The Big Blue Book Club, hosted by Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) in the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service, enters a new chapter for the club’s 10th book. For the first time, the club will host meetings across Kentucky, exploring the state while reading “My Old Kentucky Road Trip” by UK alumni Cameron M. Ludwick and Blair Thomas Hess.  

Because “My Old Kentucky Road Trip” includes landmarks and history across Kentucky, taking the book club to some of those places is the “perfect solution to highlighting all that is unique about Kentucky,” said Mindy McCulley, FCS extension specialist for instructional support.  

Each meeting will include a discussion of part of the book; a presentation by an FCS expert that includes relevant, research-based information about travel; and an activity to enjoy “the fabulous locations we’re visiting,” McCulley said.  

The Big Blue Book Club will host six meetings across the state, all at 11 a.m. local time, with some of the specifics still to be determined. The first meeting, held in Frankfort on March 13, can be viewed via Zoom, but the rest of the events will be in person only. 

“You really can’t appreciate the beauty of Kentucky from behind a Zoom screen,” McCulley said.  

Registration for the book club is open now, though the club’s allotment of free books have already been claimed. Registrants will receive additional information via email about each meeting.

About the Big Blue Book Club 

The club started in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

“Extension agents requested a ‘novel’ way to improve clientele morale and reduce feelings of isolation,” McCulley said. “After the pandemic restrictions were lifted, it was quickly evident that this type of programming resonated with participants.”  

The book club continued, featuring books recommended by specialists or participants. Often, like for this next iteration, the format of the club fit the content of the book. For example, the club was asynchronous for “Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater” because parents of young children might find it hard to attend a live event.  

The Big Blue Book Club has always included people from across Kentucky, so McCulley is excited to get the community together in person.  

“It feels like a natural progression of this program,” she said.

About “My Old Kentucky Road Trip” 

The book “My Old Kentucky Road Trip” began as a blog—when friends Hess and Ludwick realized that they hadn’t seen enough of their home state. 

“We started this writing journey together as two friends driving around the state together,” Hess said. “The destinations we selected, the stories we chose to tell, were from the experiences that meant the most to us as friends and as Kentuckians.” 

The road trip they took together became the first of their five Kentucky-focused books.  

Hess, now vice president for marketing and communications at the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, graduated from the UK Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment in 2010 with a bachelor’s in community and leadership development. 

Ludwick, now the associate director for books marketing and sales at Duke University Press, graduated from the UK College of Arts & Sciences in 2009 with a bachelor’s in English.  

“With all the amazing work UK’s extension offices do around the state, they’re one of the reasons we’re so proud to call Kentucky home,” Ludwick said. “‘My Old Kentucky Road Trip’ celebrates everything that makes Kentucky a place where communities thrive, and we couldn’t be more excited to meet and join the Big Blue Book Club in all the places where its members make such an impact.” 

McCulley said Big Blue Book Club will be a success if participants learn about formerly unfamiliar parts of Kentucky.  

“We have so many hidden gems,” McCulley said. “We are just trying to shine a light on a few of them and encourage people to get to know what is available in their own backyard.” 

Big Blue Book Club Events 

March 13 – Thomas D. Clark History Center – Frankfort

Meet the Authors of “My Old Kentucky Roadtrip” 

Discussion topic: Kentucky’s Historical Markers  

*This meeting will be available live via Zoom.  

April 1 – Hickman

Part 1: Western Kentucky and the Jackson Purchase  

Discussion topic: Financial Considerations for Local Travel

April 15 – Horse Cave

Part 2: The Pennyrile  

Discussion topic: Traveling with Kids

April 29 – Midway

Part 3: The Bluegrass and Central Kentucky  

Discussion topic: Local and Cultural Eating while Traveling

May 13 – New Castle

Part 4: Northern Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley 

Discussion topic: Traveling for Mental Health Benefits 

June 13 – Lynch

Part 5: Southeastern Kentucky and Appalachia 

Discussion topic: Travel Safety

To learn more and to register for Big Blue Book Club, visit https://fcs-hes.ca.uky.edu/BBBClub. 

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Writer: Bailey Vandiver, bailey.vandiver@uky.edu 

The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services to individuals and institutions that provide equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.