2008 Heritage
Award Winners
Please join us for the
2008 Appalachian Festival
Heritage Award Presentation
Pickin’ Porch, Saturday, May 10th at 6:30 p.m.
We’re so very pleased to announce this year’s Heritage Award winners.
The recipients have been associated with the Appalachian
Festival for a number of years. They’ve strived
by their artistic, musical and/or volunteered talents
to promote and contribute to the continued success
of the Appalachian Festival. These recipients will
receive a medallion and are encouraged to wear the
medallion throughout the Festival.
Connie Carlton (Traditional
Arts Demonstrator)
Kenneth Curd (Living History
Demonstrator)
Dorothy “Tammy” Osborne (Volunteer)
Greg Smith (Music)
Florence “Flo” Sparks (Volunteer) |
2008 Ernie Mynatt Award
Presented
to Tommy Taylor
Ernie Mynatt “Papa” came to Cincinnati in
1959, as a detached worker out of Berea, KY – funded
by the Faber Foundation Appalachian Fund. His task
was simple - to see what was happening to those who
were for one reason or another forced to leave the
Appalachian Region to find employment and a better
way of life. His task was to find out what was happening
to them, how they were surviving and how where they
getting along. He ended up staying for a lifetime…
By the early 1960's, the Catholic Church sponsored “Papa’s” work
and opened a storefront center on Main Street in Over
the Rhine. During this period of “Papa’s” work,
he worked with over 300 youth that were attached to him
officially and unofficially by the Juvenile court. Judge
Swartz used him to unofficially meet the needs of many
youth in and around the greater Cincinnati area. In 1968, “Papa” worked
with Michael Maloney and many others to form the United
Appalachians of Cincinnati. Maloney served as first Executive
Director for the U.A.C., eventually “passing the
torch” on to current Director, Maureen R. Sullivan.
“Papa” would walk the streets of Cincinnati
introducing himself to many people and developing close
relationships with the youth of the inner city. He also
worked closely with people of the community and some
of the leaders of the city, like Stuart Faber, Louise
Spiegel and Mike Maloney. He helped establish a number
of working committees that addressed the urban Appalachians’ needs
and concerns along with recognition of Appalachians
in the inner city. One of these committees brought
together residents of Over the Rhine, the City of Cincinnati
and a few ladies from the Junior League, who began
planning and organizing what started the tradition
in Cincinnati that celebrates to this day our Appalachian
Culture - the Appalachian Festival.
“Papa” opened the first center for Appalachians
(the Appalachian Identity Center) in 1970 in the former
Walnut Street Bar’s building, on Walnut Street
in Over The Rhine. The center itself took on the appearance
of a teen center, but served as a place for community
residents to work on concerns and issues facing the Appalachian
Community and as office space for the United Appalachians
of Cincinnati. In 1974, the United Appalachians of Cincinnati
evolved to form the Urban Appalachian Council, keeping
the Appalachian Identity Center under it’s umbrella.
The first Appalachian Festival was held in the basement
of Cincinnati’s own Music Hall. In 1975, The Appalachian
Community Development Association (The A.C.D.A.), now
sponsor of the Appalachian Festival, was formed. As the
festival grew, it moved to the Cincinnati Convention
Center and on to the present location at historic Coney
Island, in the 1980’s. To make a long story short,
without “Papa” there probably wouldn’t
be an Urban Appalachian Council or Appalachian Festival.
Tommy Taylor has dedicated his life and career entertaining
and educating us about Appalachia’s rich musical
traditions. The A.C.D.A.’s very proud to present
this years’ Ernie Mynatt Award to him!
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