Scenes From Lexington
Exploring film, fine art, and racing history in the heart of Kentucky Horse Country
I recently had the pleasure of gathering together with my equestrian media colleagues in Lexington, Kentucky, for the annual American Horse Publication Conference. The event took place at the Campbell House Hotel, a gracious old building with a tradition of hosting horse people for countless events over the years.
It was a serendipitous experience for me because it is the setting for a new novel in The Ivy Snow Mystery Series I'm writing. Ivy inherits a racehorse bound for the Kentucky Derby, but being trained in Lexington. Ivy, Jaycee, Crystal, and Sloane make Campbell House their home away from home!
It was my home away from home for a few days, too. If you’ve never had the opportunity to visit a movie set and watch a scene being shot, it’s hard to imagine the details that go into it.
Author Lisa Wysocky’s novel The Opium Equation…A Cat Enright Mystery is being filmed at the beautiful Houstondale Farm in nearby Paris, Kentucky, and I got a behind-the-scenes look at how it all comes together!
The Opium Equation is an upcoming independent equestrian mystery film adapted from the award-winning book series by Lisa Wysocky. Directed by Asbury University collaborators, the film follows Cat Enright, an independent horse trainer who must solve a murder and locate a missing boy to clear her own name.
Next, the luxury bus whisked us off to Crossgate Gallery, which specializes in equine-related art. Its impressive inventory ranges from 19th- and early-20th-century classic works to contemporary paintings and sculpture.
From traditional…
…To contemporary
Something for everyone.
Our final stop was at the Keenland Library for an amazing tour!
It is home to artwork, memorabilia, more than 40,000 books dating from the late 1500s, 5 million photographic negatives and prints dating from the late 1800s, and millions of newspaper and magazine articles about all aspects of the industry from the early 1700s to today. We even got to go into the hermetically sealed vault!
Keeneland Library’s newest exhibit and education initiative, Raíces: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing, showcases 100 groundbreaking Latino figures in the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industry from the late 1800s to today.
Thanks, AHP, for an entertaining and enlightening Arts Tour!
The tour was both educational and entertaining, and that’s what The Barngoddess Chronicles are all about!
-The Barngoddess