What's Happening this Weekend in Bowling Green?

Goodguys 2nd Nostalgia Nationals
It's another jam-packed week in South Central Kentucky, and this weekend marks a newer event for Beech Bend Raceway as the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association brings its 2nd Nostalgia Nationals to town! The autumn leaves will be an awesome backdrop for the shiny, colorful hot rods both on display and burning up the strip. Swing by the Convention Center for the TGIF Party Friday night and see these beauties all lined up if you can't make it out to the Bend. Featuring over 1,000 Racecars, Hot rods, Customs, Classics, Muscle Cars & Trick Trucks thru '72 vintage, you'll also be able to shop at 100's of vendor/exhibitor booths or take a trip to the Swap Meet for automotive related parts and Cars for sale. Gates open at 8 am and general admission is $20 each day, or $55 for the entire weekend. Kids 7-12 are $6 and free for 6 and under. Parking is FREE! Call 270-781-7634 or visit www.nostalgianats.com to learn more.

Civil War Living History Weekend
Bowling Green was the Confederate Capitol of Kentucky for a short while, and history buffs can even drive the Civil War Discovery Trial through town past forts, monuments, markers and attractions. One of those attractions is Lost River Cave & Valley, where thousands of soldiers camped and sought refuge from the heat near an ample fresh water supply. This weekend, you can experience what life was like for these soldiers at the 5th Annual Civil War Days. The Lincoln Mobile Museum will be there Saturday, joining the all-day camp life and period demonstrations. At 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, witness a battle/ skirmish reenactment, or participate in Saturday night's Cannon Night Fire at 6 p.m. before the Civil War Ball from 7 to 9 p.m. with music by Skip Jack. Special programs scheduled for this year include "Abe Lincoln: Gettysburg and Beyond" and music by the Lost River Dulcimers. Call 270-393-0077 or visit www.lostrivercave.com for more information.

What's Happening this Week in Bowling Green

Lost River Art Fair
There will be more than natural beauty serving as inspiration at Lost River Cave & Valley this Saturday as Artworks, Inc. gathers for its second Art Fair beginning at 9 a.m. This event is a show place and sale for some of the areas most skilled visual artisans, showcasing original art, one-of-a-kind art, and very limited editions of signed and numbered works of art. Lost River is also the first stop on Saturday's Allied Alternative Energy Bowling GREEN Tour where participants will hear about the sustainable Wetlands Project recently completed near the Valley. For more information about the Lost River Art Fair, call 270-393-0077 or visit http://www.lostrivercave.com/.

Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches & Fun on the Farm
The chill in the air signals the return of a few great traditions around Southern Kentucky- corn mazes, pumpkin festivals and harvest celebrations! This Saturday, Chaney's Dairy Barn celebrates its 6th birthday on Saturday from 11 am- 5 pm with a Birthday Bash featuring hayrides, a huge corn maze, pony rides, pumpkin & face painting, barnyard playground, and more. Also have 'Fun on the Farm' at The Garden Patch in Smiths Grove this Saturday where Esli's unique garden creations will be available along with pumpkins, gourds, mums, local items from their new Farm Fresh Market, scarecrow-making, and more. Then head out to Jackson's Orchard Saturday or Sunday for the annual Pumpkin Festival featuring the best fried apple pies and cider around. You're sure to find the perfect pumpkin in their huge patch and walk away with some fresh farm fruit and baking mixes for your own fall celebrations! Visit http://www.kentuckyfarmsarefun.com/ for more info about these attractions plus many more across our region.

Bowling Green's Civil War Experience Offers Opportunities to Learn and Be Entertained

Most known for its fast cars (Bowling Green is home to the National Corvette Museum), roller coasters and college sports, Bowling Green, Kentucky also has many entertaining stories to tell that include some little-known facts about the Civil War. Local attractions have interpreted those facts in "Bowling Green's Civil War Experience," which includes opportunities to hop aboard a train, dress in period clothing, ride a boat through an underground cave, travel by car along the Civil War Discovery Trail and much more.

The South Central Kentucky city's convenient location (less than an hour from Nashville) and unique geography appeal to many travelers both presently and in the past. The Bowling Green area's productive farms and its ample quantities of fresh water promised plentiful supplies for an army during the Civil War. Access to the Louisville-Nashville Railroad, a system of roadways and the Barren River allowed for quick and efficient movement of men and supplies. Rolling hills and underground shelters offered effective opportunities to defend those transportation routes, making the area a strategic post that both camps wanted to control. Visitors today still recognize those valuable geographic traits, and now they can be entertained while they learn about how Kentucky played an important role in the war and why the Bowling Green area was viewed as such a strategic post.

Bowling Green's Civil War Experience includes:
"A Star in Each Flag: Conflict in Kentucky"The Kentucky Library & Museum on Western Kentucky University’s campus has introduced a new exhibit that encourages guests to walk through a simulated campsite, view a slave cabin, and step into a community post office. Examine period artifacts including John Hunt Morgan’s saddle, an original copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe, actual letters between Kentucky residents written during the war, various medical instruments, Civil War flags, weapons and more. "A Star in Each Flag: Conflict in Kentucky" also includes a Victorian photo studio where visitors can dress in period clothing and have a picture taken. The exhibit is the first in the region to interpret South Central Kentucky's Civil War story, with emphasis on the divided loyalties of regional families and the lives of slaves in Kentucky.

"Lincoln and the Railroad"The Historic Railpark & Train Museum will debut a "Lincoln and the Railroad" exhibit in mid-to-late March featuring rare Matthew Brady Civil War railroad photos from the National Archives and accompanying text from Smithsonian research assistant Peter Hansen. The exhibit will highlight Lincoln’s little-known 20-year career as a railroad attorney in Illinois and the expansion of the railroad during his administration. Also of interest are permanent exhibits 'Segregation and the North American Railroad' and 'The Great Locomotive Chase,' displaying a Civil War Medal of Honor.

Civil War Discovery Trail By car, visitors can listen to the newly developed audio tour for the Civil War Discovery Trail. Bowling Green was the Capitol of the Confederate State of Kentucky for approximately five months in 1861-62. Noted on the tour is the private residence that served as the capitol building. Historical markers interpret interesting facts throughout the city and Riverview at Hobson Grove Historic House & Museum offers a wonderful stopping place to learn more about how the house was used as a fort and an ammunition depot during the war. A free download of the interpretive audio is available online at http://www.visitbgky.com/. A CD version is also available for purchase at the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau located on Three Springs Road, just off Scottsville Rd. from exit number 22 of I-65.

Lost River Cave & Valley Explore more Civil War secrets underground at another stop on the Discovery Trail, Lost River Cave & Valley, and hear stories about both camps hiding out and the mysterious deaths of soldiers there. Lost River offered a natural water supply and the beauty of the cave provided a diversion from the ugliness of war. It is believed that on one of his “lightning raids” into Kentucky, John Hunt Morgan hid in the cave when escaping from pursuing troops. Visitors can learn more by taking a boat ride through the cave. In the fall, Lost River's Civil War Days recreates history and includes period re-enactors, demonstrations and interactive exhibits and activities.

President Abraham Lincoln emphasized the value of Kentucky's strategic importance in an 1861 letter, “I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game.” Through "Bowling Green's Civil War Experience," visitors can step back in time and learn more about the legacy of a war that bitterly divided our nation, our state and our families. Area hotels and one-of-a-kind dining establishments, in addition to creative shopping venues and attractions, contribute to Bowling Green's unique charm. To learn more about Bowling Green's Civil War Experience and area tourism destinations, visit http://www.visitbgky.com/ or contact the Bowling Green Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 326-7465.