Georgetown's Sports Hall of Famers
Written by Kathy Witt
Horses may headline Kentucky’s Horse Headquarters, but Georgetown has a full roster of sports stars. Here are a few record breakers and makers with roots in Scott County:
Croquet, anyone?
This Stamping Ground tobacco farmer was known as a wily competitor with a keenly intuitive understanding of the game in a sport more at home in Hollywood than in the hills of Kentucky.
Meet croquet icon Archie Burchfield – described by Sports Illustrated as a “good ol’ boy from Kentucky” in a 1983 article – who took on the jetsetters of the sport and beat them at their own game. He stood out among celebrity players with his Kentucky accent and country clothes and quickly became a media darling.
Archie appeared on “The Pat Sajak Show,” “On the Road Again” with Charles Kuralt, “Lifestyle on Sports” and “Portrait of America.” In addition to Sports Illustrated, People Magazine, The New Yorker and Connoisseur Magazine published articles about him and his sports prowess.
Six-time national croquet champion Archie Peck, known as Palm Beach’s “Mr. Croquet,” called Archie “the greatest thing that has ever happened to this sport.”
This year is the 40th anniversary of Archie winning the Nationals Doubles Championship in New York City with his son, Mark Burchfield.
Archie died on February 16, 2005. He is buried in Stamping Ground and is on Scott County’s Historic Buffalo Geocaching Geotrail.
- The Burchfield File
- 16 State Championships
- 14 National Championships
- 1 International Championship
- 1995 United States Croquet Hall of Fame Inductee
Full-court press
In girlhood dreams, she saw herself as an astronaut. For childhood sports, the ladies registering kids saw her more as a cheerleader than a basketball player.
Supported by her father, however, Ukari Figgs joined the basketball team and went onto become a WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) titlist and NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) champion.
While attending Purdue, Ukari received a letter from Neil Armstrong, himself a graduate of the world-renowned public research university known for advancing discoveries in science, technology, engineering and math. He wanted to let Ukari know she would love going to the moon because she could “easily slam dunk, backwards with two hands.”
For the student who had been named Miss Kentucky Basketball in 1995, part of Purdue’s appeal was its engineering program. Attending Purdue on scholarship, Ukari graduated in 1999 with a degree in mechanical engineering. Today she is a production engineer at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown, the world’s largest Toyota manufacturing facility.
- The Figgs File
- 1995 KHSAA State Basketball Champion
- 1995 KHSAA Miss Basketball
- 1999 Women’s Basketball NCAA National Championship Team
- 1999 Most Outstanding Player of the 1999 NCAA Final Four
- 1999 All-Big Ten team
- 1998 and 1999 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Teams
- 1997 Best Defensive Player award
- Played professionally in WNBA
- 2009 assistant coach to Purdue University’s women’s basketball
- 2011 assistant athletics director for women’s basketball at the University of Kentucky
- Inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, 2004
This teammate of Ukari Figgs started playing pickup games in junior high because she was tall and athletic. She helped lead her basketball team at Scott County High School to the State Championship during her sophomore year in 1995. And she went on to set records and earn titles, including Kentucky All-Star and MVP of the Eighth Region.
Camille Cooper Ozumba also attended Purdue University on scholarship, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. After playing for New York Liberty for three years and playing overseas in the Euro League for two years, the six-foot, 4-inch center retired from the game in 2004 to attend Duke Law School.
Since 2013, Camille has been in private legal consulting for her own firm in Dallas, Texas with a focus on employment, contract and health care law.
- The Cooper Ozumba File
- 1995 KHSAA State Basketball Champion
- 1997 Kentucky All-Star
- First-team all-state and region Most Valuable Player after averaging 28.1 points, 12.0 rebounds and six blocked shots per game while shooting 70 percent from the floor as a senior
- Holds KHSAA record for highest field goal percentage in a state tournament game, 100% (10-10) in 1995
- Starting center for 1999 Women’s Basketball NCAA National Championship Team
- First round draft pick in 2001 Women’s National Basketball Association Draft
- Played professionally in WNBA and overseas, 2001-2004
- Graduated from Duke Law School in 2006
- Inducted to the Scott County Sports Hall of Fame, 2016
From star basketball player to head basketball coach, this Georgetown native attended Scott County High School and played under coach Billy Hicks from 1996 to 1999, earning four varsity letters along the way.
A.W. Hamilton has set records throughout his basketball playing career; in fact, at West Virginia’s Marshall University, which he attended from 2002-2005, he is in the Marshall All-Time record book where he ranks 10th all-time in career assists, 13th in career 3pt%, 21st in career steals and 31st in career 3pt field goals.
Following graduation, A.W. joined the Marshall staff as a graduate assistant for Coach Ron Jirsa. A year later, he was at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia – which he had attended for one year following his high school graduation – as an assistant coach.
Today, the former star player who, as coach, established his brand as the “Most Exciting 40 Minutes in Sports,” is Eastern Kentucky University’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach. And it is exciting. According to A.W.’s EKU bio, in four seasons with him at the helm, the Colonels have broken 29 records.
- The A.W. Hamilton File
- 1998 KHSAA State Basketball Champion
- 1999 1stTeam Kentucky All-State
- 1999 Kentucky’s 8th Region Co-Player of the Year
- Inducted to the Scott County Sports Hall of Fame, 2015
Take me out to the ballgame
Though he didn’t play in the post-season, this Georgetown native was on the 1996 New York Yankees World Series Championship team.
Dale Polley was a pitcher who made the majors nearly a decade after his professional career began. He was signed by the Atlanta Braves as an amateur free agent in 1987. He played professional baseball for seven years, quitting in 1993. Then he returned to the sport for replacement ball with the Braves, staying on back at AAA Richmond. He didn’t get called up to Atlanta, nor was he invited back for 1996.
Dale then signed on with the Yankees and in June of 1996, finally got his call-up. Then 31 years old, the relief pitcher known for batting right-handed and throwing left-handed played only that season with the Yankees.
A good walk spoiled
Having grown up playing Georgetown golf courses, including Canewood Golf Course, Cherry Blossom Village Golf & Country Club and Longview Country Club, this Scott County High School graduate headed to Orlando where he was a member of the UCF (University of Central Florida) Knights from 2010-2014.
Kyle Wilshire helped lead the Knights to a conference title in 2010-11, two NCAA Regional appearances in 2010-11 and 2013-14 and two NCAA Championship appearances in 2011-12 and 2012-13. He was on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017, playing in 22 events.
Now a PGA golfer, Kyle is famous for marking his ball with a quarter with a family member’s birth year on it. He has most recently competed in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, RSM Classic and the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay.
Author: Kathryn Witt
Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.
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Georgetown: Your home-base for exploring the Bluegrass
Written by Kathy Witt
Whether planning a staycation, workcation or midway stop as part of a longer vacation, Georgetown, Kentucky’s Horse Headquarters, is an appealing and convenient homebase for day-tripping to regional attractions.
Georgetown’s beautifully preserved Victorian-era downtown bustles with locally owned restaurants and boutiques, galleries and historic sites, each an invitation to dip in, grab a bite, shop a sale, find an artwork or step into the past.
A variety of hotels and unique stay options accommodate all budgets, interests and inclinations: brand name hotels, Airbnbs, bed and breakfast inns, horse farms, intown suites and golf course lodging. And its choice location at the crossroads of I-75 and I-64 puts visitors within a scenic country drive of major Kentucky attractions, from legendary bourbon distilleries to mega must-see sights to historical and hands-on experiences.
BOURBON IMMERSION
Hop onto the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail, a uniquely Kentucky experience that meanders 
from one world-famous maker of American’s Official Native Spirit to another. Call in on Lexington’s Town Branch to learn about a distilling tradition that dates back to 1794 and Woodford Reserve in Versailles, Kentucky’s oldest and smallest distillery and a National Historic Landmark.
These are two of the 18 distilleries on the Trail – but there are many more distilleries located throughout the state, each offering a unique peek into the world of bourbon, including one in downtown Georgetown that offers a one-of-a-kind experience. At Bourbon 30, guests can step into the role of Master Distiller and create their own bourbon blend, choosing from 100-plus barrels and selecting the bottle shape, wax color and label name
Georgetown’s Buffalo Springs Distillery, the former main office and gatehouse of the distillery that operated on this site beginning in 1868, gives bourbon aficionados the opportunity for an immersive bourbon experience. The stone structure is now a historic and private queen-size retreat with gleaming wood and exposed stone and accented with vintage-, bourbon- and buffalo-themed art.
SUPERSIZED GOOD TIMES
A quick 30-minute drive on I-75
orth takes visitors to Ark Encounter in Williamstown, the story of Noah come to life. The ark is massive, built to Biblical specifications right down to the last cubit and recounts the life and times of the Old Testament’s most well-known shipbuilder through three decks of exhibits.
There’s also Ararat Ridge Zoo, a family playground built for kids of all abilities, daily programs, concerts and presentations, zip lines that reach up to 50 mph and 17 stories high and a virtual reality journey through time – plenty to fill the morning.For the afternoon? Back in Georgetown, Kentucky Horse Park also offers epic-size fun with its Big Barn and stall-side chats;
Parade of Breeds Show and chance to see horses
getting bathed, groomed and trained at the Breeds Barn; and four museums dedicated to the history of the horse 
going back to ancient times; specific horse breeds; interactive equine experiences and more.
Afterward, Queenslake is a king-sized bed and breakfast in a magnificent white-columned manse and sitting on a 140-acres of classic Kentucky horse farm. Here, guests unwind to an experience that is nothing short of the royal treatment. Blending country charm and resort elegance, it is a calming oasis afte a full day of play.
MUSEUM TREASURES
Kentucky’s capital city of Frankfort is also 30 minutes away and has 
much to see: the murals and marble, floral clock and rose
garden at the Kentucky State Capitol; the treasures of City Museum, like the Kentucky Fishing Reel collection of hand-tooled, elaborately designed and bejeweled reels; and Josephine Sculpture Park, a 20-acre outdoor “art museum,” where visitors are free to touch, pat, climb on and lounge in the dozens of works of art.
Georgetown’s own outdoor art museum is found at Yuko-en on the Elkhorn, a Japanese-style strolling garden given a Kentucky twist and the only one of its kind. Step through the garden’s Tokugawa gate and enter a world of color, fragrance, graceful sculptural elements and
serenity, with waterfalls and chirping birds adding a soothing soundtrack and the creek, ponds and Japanese-style stone garden
inspiring quiet reflection.
The Georgetown & Scott County Museum has its own gems, from the Georgetown Post Office display to the precision model of the “DeWitt Clinton” locomotive, tender and three stagecoach-style passenger cars constructed of cast aluminum, brass, hammered steel sheets and wood, to Pete the Famous Talking Crow – and he is famous, just ask him . . . for his three-year reign of trackside terror squawking at confused racehorses.
Overnighting at the Alexander Bradford House in Stamping Ground is like sleeping in a museum, but a really comfy and cozy one where you’re allowed
to touch everything. Built in three different time periods – 1810, 1830 and 1900 – the oldest wing is well over 200 years old. (If only these walls could talk!) It is filled with antiques appropriate to thedifferent periods and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
NOW ABOUT THOSE HORSES. . .
As Kentucky’s Horse Headquarters, Georgetown is home to numerous horse-centric attractions, including Kentucky Horse Park and Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, home to former champions of the turf, including Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup winners.
Two art galleries devote themselves to equestrian art: The Hockensmith Fine Art Editions and Gallery & Press features photography, paintings, printmaking and sculptures of artists, including premier photographer John Stephen Hockensmith, and the Robert Clark Artist Gallery shows off Clark’s renowned equine paintings and artwork. Additionally, at the Georgetown & Scott County Museum, visitors can see the work of
Edward Troye, the most noted painter of horses during the height of American horseracing in the mid-1800s.
Horseback riding is offered at both Whispering Woods Riding Stables and Kentucky Horse Park and horsey experiences are 
found at luxury farm stay and wedding venue Saxony Thoroughbred Farm and with Three Hill Farm’s Horsemanship Training Experience. Georgetown’s annual horse events include the Kentucky Three Day Event, Horsey Hundred, Festival of the Horse and the National Horse Show.
Author: Kathryn Witt
Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.
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Georgetown Tourism Sponsored Booth A Favorite Among State Fair-Goers!
Written by Kathy Witt
Thirty-six thousand cups of freshly popped popcorn from Western Kentucky farms. One thousand, seven hundred cans of veggies and boxes of cereal donated to a Georgetown organization. Thousands of visitors munching popcorn and learning about the state’s farm and field heritage. Dozens of co-workers and volunteers helping to make an agriculture exhibit a 
smashing success.
Each year, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) builds one of the largest exhibits at the Kentucky State Fair. Sponsored by the Georgetown/Scott County Tourism Commission (GSCTC), it is located in AgLAND in the south wing of the fairgrounds, which features and highlights the commodity groups and the KDA and programs provided by the department.
The exhibit is known far and wide for the themed structure the KDA team builds each year from canned goods. A salad bowl filled with veggies. A giant ear of corn. An apple tree and an apple with a bite missing to demonstrate the Kentucky Hunger Initiative Exhibit’s goal to “take a bite out of hunger.” A towering silo – a favorite structure that has appeared frequently over the years and at various places.
“We have fair attendees who look for the canned goods structures every year and that makes me really happy,” said Alisha Morris, KDA program coordinator. “I have one couple who says they come just to see the can structure displays and what we
have done new each year.
“We also have some who come every year just to see our same employees in the booth.”
Part of the draw might have something to do with the irresistible aroma of Kentucky-grown popcorn wafting through the building. Team KDA has an area within AgLAND where they pop the popcorn that has direct Kentucky farm impact.
Said booth volunteer Bailey Gilkerson, marketing director at GSCTC: “We get to sponsor an amazing canned food display and pass out the freshly popped Kentucky Proud popcorn.”
Once the fair is over, the food including the canned goods is packed up and donated to the AMEN House.
Located on Main Street in Georgetown, AMEN House has one mission: to end hunger in Scott County. The organization is entrusted with the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a
federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. USDA provides 100 percent American-grown USDA foods and administrative funds to states to operate TEFAP.
Author: Kathryn Witt
Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.
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This Or That In Georgetown, KY
Written by Kathy Witt
Georgetown is all about choices, whether you’re visiting for the day or vacationing over a long weekend. Bourbon or brews? History or contemporary? Dinner or dessert? In town or out in the country? Will it be this, that or all of the above?
Plan a little or a lot. But no matter what you choose to do, you’ll probably run into a horse or two along the way – this is Kentucky Horse Headquarters, after all.
Horses and/or Horsepower
- Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm: Meet a hundred or so of the friskiest retirees you’ll ever encounter. Pet them. Feed them carrots. Stars of the turf, including Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup champs, live their best life here. Guided tours available.
- Toyota Motor Manufacturing: The numbers are overwhelming: Up to 550,000 vehicles made each year (12.5 million+ since 1988!) in the plant’s 9 million square feet situated on 1,300 Scott County acres.
A virtual tours is currently available.
- Water and/or Walking Trails
- Elkhorn Creek: The place to get your paddle on. Seventeen miles of splashy canoeing and kayaking fun plus one of the best places for fishing for smallmouth bass.
- Yuko-en on the Elkhorn: Where you can ZEN out, on pathways weaving through more than five acres of a four-season Japanese-style strolling garden.
Bourbon and/or Brews
- Bourbon 30: A private barrel sampling, an artisan craft discussion, a chance to blend and bottle your own bourbon. Need we say more?
- Country Boy Brewing: A seriously laidback atmosphere means everyone feels at home at one of Kentucky’s favorite craft beer breweries. The taproom, the patio, the brews, the chews – this is where weekends happen.
- Boutique Browsing and/or Scavenger Hunting
- Downtown shopping: So. Many. Shops. All independently owned and all filled with irresistible treasures. Trust us – you won’t mind at all when your credit card starts smoking. Really.
- Geocaching Trails: A treasure hunt of a different sort – one that requires a passport and patience and a hankering for history – and Scott County has two, in Georgetownand in Sadieville.
- Study the Horse and/or Ride a Horse
- Kentucky Horse Park: Four museums, stall-side chats, Parade of Breeds Show, camping, kids activities including pony rides – it’s all here at this premier working horse farm, educational theme park and equine competition facility.
- Whispering Woods Riding Stables: Where cowboy and cowgirl dreams come to life on more than 250 acres of wooded countryside
- Kentucky Horse Park: Four museums, stall-side chats, Parade of Breeds Show, camping, kids activities including pony rides – it’s all here at this premier working horse farm, educational theme park and equine competition facility.
- Dinner and/or Dessert
- More places to satisfy a sweet tooth than you can count on one hand. More than a dozen eateries in a six-block area of downtown Georgetown alone – fine dining to casual, coffeehouses to pubs. More places of deliciousness in the surrounding county. Georgetown dining seems to have a theme, and it’s “more.” So, will it be savory or sweet?
- History and/or Contemporary
- Ward Hall: Who dropped her drawers in front of Boston’s upper crust? That would be Georgetown’s own cheeky Sallie Ward (pun intended). Hear her scandalous story on a tour of Kentucky’s grandest Greek Revival manse.
Tours available.
- Art Galleries: Two equestrian-themed galleries equal unexpected downtown delight for horse lovers: The Hockensmith Fine Art Editions and Gallery & Press features photography, paintings, printmaking and sculptures and the Robert Clark Artist Galleryshows off Clark’s equine and artwork.
Workshops available.
Author: Kathryn Witt
Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.
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Georgetown Welcomes New Extended Stay Mariott Brand Hotel In Early 2023
Written by Kathy Witt
When the TownePlace Suites by Marriott Georgetown opens in the spring of 2023, not only will it be the newest hotel in the area, but it will also be Marriott’s only extended-stay hotel in Georgetown. And it will be bringing a lot of amenities with it.
Fresh, modern and comfortably sophisticated, the hotel is designed to cater to both long-term travelers in Georgetown on business or other reasons and leisure travelers here explore attractions not only in the immediate area, such as Historic Downtown Georgetown, Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm and the Kentucky Horse Park, but in the surrounding area as well. With Williamstown’s Ark Encounter and a variety bourbon distilleries within a 30-minute drive, the hotel and Georgetown are an ideally situated homebase.
Each room at TownePlace Suites bring guests all the comforts of home while traveling: a fully equipped kitchenette, complete with cookware, glassware and utensils; open work area with an ergonomic chair and plenty of room to spread out; comfortable seating area, HDTV and complimentary Wi-Fi. Color palettes are soft neutrals punctuated with small art groupings.
Guests will also enjoy amenities such as a hot breakfast served daily, a state-of-the-art fitness center and heated indoor pool. Adding more convenience are a fully equipped business center and guest laundry.
“You’ll find touches of Kentucky throughout the hotel that are unique to the TownePlace Suites Georgetown,” said Allison Miller, director of sales at RainMaker Hospitality.
Headquartered in Lexington, RainMaker Hospitality is known for the enhanced service and exceptional hospitality at the 17 hotels properties in central Kentucky in its management portfolio, including such brands as Hilton, IHG, Hyatt, Choice, and Best Western in addition to Marriott. In fact, one of its sister properties located in Georgetown is the Holiday Inn Express at 140 Osborne Way.
The hotel is conveniently located directly off of I-75 and is surrounded by many restaurants and retail stores, all within walking distance. For those traveling on business, it is within a few minutes’ drive of Toyota Motor Manufacturing as well as several other manufacturing plants. Georgetown College is only two and a half miles away and the shops, restaurants, art galleries and museum of downtown are nearby as well.
The hotel will offer complimentary onsite parking and will also have a grab-and-go market with food, beverage and sundry items available for guests 24 hours a day.
“Additionally, guests will be free to bring in food or order any food options to the hotel,” said Allison. “And we hope to have an opportunity to partner with local restaurants when welcoming travelers to the Georgetown community.”
Georgetown Tourism is excited to welcome TownePlace Suites by Marriott Georgetown. Watch for the announcement of the hotel’s official opening date in this newsletter and on our G-town Unwound blog and Facebook page and for a link to the hotel for more pictures and details.
Author: Kathryn Witt
Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.
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