Mountain Workshops 2010: Behind the scenes

In October I had the pleasure of attending the Mountain Workshops for the second straight year. Held in Elizabethtown, Ky., about 45 miles south of Louisville, the workshops welcomed more than 70 photojournalists who scoured Hardin County for picture and video stories.

In its 35th year, it was one of the largest workshops ever, if not the biggest, said James Kenney, director of the photojournalism program at Western Kentucky University, host of the workshops. Check out the video — it was produced by the enormously talented staff that in many cases uses vacation time from their day jobs to support the workshops.

Mountain Workshops 2010: Glendale Geppetto

For 15 years, Hardin "Sonny" Hatfield has made toys by hand. His favorite subjects are characters from Mickey Mouse and Popeye cartoons. - By Derek PooreOf the two picture stories I produced this year at Mountain Workshops, my favorite was about a gentle toymaker in Glendale, Ky. Hardin "Sonny" Hatfield talked my ear off -- and I loved it.

He told me about the Army during World War II. He told me about his extensive vintage toy collection -- he had a story for each piece. He told me about the restaurant he used to run, and the toy museum he used to operate and the antique store he still owns.

And he let me into his life, only for a few days, but I was grateful.

For 15 years, he has made toys by hand. His favorite subjects are characters from Mickey Mouse and Popeye cartoons.

View the full picture story

Mountain Workshops 2010: Farming a Legacy

Steve Rogers is the second in three generations of farmers in Glendale, Ky. His dog, Scruffy, was abandoned at his 1,800-acre farm about three years ago. “We spoil him pretty good,” Rogers said. - By Derek Poore

Originally published as part of the Mountain Workshops, a weeklong photojournalism workshop produced
by Western Kentucky University. The 2010 workshops were held in Elizabethtown, Ky. >> View the full picture story.

The oil was all over the place, but Steve Rogers smiled.

His fire-apple red tractor was on the fritz. The problem was in a hard-to-reach spot. But after some finagling, he had it working again.

Steve runs his family’s 1,800-acre farm now that his father, Bud, and mother, Martha, are retired.

Steve has a daughter, Sarah, and two sons, Adam and Phillip, that are studying agronomy at Western Kentucky University. His boys grew up riding with him in combines and tractors. They recently bought their own farm not far away.

Farming is like gambling, Bud said. The summer of 2010 was especially dry, and Bud harvested his soybean crop about a month early.

“Timing and weather are everything in this farming,” Bud said.

Steve’s house is about 200 yards from his parents. It’s convenient, because his mom will often fix lunch, and his dad will drive it out to him while Steve’s working the farm.

Steve is handing down lessons of farming to his sons — a rite of passage once common for all Americans that has given way to urban expansion and sprawling mega farms. Steve used to take his sons with him from chore to chore, but now they plan the day’s work in the morning and split up.

“They go their way and I go mine,” Steve said, “and they’re on on their own.”