Our RVICS project for October 2008 was Mount Carmel High School in Vancleve KY. Mount Carmel is located in central eastern KY about 70 miles SE of Lexington, off KY15 3 miles from Jackson KY.

Fred and Rosie Ogrinc were again our leaders with Ray and Nonie Moody coming from Hiawatha. Adding to the group were Ralphe and Sharon Rose and Jon and Jane Wendt.

The main project for the men was working on the new museum building. In a previous use, the building was a 60 foot long garage. Some of the renovation (enclosing the doors and setting some of the drywall ) had already been completed. We started by installing a 10 foot metal porch roof along the entire length of the building. Then moving inside, we reset and flashed three windows (including one eight foot garden window), framed out and drywalled six supporting posts and beams, installed rough electric, furred out walls insulated and installed drywall, cut two doorways through a cement block wall and installed doors, framed in the last garage door, and ran a dryer vent for the apartment above (also through cement block).

In addition, the men worked in the dining room drywalling, bullnosing, and painting support columns on the walls and painting the alcove area. Some of the staff ladies then striped and re-papered the walls.

Ed also spent some time on telephone system wiring and programing.

Some of the ladies helped in the kitchen cleaning and cooking as needed. The other ladies worked in the school office answering phones, coping, sorting, filing, and correcting papers as needed.

Our tours took us to The Natural Bridge State Park, television station WLJC, the Beattyville Wooly Worm Festival (our ladies even entered a wooly worm race), The Hwy 23 Country Music Museum, and Lorretta Lynn’s childhood home in Butcher Hollow.

While at Mount Carmel Ed had a cracked tooth extracted and we had the transmission changed from the six speed to a nine speed. It is now easier to back the trailer (much lower reverse ratio),  we have better pulling ratios for the mountains, and we are getting about ½ mpg more when towing.