great response to this new business. Ebelhar and Schroed-er are working on expanding to Ky. Highway 54 as well as Bowl-ing Green.

So, if you are at home with the kids thinking there is absolutely nothing to do and you’re bored out of your mind, head down to The Ozone to have a wonderful family fun night.

The Ozone – (270) 926-8993

Parties: 1 ½ Hours of Play, up to 14 Players, $125

Weekly Special: $4 per game

Now through August: $7 per person for an hour pass

Weekends: $5 per game and $8 for hour pass

Page 20: Vent Magazine August 2009

20. VENTMAGAZINE JULY 2009 | SOLUTION #8

Remember that song from the Steve Miller Band? Too often it seems

that opportunities grow over time, and we feel sure we’ll take steps to

seize them. But we wait and wait for the opportunities to get better, and

poof! The future is here, and the opportunity is gone. Similarly, how many

of us have watched our investments plummet, go up, plummet and go up

again. Why don’t we take our profits when we have them instead of letting

the investment tank again . . . possibly for the last time? Or, why didn’t I

fill my gas tank up more often when the price was below two dollars a

gallon? Because I was just sure prices would go down some more.

In much the same way, some people are wondering if the $8,000 tax

credit the government is offering will be a better deal next year. Yes, the

proposal for a larger credit is on the floor of the Senate, but it is meeting

much resistance. The current tax credit is nothing to dismiss — a poten-

tial $8,000 toward a purchase or to defray costs is fantastic.

Following are the broad details of this great opportunity:

• Home purchase must be made before Dec. 1, 2009.

• Credit of 10 percent of the price of the home cannot exceed

$8,000.

• Amount of credit unused for the home purchase will be cred-

ited to the buyer at tax time.

• Any single family, principal residence is eligible.

• Income limits = maximum $75,000 for single filer and $150,000

for joint filers.

• Purchaser cannot have had ownership interest in a principal

residence in the past three years.

• No repayment of tax credit for homes purchased between Jan.

1 and Dec. 1, 2009 unless the home is sold within three years of purchase.

Then the entire amount of credit must be paid back.

Of course, there are delineating details, but this gives the gist of the

$8,000 home buyers’ credit. What an opportunity! Time’s up on Dec. 1 —

Don’t let this one slip away . . . into the future.

Send questions about this or any other real estate topic to Lisa at

[email protected].

Time Keeps on Slippin’, Slippin’, Slippin’ . . . Into the Future! By: Lisa Taylor, Broker/Owner, Maverick Realty

Page 21: Vent Magazine August 2009

w w w . v e n t m a g o w b . c o m

Page 22: Vent Magazine August 2009

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Page 24: Vent Magazine August 2009

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