The Downtown Beattyville Alliance and its members will be hosting era themed "Remember When" Classic Car Cruise-In events on Main Street in Beattyville once a month May-September. The first one is 1960s themed and it will occur this Friday night, May 26th starting at 7:00pm. The events are free registration, live music, and good family fun. Check out the flyer for more details. 

In April 2017, the Beattyville/Lee County Tourism Commission received a $3,500 ARC Flex-E Grant for a Kentucky River Trailhead Development and Stewardship Project. With over 30 miles of river in Lee County, there are a few public access points for motorized boats and paddlers to launch from and these access points need improved. Further development in the form of informational signage and beautification will greatly increase the quality of experience for local and tourist river adventurers. 

The first part of the grant was to purchase materials for the construction three signage trailhead kiosks. In May, these kiosk were constructed by the students at the Lee County Area Technology Center. The next step is to get the community together to help install the kiosks in the parking areas of three public launch sites along the Kentucky River near Beattyville. Maps of the river trails, emergency contact numbers, local event flyers, historical information about the river and photos will be included on the kiosks. 

A second part of this grant is for the tourism commission to host three river clean up events and family canoe/kayak paddle trips this summer. Trash bags, and t-shirts, water and sacks will be available at each event. The grant covers the cost of canoe rentals, so there will be 10 canoes available for public use at each event. All participants must sign a waver and fill out a volunteer time sheet. Volunteers who own their own kayaks and canoes are encouraged to bring their rafts and join in on the clean ups and paddle trips! 

The first installation and river clean up day will be Friday, June 9th, 2017 at 5:00pm from the new Three Forks Canoe/Kayak Launch site located on River Drive in Beattyville behind Jack’s IGA. This beautiful river front property is owned by Mr. Jack Gross and leased to the Beattyville/Lee County Tourism Commission for the purpose of creating a public access location for canoe and kayak launching. The next day, Saturday, June 10th at 10:00am the public is invited back to this location for the first Family Paddle Trip event. 

The second installation and river clean up day will be Friday, July 7th, 2017 at 5:00pm from the Beattyville Boat Ramp located on Water Street in Beattyville off East Main Street near the Lee County Care and Rehab Center. The following day, Saturday, July 8th is the second Family Paddle Trip starting at 10:00am from the Beattyville Boat Ramp. 

The third installation and river clean up day will be Friday, August 11th, 2017 at 5:00pm from the Sharp Rock Boat Ramp located three miles upstream of Beattyville off HWY 52 E toward Jackson, KY. The following day, Saturday, August 12th will be the final Family Paddle Trip of the summer starting at 10:00am from the Sharp Rock Boat Ramp. 

Please contact the Tourism Office at (606) 464-5038 or email [email protected] if you are interested in being a community partner/volunteer for this grant cycle May-September 2017. If you do not have a canoe or kayak and wish to reserve a canoe for any of these event dates, please call the office to make this reservation. Partnering agencies include the KY River Authority, the Lee County Diabetes Coalition, People Encouraging People, Lee County Area Technology Center, and the Lee County HOSA Club. Follow the Beattyville/Lee County Tourism Facebook page for more detailed event information as the event date gets closer!