Kala Dunn

On the evening of August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera aboard the Santa Maria with the intent landing in Asia, thereby creating new ports of trade while proving the world was round. Only no one knew what lay beyond the horizon. Perhaps we'll find out in a Datebook in October. 

It’s Friday, August 3

Murray Preschool, Head Start, and Early Head Start hold registration for the 2012-2013 school year Thursday from 8 to 3. Registration for children ages four and under will be held on the first floor of Alexander Hall, located on North 16th Street. For more information, call 809-3262.

Today's event is particularly positive! On this day in 1932, Carl D. Anderson discovered the positron (counterpart to the electron), for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize for Physics. The consequences of this discovery would later be explored by Isaac Asimov. What could go wrong?

It’s Thursday, August 2

There’s a Dive-In Movie tomorrow night at the Noble Park Pool in Paducah.  The featured film is “The Goonies,” rated PG.  The pool opens at 8, and the film starts at dusk.  Admission is $1 per person, and concessions are available for purchase. 

Happy birthday to Jerry Garcia (1942-1995). He was best known as the leader of Grateful Dead for over three decades. Rolling Stones ranked him the 13th Greatest Guitarist of All Time. But he really achieved greatness in 1987, when Ben & Jerry's came out with Cherry Garcia.

It’s Wednesday, August 1

Starfish Orphan Ministries holds a general public meeting Sunday afternoon at 2.  Everyone is welcome to learn about local volunteer opportunities, upcoming mission trips, and other ways to help orphaned children.  The meeting will be held at the Starfish office, located at 1000 Broadway in Paducah.

Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees was released on this day in 1932, becoming the first commercially released film to be produced in full-color, three-strip Technicolor. The short was a commercial and critical success, winning the first Academy Award for Animated Short Subjects. Additionally, moviegoers learned that when no one is around, trees do calisthenics. 

It’s Monday, July 30

Lake Barkley State Resort Park hosts “History & Humor, Hummin’ & Strummin’ 2012” Wednesday evening from 6 to 10.  The free outdoor event features four Chautauqua performances.  Actors portray Colonel Harland Sanders; Mary Settles, the last Shaker at Pleasant Hill; abolitionist John G. Fee; and Private William Greathouse, a soldier in the War of 1812. 

On this day in 1947, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act into law which led to the creation of the CIA, US Department of Defense, US Air Force, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the US National Security Council, as a response to the aftermath of WWII. Don't mess with the US.

It’s Thursday, July 26

Tonight at 7, Maiden Alley Cinema presents the Woody Allen film “To Rome With Love.”  It follows the stories of a worker who wakes up to find himself a celebrity, an architect who takes a trip back the street he lived on as a student, a young couple on their honeymoon, and a frustrated opera director with a talent for singing.  For additional showtimes, see maidenalleycinema.com.

Sir William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone successfully demonstrated the first commercial electric telegraph on this day in London. It was later used on the Great Western Railway as a system to catch criminals. It had no punctuation and missed the J, Q, and Z. So "A zebra just kidnapped the Queen!" would be "A webra gust kidnapped the Freen"

It’s Wednesday, July 25

Murray and Bardstown have been named to a list of the "five best small towns in America" by Rand McNally and USA Today. Murray was selected as the friendliest small town, and Bardstown was selected as the most beautiful small town.  An hour-long special on the Best of the Road towns airs at 7 tonight on the Travel Channel.

A happy birthday to French writer Alexandre Dumas. He was born in poverty as the grandson of a French nobleman and a Haitian slave and became best known for The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. 210 years is also how long it may take to finish reading all 1,500 pages of Monte Cristo.

It’s Tuesday, July 24

A foster care and adoption fair is set for Saturday at the Owensboro Christian Church.  The fair will be held from 10 to 2.  Experienced foster parents and social workers will be available to share information and answer questions.  For more, call 1-877-994-9970.

Happy Birthday to our Indian counterparts, All India Radio (AIR) turns 85 today. AIR is India's public radio outlet for long-form news, documentaries, and world music.

It’s Monday, July 23

Murray-Calloway County Hospital’s Health Express stops at the Marshall County Senior Center in Benton tomorrow morning from 9 to 11.  The Health Express provides free screenings, including blood sugar and blood pressure checks.  For more information, call (270) 762-1348.

Gregor Mendel was an Austrian scientist and friar who gained posthumous fame as the founder of genetics. He demonstrated that certain traits in pea plants followed particular inheritance patterns. Mendel's work largely went unnoticed until the rest of science caught up to him in the early 20th century. You never know what you'll discover when looking into your salad.

It’s Friday, July 20

The Marshall County Animal Shelter hosts the Dog Days of Summer Adoption Drive tomorrow from 10 to 2.  Adopt dogs for $15 or cats for $5.  The shelter is at 839 Benton Briensburg Road in Benton.  For more information, call (270) 527-0954.

Allen Collins was one of the founding members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and a guitar prodigy perhaps best known for his blazing solo in "Free Bird." Though he survived the plane crash of '77, he was later injured in a car crash, which caused complications leading to his death in 1990. 'Cause I'm as free as a bird now, And this bird you cannot change... Is this not the stuff of legend?

It’s Thursday, July 19

The McCracken County Public Library remembers U.S. Vice President Alben W. Barkley tonight with a special program by Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Shea Nickell. This year marks the 135th anniversary of Barkley’s birth. The program starts at 7 in the Upstairs Meeting Room.