April 20, 2025
Fourth of July parade, 1981
The 1981 July Fourth parade in downtown Lexington was a wet one. Photo by David Perry| Herald-Leader staff
Fourth of July parade, 1984
Richard Mattmiller, 4, and sister Karol, 5, held their ears as semi-trucks blowing their horns passed them during the downtown parade on July 4, 1984. Photo by Gary Landers | Herald-Leader staff
Soldiers traveling to camp, June 1945
86th Division soldiers from Kentucky gave the “V for victory” sign on a train en route from Camp Kilmer, N.J., to Camp Atterbury, Ind. Pictured clockwise from front are Staff Sgt. Eugene A. Hughes, Richmond; pfc. Ova Helton, Hazard; pfc. Frankie Vice, Williamstown; pfc. Clifton Ray, Lancaster; pfc. John S. McKenzie, Paintsville; and pvt. Jarnet Simmons, Hindman. The photo was published June 21, 1945, in the Lexington Herald. Lexington’s 2014 Fourth of July festival’s theme is “Celebrate Heroes,” to honor all those who help keep the nation and cities safe.
Colonel Sanders, May 1954
Col. Harland Sanders, who was born on Sept. 9, 1890, is shown here on May 30, 1954. The next year, Sanders devoted himself to developing his chicken franchising business. In 1964, he sold his interest in Kentucky Fried Chicken for $2 million to a group of investors led by John Y. Brown Jr. and Jack C. Massey. He died at 90, on Dec. 16, 1980. Click here to see other pictures from our archives of the founder of KFC.
Parade with an outhouse float, May 1947
An outhouse float in the University of Kentucky’s annual May Day parade in downtown Lexington. May 1947.
John Y. Brown Jr. and Phyllis George Brown, 1986
Former Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown Jr. and his wife, Phyllis George Brown, at the 1986 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville. John was governor from 1979-83. Phyllis George Brown, who was Miss America in 1971, is a businesswoman and an occasional actress. The two were married from 1979 to 1998.
Ice storm, 2003
While waiting for his car to warm, Manuel Martinez Larumbe stood in the middle of Gatehouse Place, off Liberty Road, among the ice-coated branches of Bradford pear trees on Feb. 16, 2003, in Lexington after an ice storm which struck Central Kentucky. Photo by David Stephenson | Staff
JFK campaigns in Lexington, 1960
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kennedy made a campaign stop in Lexington in 1960. In his hand is a proclamation that made Oct. 8, 1960, “John Kennedy Day.” Kennedy won the presidential election a month later.
First Toyota Camry produced in Georgetown, 1988
The first Toyota Camry produced at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc. plant in Georgetown was completed May 26, 1988. Mike Dodge, right, the plant’s general manager, shook hands with Lee Pokriva of the plant’s quality control unit after Pokriva drove the car into the lobby of the administration building. The car was then put on permanent display at the plant. Photo by David Perry | Staff
Adolph Rupp and son, 1946
University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Adolph Rupp and his son Herky. Rupp was presented with a new car by members of the Junior Chamber of Commerce at a dinner in his honor Sept. 23, 1946 at the Lafayette Hotel. Herky died June 22, 2016. He grew up around UK basketball and played three seasons for his dad, scoring 11 points in 14 career games from 1959 to 1962.
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Kentucky.com news feed
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