Neighborhood associations are designed to bring together residents in an effort to create a sense of community.
That’s exactly how the “Rocky the Dog” project came about — a small group of community members from a neighborhood association came together to beautify their neighborhood, in a unique + quirky way.
When I learned about Rocky, I knew I had to pay him a visit. | Photo by LEXtoday
“We had this little traffic island in our neighborhood that was just a disaster,” said Melanie Roederer, the Manager of Rocky the Dog. “It had been accidentally run over by cars + all of the boxwood plants were half dead.”
Melanie + a few other individuals decided to renovate the space, ripping out the old boxwood plants and building a limestone rock fence, a style popular throughout Central Kentucky.
The island renovation on Hart Road near the Ashland Park Neighborhood | Photos by Melanie Roederer
“While we were working, my husband said, ‘ya know — if you turn that rock over, it would look like a dog,'” recalls Melanie. “So I put ears + eyes on it and we moved it to the front of the island where it was more visible.”
Thus — Rocky, the new neighborhood mascot, was born.
Today, Rocky can be found dressed up for just about any occasion: Back-to-school, Labor Day, football games, even the Olympics. You name the day, and he’s probably dressed up for it.
Melanie recalled to us a few of her favorite Rockies:
“Plymouth Rocky,” for Thanksgiving
“Hockey Rocky,” for the Olympics
“Jockey Rocky,” for Keeneland
Rocky through the seasons — check him out for yourself here. | Photos by Melanie Roederer
“We never expected Rocky to become so popular. People just got really involved, leaving flags near him for Memorial Day + children love leaving painted rocks,” said Melanie.
Rocky’s wardrobe has grown so large,thathe now has a full neighborhood committee formed around him, ensuring that he keeps putting smiles on the faces of all that cross his path.
Share this story with anyone who loves community-focused stories.
Summer Nights in Suburbia | Fri., Aug. 12 | 7 p.m. | Moondance Amphitheater, 1152 Monarch St. | Free | Enjoy the fresh air at this outdoor concert series featuring music from DeeOhGee. 🎶
Perseids Meteor Shower Watch | Fri., Aug. 12 | 9:30-11 p.m. | Raven Run Nature Sanctuary, 3885 Raven Run Way | Free | Catch an out-of-this-world view of meteors appearing from the Perseus constellation. ☄️
Saturday
The Drunken Flea | Sat., Aug. 13 | 12-8 p.m. | The Burl, 375 Thompson Rd. | Price of purchase | This fan-favorite vintage flea market will feature local vendors, food, and beverages. 🛍
Cruisin’ for the Kids Annual Car Show | Sat., Aug. 13 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Wild Health Field, 207 Legends Ln. | $5 | This annual car show will donate 100% of the proceeds to local nonprofit Project Kids 1st — kids 10 and under are free. 🚖
UK vs. Carleton University | Sat., Aug. 13 | 6 p.m. | Televised, SEC Network | The Wildcats are playing their third game of the Big Blue Bahamas series against this team who has won 16 of the last 19 collegiate championships in Canada. 🏀
Cold Brew Coffee Festival | Sat., Aug. 13 | 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. | Tandy Park, 251 W. Main St. | Free | Enjoy this trendy beverage in every form from local vendors alongside the Lexington Farmers’ Market. ☕️
Sunday
John Hiatt and The Goners | Sun., Aug. 14 | 8 p.m. | Lexington Opera House | $45+ | Don’t miss this epic pop + rock country band with special guest Sonny Landreth. 🎸
Wildflower Walk | Sun., Aug. 14 | 2-3 p.m. | McConnell Springs, 416 Rebmann Ln. | Free | Observe the season’s current blooms on a guided walk. 🌸
East End Art and Music Festival | Sun., Aug. 14 | 3-6 p.m. | The Artists’ Village, 560 E. Third St. | Free | Bring your lawn chairs + blankets to enjoy music from 1SoundBand, shop for local art, and sample food from various food trucks. 🎨
UK vs. The Bahamas National Team | Sun., Aug. 14 | 12 p.m. | Televised, SEC Network | The Wildcats will face off against the Bahamian players who are competing for a berth in the AmeriCup + World Cup. 🏀
We have amonthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Flatiron School’s specialized programming is designed for anyone who wants to revamp their resume (andpotentially boost their career). Here’s a peek at the four specialized courses Flatiron offers:
Students get a feel for what working on large-scale projects is really like while completing a course at Flatiron. | Photo provided by Flatiron School
This course covers everything from government compliance to the core ideas in network security. For their final capstone project, students focus on summarizing what they learned through a detailed analysis of data, simulated and live-action scenarios, and more.
Students gain hands-on UX/UI (akauser experience and user interface) design skills using modern tools like Figma + Webflow. They graduate with a professional portfolio intentionally crafted to catch hiring managers’ eyes.
This four-part curriculum focuses on specific areas of software engineering, including front- and back-end development, back-end web API (read: Application Programming Interface),and more. Students complete a group project during each phase to gain real-world experience on a software engineering team.
This program explores everything from data analysis and engineering to machine learning fundamentals and Python programming (no snakes involved). Students complete a large-scale data science project at the conclusion of the program to demonstrate their learning accomplishments.
Pro tip: Don’t wait to apply — there are only a few spots left for each program, which start Mon., Aug. 29.*
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Tues., Aug. 16 at 2185 Versailles Rd. for the Marksbury Family Branch of the Lexington Public Library. The $17-million project will feature a new30,000-sqft facility + is expected to open in 2024. 📚
Berea keeps growing. The city received a $500k grant to build a second spec building on Mayde Road, in the new industrial park. Spec buildings, or speculative buildings, are built by developers with the goal of attracting tenants either during or after construction.
Eat
Dial in for donuts. North Lime Coffee & Donutsnow offers text updates for its weekly donut specials at both Lexington locations, 3101 Clays Mill Rd., Ste. 300a + 101 W. Loudon Ave., Ste. 160. Text “donuts” to (866) 554-2954 to receive a message every Sunday evening with that week’s specials. 🍩
Sports
Last night, the UK men’s basketball team played their second game of the Big Blue Bahamas exhibition series, defeating Tec De Monterrey by a score of 102-40. The victory was a collaborative effort — four different players finished with double-doubles. 🏀
Plan Ahead
The Urban Forest Initiative is already making plans for the city’s annual Tree Week — a series of events held every fall designed to promote + protect Lexington’s urban tree canopy. This year, Tree Week will be held Sat., Oct. 8-Sun., Oct. 16. Sign up to host an event. 🌳
Cause
The Lexington Humane Society is hosting a sip-worthy raffle with all proceeds benefiting the animals and their facilities. Tickets for the Booze Wagon Raffle are $10 + the winner will receive a wagon full of adult beverages from local breweries, distilleries, and wineries — valued at $500+. Get your tickets today.
History
Yesterday — Thurs., Aug. 11 — marked 82 years since the death of Lexington native Belle Breezing, one of Lexington’s more scandalously-famous women. Belle purchased a home in 1881 at 156 N. Upper St. + opened a brothel in downtown Lexington — known as the “most orderly of disorderly houses.” Read more of her story.
J&H Lanmark, a locally-owned outdoor gear store, is now running its annual shoe sale through Sun., Aug. 21. This is the store’s biggest shoe sale of the year + will feature 15-40% off running, hiking, and casual shoes, as well as sandals. 🛍
We won’t lie —back-to-school season has us busier than ever. Cross grocery shopping off the list with free grocery delivery, available for Kroger Boost members for just $59/year — or upgrade your membership for free delivery in as little as two hours. 👀 *
Community
By becoming a LEXtoday member, you’ll directly support our mission of offering our newsletter, social content, and website access for free to all Lexingtonians (read: no pesky paywalls). Learn more + sign up. 💻
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Yesterday — Thurs., Aug. 11 — marked 235 years since the first newspaper in Kentucky, and the first paper West of the Allegheny Mountains,was created. “The Kentucky Gazette” was first published in Lexington in 1787.
The Lexington Public Library has digital archives of this paper beginning with the publication’s second edition. It is not known if the first publication still exists anywhere.
Want a deeper dive into local news? Read the paper’s second edition — daily news for Lexington on Aug., 18 1787.
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Editor’s pick: Fun community stories like “Rocky the Dog” are some of my favorites to tell. I learned about rocky from Reader Jessica K. Thanks for letting me know about him, Jessica.
Do you have a a quirky community-focused story like Rocky that you think needs to be told? Let me know about it.
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