Oldham Ahead Board Members (as of July 18, 2007)
Ned Bonnie
Laura Lee Brown
McCall Brown
John Delautre
David Gleason
Bob Horner
Prewitt Lane
Mary Lowry
Austin Mussleman
Steve Ragan
Susanne Schimpeler
Miriam Tinnell
Steve Wilson
Officers
Chairman: Prewitt Lane
Vice Chairman: Laura Lee Brown
President: Doug Wampler
Treasurer: Steve Ragan
Secretary: Miriam Tinnell
Doug Wampler, Executive Director
Suzanne Schimpeler and Doug Wampler chat while manning the Oldham Ahead’s booth during a previous Oldham County Day in La Grange.
Goshen Farm is Kentucky's Largest Bison Producer
January 23, 2008
Oldham Ahead Board Member Suzanne Schimpeler Leading Efforts to Celebrate "Little Colonel" in Pewee Valley
The Pewee Valley Historical Society is planning a celebration on February 9 to feature Pewee Valley's "Little Colonel" legacy. Tickets and reservations are available at the Oldham County Historical Society, (502) 222-0826 for a day of celebration. Included in the ticket price of $25 is a formal luncheon prepared by the Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church Women's Guild, a 30-minute play at The Little Colonel Playhouse, tours of two historic homes, a bus tour and an exhibit at the Presbyterian Church.
Concurrently, the Oldham County Historical Society is featuring "The Little Colonel: A Romantic Vision of Life Long Ago in Oldham County". The exhibit runs through February 16 and features "Little Colonel" collectibles and a recreation of Annie Johnston's writing room.
Read the Courier-Journal's Andrea Uhde' article in the January 23 edition of the CJ's Oldham Neighborhoods.
Click here to read the March 17, 2006 Oldham Era On-Line story on Museum Plaza, titled "Reaching for the Sky".
Museum Plaza Plans Unveiled for Downtown Louisville
Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson Lead the Effort
Oldham County residents and Oldham Ahead Board Members Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson believe that, by making downtown Louisville a more vibrant and attractive place to live, they can curb the suburban sprawl that is impacting surrounding counties, to include Oldham County.
Translating desires into action, they have spearheaded the design of the dramatic Museum Plaza in downtown Louisville in part to address the pressures the lack of a vibrant city place on outlying counties.
As long time supporters of managed growth and conservation efforts in Oldham County, they were instrumental in the founding of Oldham Ahead and have placed a conservation easement on their property, Woodland Farm.
Wilson told the Courier-Journal’s Chris Poynter that "We began to understand the dynamics of suburban sprawl and what causes it -- as farmland is eaten up, city centers are deserted. That's what brought us to Main Street."
The principals of the project, Laura Lee Brown, Steve Wilson, Steve Poe, Craig Greenberg, and lead architect Joshua Prince-Ramus provided the Courier-Journal staff writer access to the creative process of designing Museum Plaza.
The Vision:
“There will soon be a new, exciting place to live and visit in the heart of Louisville. Created by world renowned architects, it will attract tourists from around the country and the globe. It will transform downtown into a world class arts and entertainment mecca.
The new, non-profit, contemporary art museum will be dedicated to displaying innovative art of all mediums created by leading living artists. Museum Plaza will be an amazing, iconic building designed by one of the top architectural firms in the world, OMA led by Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus.”
The Kentucky Society of Architects (AIA Kentucky) presented Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown an Award of Recognition on September 16, 2005 in Indianapolis, Indiana, at ceremonies during its annual convention, held in conjunction with architects in Indiana and Ohio. The awards recognize outstanding service to the Kentucky Society of Architects and the profession of architecture in Kentucky.
Steve and Laura Lee won the John Russell Groves Citizens Laureate Award, which honors an individual and advocate who consistently, though leadership service and dedication to a better living environment, has openly supported and encouraged the values of quality architecture. They have provided many years of leadership and financial support for programs and projects that have promoted the cultural and intellectual promise of Louisville's downtown and its citizens. Steve and Laura Lee have been powerful forces in elevating the public's awareness of - and appreciation for - good design and its important role in the city's civic and cultural history.
We invite you to the official Museum Plaza website at www.museumplaza.net to view photos, video, and read descriptions of the project that will improve the overall quality of life in the Metro Louisville area and the region. View the website’s flyover video rendering of Museum Plaza by clicking here or this link: http://museumplaza.net/video_wmv.html.
Click here to access the Courier-Journal’s on-line comprehensive coverage of Museum Plaza. (Navigate to the right side of the home page to "Worth a Click", and then navigate to Museum Plaza.)
September 29, 2004
Woodland Farm Announces Participation in the Kentucky Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (PACE)
Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown, owners of historic Woodland Farm in Goshen, Kentucky announced their participation in the Kentucky PACE program during a press conference at Woodland Farm this morning. Mr. Wilson stated that his family is creating a conservation easement to preserve 244 acres of Woodland Farm's approximately 1,000 acres--a first step in protecting the entire farm from future development. Click here for additional information and photographs.