LEXINGTON, Ky., — Fayette County Cooperative Extension Service will present the fifth installment of the Kentucky Proud Evenings series Monday, July 23 with guest author Deirdre Scaggs discussing her book, “The Historic Kentucky Kitchen: Traditional Recipes for Today’s Cook.” The free monthly series celebrates The University Press of Kentucky’s 75th anniversary with author discussions and samples from Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud recipes.

The July event will feature Scaggs, interim dean of University of Kentucky Libraries, discussing the many 19th- and 20th-century Kentucky dishes she and co-author Andrew J. McGraw collected from handwritten books, diaries, scrapbook clippings and out-of-print cookbooks in the UK Libraries Special Collections.

“No preparation or prior reading is required to attend our event. Just bring your hunger for knowledge to discover more about this fascinating topic,” said Diana Doggett, Fayette County family and consumer sciences extension agent. ”These monthly author talks are a fun and enriching way to spend an evening.”

The series is made possible through a partnership between Fayette County Cooperative Extension, which is part of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and the University Press of Kentucky. Kentucky Proud Evenings begin at 6 p.m. at the Fayette County Extension office, 1140 Harry Sykes Way in Lexington.

Make reservations for the event by calling the Fayette County Extension office at 859-257-5582. Participants may purchase Scaggs’ book at the event.