"A Black Night for the Bluegrass Belle" by Ian Punett

When we were at the Kentucky Book Fair, I picked up Ian Punnett's "A Black Night for the Bluegrass Belle".  The very strange story of Verna Garr Taylor's murder truly makes this a must read for anyone interested in true crime in Kentucky.

PLUS, if you are interested in Kentucky weirdness....  well, the fact that Ian Punnett authored the book really adds to this tale's appeal.

I was a little familiar with the case, but I really didn't know the entire story.  Ian Punnett thoroughly covers what he thinks happened to Verna on the night that she died.  Considering those who were in the area at the time, and the questionable character of fiancé/suspect Henry Denhardt, his piecing together of the events makes a lot of sense.  Plus, Denhardt is linked to another strange death in Louisville, at the Seelbach.

There is a trial with tons of publicity, legal maneuvering, and story telling.  Notable lawyers duke it out.  There is conflict with the main suspect and his legal team.  At the end of the trial little is resolved.

BUT the story is far from over.  The victim has three brothers who are eager to close this case.

This is a very exciting telling of the events relating to Verna's death.  Names and places well known in Kentucky appear.  Legendary director DW Griffith shows up at the end.  There is a lot going on in the story.

Author Ian Punnett has a very direct connection to the case, as he is related, through his mother, to Verna.  He obviously had more access to the case through this relationship.  That fact alone gives the book a ton of legitimacy.

Pick this one one when you can!  I give it my highest possible recommendation!

Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville

Claudia Sanders Dinner House is in Shelbyville, and I have passed by it several times.  I FINALLY got the chance to stop by not too long ago!

It is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area.  We liked the place and the atmosphere.  There was a wedding reception event going on while we were there (in a separate area).

It is impossible to avoid comparisons to its fast food sibling, but the Claudia Sanders restaurant is more of a sit down classy kind of place.  The food was very good and we had plenty to take home.

Shelbyville Kentucky

ANOTHER town that just grows on me all the time is Shelbyville.  This is great Kentucky town that is attractive, and packed with cool places, but I feel like people pass it up for other cities.  They have a great downtown area, that I feel is getting passed up for other shopping sites nearby.  If you appreciate more interesting local type shops, GO to DOWNTOWN Shelbyville!

I have mentioned the MANY classy, clean, and fun antique malls here before.  I took a friend with me recently who had never been in the area.  They actually aren't a fan of antique malls, but they commented about how these malls are nice, and uncluttered- and the dealers were selling nicer items.  These antique malls are not of the flea market type antique mall.  They aren't snooty either.

We really love Harvest Coffee and Café here, which is nice and cozy, and inside of one of the antique malls!  They have ice cream too which is a treat!


I have made several purchases at these malls, and the people running them are friendly and knowledgeable.  I truly have fun when I browse this area.

Shelbyville Kentucky Antique Malls

Have you taken the time to visit all of the cool antique malls in Shelbyville?  Man, there are so many great little towns all around me!  Even the ones I am familiar with seem to impress me in new ways all the time!

So, we were driving through Shelbyville the other day and we realized that there were a lot of neat little businesses around, mostly nice antique malls.

We stopped in to several, all were clean and neat.  None were of the common, not much to be found variety.  All were easy to navigate, and we had cool finds in each of them.  I had some interesting postcard, book, and matchbook finds.

We really enjoyed the Calico Cat Antique Mall.  We had a great time checking this place out, and the staff was helpful and interesting.  I talked to one guy working the counter who seemed interested in what we collected. 

One of the antique malls had a coffee shop inside as part of the business!  Combining antiques and coffee might be one of the coolest business combos I can think of!

The buildings housing the antique shops were old and interesting too.  I would like to know more about the businesses that were there before.

Shelbyville Homecoming Parade

I believe these photos labeled Shelbyville Homecoming Parade are from 1972 or 1973.  I don't have any more info on them.