kentucky Heartwood
We need forests we can get lost in; trees that make us gape; streams we can drink from.
Wild places sustain and define us; we, in turn, must protect them.
Wild places sustain and define us; we, in turn, must protect them.
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Congratulations to our previous winners!
Ages 8 – 12 Ages 13 – 18
2006 Alyssa Meece Tyler Stahl & Blake Sugarman
2007 Samantha Cunningham Michael Cruise
2008 Samantha Cunningham Morgan Darby
2009 Jacob Broyles Damon Pulliam
2010 Austin Moore Bethany Breakall
2011 Ella Lemley-Frye Damon Pulliam
2012 Andrew Breakall Bethany Breakall
2013 Ella Lemley-Frye Samantha Cunningham
2014 Jonathan Corum Jordan Semones
2015 Jackson Williams-Hale Alexandra Hagan
2016 Ezra Corum Kellar Casciola
Lots of special activities!

The festival starts with a folk dance in the gym at 3pm!
This year we are pleased to once again present poetry on stage! Open mike for kids’ poems will be at 4:50pm.
Melanie VanHouten and the great folks at Josephine Sculpture Park will have a tent with children’s activities. Take advantage of the opportunity to create your own mold in preparation for the hot metal pour at JSP’s Fall Festival on September 10! For more information about the park, visit www.josephinesculpturepark.org.
An obstacle course created by Frankfort High Earth Club will begin at 4:45pm in the lower festival area and provide physical challenges and fun competition for all ages.
A basketball shot and football throw competition in the upper festival area/gym will give you a chance to see how your skills rate!
A chalk drawing competition will take place in the upper festival area near the food vendors. Suggested donation for this event is $2. The winner will receive a Kentucky Heartwood T shirt.
A children’s parade will begin in lower festival area at 7 pm and lead to the stage in time for the Raffle Drawing and Awards Presentation. Kids love this parade!
Don’t miss the Children’s Street Theater! This production is written, directed, and produced entirely by kids with backup assistance from Melissa Calhoun. Come celebrate the next generation’s creativity and leadership! This event will take place in the lower festival area at 6:30 pm just prior to the Children’s Parade.
This year we are pleased to once again present poetry on stage! Open mike for kids’ poems will be at 4:50pm.
Melanie VanHouten and the great folks at Josephine Sculpture Park will have a tent with children’s activities. Take advantage of the opportunity to create your own mold in preparation for the hot metal pour at JSP’s Fall Festival on September 10! For more information about the park, visit www.josephinesculpturepark.org.
An obstacle course created by Frankfort High Earth Club will begin at 4:45pm in the lower festival area and provide physical challenges and fun competition for all ages.
A basketball shot and football throw competition in the upper festival area/gym will give you a chance to see how your skills rate!
A chalk drawing competition will take place in the upper festival area near the food vendors. Suggested donation for this event is $2. The winner will receive a Kentucky Heartwood T shirt.
A children’s parade will begin in lower festival area at 7 pm and lead to the stage in time for the Raffle Drawing and Awards Presentation. Kids love this parade!
Don’t miss the Children’s Street Theater! This production is written, directed, and produced entirely by kids with backup assistance from Melissa Calhoun. Come celebrate the next generation’s creativity and leadership! This event will take place in the lower festival area at 6:30 pm just prior to the Children’s Parade.
Bands
We are delighted to showcase excellent entertainment again this year.

Nicholas Penn– 5pm.
Nicholas Penn is a progressive folk musician from Lexington, KY. Born in Mexico to Baptist missionaries, and studying music and social movements, Penn is a musician on a mission. Penn’s specialization is songwriting for social causes and human empowerment, generally through the story of his own struggles to be a good human in a confusing world. Penn is also the Regional Director of Sales for The Weekly Juicery and former Director of Local First Lexington. His current focus is finding synergy between music, the health food movement, and yoga. Penn’s debut EP “Ill EAGLE” dropped in April 2017.
Nicholas Penn is a progressive folk musician from Lexington, KY. Born in Mexico to Baptist missionaries, and studying music and social movements, Penn is a musician on a mission. Penn’s specialization is songwriting for social causes and human empowerment, generally through the story of his own struggles to be a good human in a confusing world. Penn is also the Regional Director of Sales for The Weekly Juicery and former Director of Local First Lexington. His current focus is finding synergy between music, the health food movement, and yoga. Penn’s debut EP “Ill EAGLE” dropped in April 2017.

Heath and Molly – 7:45 pm.
Heath & Molly are an American Roots-Rock duo from Rumsey, Kentucky. The duo is comprised of husband and wife Heath & Molly Eric. Heath & Molly blend powerful vocals with acoustic guitars, baritone guitars, djembe, cajon, and various percussion to create a homegrown, original, roots music experience. Their LIVE show delivers the entertainment and sonic value of a much larger ensemble. They perform an average of 150 shows each year across the USA and parts of eastern Europe. They are listed in the Kentucky Arts Council’s prestigious Performing Arts Directory and on contract with Kentucky State Parks.
Heath & Molly are an American Roots-Rock duo from Rumsey, Kentucky. The duo is comprised of husband and wife Heath & Molly Eric. Heath & Molly blend powerful vocals with acoustic guitars, baritone guitars, djembe, cajon, and various percussion to create a homegrown, original, roots music experience. Their LIVE show delivers the entertainment and sonic value of a much larger ensemble. They perform an average of 150 shows each year across the USA and parts of eastern Europe. They are listed in the Kentucky Arts Council’s prestigious Performing Arts Directory and on contract with Kentucky State Parks.
Directions to the Festival
From Lexington: take US 60 to Versailles. Turn right on US 60 Bypass toward Frankfort. Go 4 miles; turn left on 1685S. After 1 mile bear right on 2331W; after ½ mile turn right onto 1659N; Millville Community Center is 3 miles ahead on left.
From Frankfort take US 60 towards Versailles. Just past the I-64 Interchange turn right on 1681W; after 2 ½ miles go left on 1659 S. Millville Com. Center is 1 ½ m ahead on right.
Google Maps will not show the Millville Community Center in the correct place. If you want to use Google Maps to help you out, use the address 6715 McCracken Pike and it "should" get you there.
From Frankfort take US 60 towards Versailles. Just past the I-64 Interchange turn right on 1681W; after 2 ½ miles go left on 1659 S. Millville Com. Center is 1 ½ m ahead on right.
Google Maps will not show the Millville Community Center in the correct place. If you want to use Google Maps to help you out, use the address 6715 McCracken Pike and it "should" get you there.
The Historic Millville Community Center
The Kentucky Heartwood Music Festival is located in western Woodford County on the banks of Glenn’s Creek in the scenic community of Millville.
The site of the festival is the Millville Community Center, which includes portions of the restored historic Millville Elementary School. The facility is well known for its horseshoe tournaments. Also available are basketball courts, picnic tables, and an outdoor pavilion.
The site of the festival is the Millville Community Center, which includes portions of the restored historic Millville Elementary School. The facility is well known for its horseshoe tournaments. Also available are basketball courts, picnic tables, and an outdoor pavilion.
Performance Times
The 8-12 year old competition will begin promptly at 4:00pm. The 13-18 year olds will begin at 6:00pm. Nicholas Penn will perform between the two competitions.
The Music Festival is run entirely by volunteers with the help of donations from our sponsors.
Visit our booth at the festival, buy a T-shirt, and learn more about our forest advocacy. We would be thrilled to have you as new members!
Many Thanks to Our Wonderful Emcee Courtney Rogers!
We are tremendously grateful to Seth Murphy of Black Hat Productions and Danny Hess for their hard work running the sound system! Thank you, Jasmine Fouts, for helping our contestants during the competitions!
Many Thanks to Our Wonderful Emcee Courtney Rogers!
We are tremendously grateful to Seth Murphy of Black Hat Productions and Danny Hess for their hard work running the sound system! Thank you, Jasmine Fouts, for helping our contestants during the competitions!
Thank You to Our Wonderful Volunteers!
Many thanks to our Sponsors for their generosity!
Earth Tools, Jeff Alexander, Glare Control, Inside Out Design, Kentucky Coffeetree Café, Radio Free Frankfort, Wilkerson Financial, Kiwanis Club of Frankfort, United Bank, Lanham Media Services Diane Lewis, Bob Padgett, Extra-Tree-Estrial, Froggy 104.9, Loren Curtis & Connie May, Pam Wood, WEKU, Caroline Taylor Webb, Sean Nitchman, Michael & Sheila Campbell, Doug Osborne, Millville Community Center, John & Velda Watts, Griffith Piano Service, Josephine Sculpture Park, Anonymous
Workshops
All workshops are free with festival admission. We encourage you to sign up for workshops in advance, although this is not required.
Click here for workshop times and descriptions.
To register, email kentuckyheartwood@gmail.com or leave a message with Chris Schimmoeller at 502-226-5751, mailbox 1.
Workshops are designed with earth awareness and fun in mind! All workshops take place in the lower festival area except where noted.
Click here for workshop times and descriptions.
To register, email kentuckyheartwood@gmail.com or leave a message with Chris Schimmoeller at 502-226-5751, mailbox 1.
Workshops are designed with earth awareness and fun in mind! All workshops take place in the lower festival area except where noted.
Contact the organizers
Jane Marie Watts was director of Kentucky Heartwood from 2007 - 2008. Nine generations of her family have lived in the Millville area; she went to elementary school at the Millville School where the festival is held. Contact her in the evenings at 859-873-9772.
Organizer Chris Schimmoeller was director of Kentucky Heartwood from 1992 to 2002. She is currently on the Kentucky Heartwood Council and lives in the Frankfort area. Contact her at 502-226-5751.
Organizer Chris Schimmoeller was director of Kentucky Heartwood from 1992 to 2002. She is currently on the Kentucky Heartwood Council and lives in the Frankfort area. Contact her at 502-226-5751.
Do you have suggestions or comments?
Every year people compliment us on the quality of the workshops and kids’ activities. Parents are also happy to be at a festival small enough that they don’t worry about where their kids are. If you have comments or suggestions about activities to add to the festival, please email Chris at c.schimmoeller@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you at the festival!
Below is a printable version of all the Music Fest information.
Kentucky Heartwood is a non-profit forest advocacy organization that has worked since 1992 to protect and restore the integrity, stability, and beauty of Kentucky’s native forests. Our focus is the Daniel Boone National Forest in southeastern Kentucky. The 700,000 acre public forest boasts the state’s highest concentration of rare species, one of the highest concentrations of archaeological sites in the southeast, over 3,000 miles of clifflines, and attractions like the Red River Gorge.
Running waters on the Daniel Boone National Forest support about 60% of Kentucky’s native fish species, which represents 28% of all southeastern fishes and 18% of all native freshwater fishes in the United States. Mussel species in streams on the Daniel Boone comprise 22% of mussel species in North America. Overall, Kentucky ranks third in the nation for aquatic fauna diversity.
The Daniel Boone’s intricately folded topography creates specialized habitats for endemic species, such as white haired goldenrod, found nowhere else in the world.
The forest itself is highly diverse, distinguished by outstanding biodiversity, pockets of old growth, and unique upland bogs and glades. Because it stretches for 140 miles from north of Morehead to the Tennessee border along the western escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau, the Boone represents our best opportunity to restore functioning forest ecosystems in the state.
Run primarily by volunteers, Kentucky Heartwood passionately defends the Boone from logging, mining, development, and four wheeling. We have helped to dramatically reduce logging levels and ATV abuse. This year we are celebrating our 25 year anniversary!
Protecting forests is increasingly important in this era of climate change. Large forest blocks stabilize the atmosphere, sequester carbon, and conserve water.
Running waters on the Daniel Boone National Forest support about 60% of Kentucky’s native fish species, which represents 28% of all southeastern fishes and 18% of all native freshwater fishes in the United States. Mussel species in streams on the Daniel Boone comprise 22% of mussel species in North America. Overall, Kentucky ranks third in the nation for aquatic fauna diversity.
The Daniel Boone’s intricately folded topography creates specialized habitats for endemic species, such as white haired goldenrod, found nowhere else in the world.
The forest itself is highly diverse, distinguished by outstanding biodiversity, pockets of old growth, and unique upland bogs and glades. Because it stretches for 140 miles from north of Morehead to the Tennessee border along the western escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau, the Boone represents our best opportunity to restore functioning forest ecosystems in the state.
Run primarily by volunteers, Kentucky Heartwood passionately defends the Boone from logging, mining, development, and four wheeling. We have helped to dramatically reduce logging levels and ATV abuse. This year we are celebrating our 25 year anniversary!
Protecting forests is increasingly important in this era of climate change. Large forest blocks stabilize the atmosphere, sequester carbon, and conserve water.