I have often said our little town has some great programs and organizations if we will only participate.

While I know we all value our free time, I believe we all have enough time to participate in something our town has to offer.

In the past week, I went to church, attended my homemaker meeting at the extension service, went to a community Bible study and to a program at the museum.

At all these meetings I saw a great deal of Winchester residents. It is through these places I have met some wonderful people I now call my friends.

Of course, I meet many other residents at the places where I shop.

Through many of these places, I have met and grown to love the people of Winchester.

In my opinion, no one should feel isolated or unloved in Winchester. If you are a new resident of our town, I would suggest you get involved in a club or an activity.

The public library is one of the best anywhere with the wonderful, helpful people they employ who always have a smile on their faces and a helping hand. Truthfully, I have found this to be true in most all the places in Winchester.

Our churches in Winchester try their best to keep our youth on the right track and involved with fun, spiritual things that will make them good citizens of our community.

Parents, get your kids children in community activities.

On Thursday evening at the Bluegrass Heritage Museum, I was happy to see a mother there with her children, where they would learn and see about the history of “Aunt Jemima.”

What a wonderful program those children got to learn through the wonderful portrayal by Debra Faulk of Nancy Green, who was born in Montgomery County.

Nancy had been born into slavery. While she lived in Mt. Sterling, the Walker family employed her. I wondered if the Easy Walker Park now in existence was from this same family.

Once slaves were freed, Nancy and her family moved to Chicago in 1872.

In 1890, she became Aunt Jemima because of her uniqueness as a person through a flour owner, R.T. Davis, who was searching for someone to play a minstrel show character, “Aunt Jemima,” who resembled a “Mammy” like the one shown in “Gone With the Wind.”

Charles Walker, now a judge and friend of Mr. R.T. Davis, he should use his former slave who seemed to meet all the criteria he was looking for — someone charming, helpful and a good cook. Nancy also had just the right charisma he was looking for. Not to mention, Davis had sampled her pancakes many times and found them to be delicious.

I felt he must have had a bit of love or endearment to wish her well and be a reason to mention her to him.

The Chicago World’s Fair became the change in Nancy Green’s life. She became “Aunt Jemima,” a household name.

At the fair, she was put into a giant flour barrel where she made pancakes, joked with the crowd and sold pancakes. As a result of this, she sold more than a million boxes of pancake mixes. The fair awarded her a green medal.

More importantly, R.T. Davis Milling offered her a lifetime contract to play the character at other events to sell his product.

Through this she became one of the first prosperous African-American women in the U.S. She used her wealth to help her community and gave back to it.

However, not until after her death in1923 did the world know Nancy Green had been “Aunt Jemima,” the pancake queen. She died in 1923.

I can only imagine what the people of Mt. Sterling, must have felt when they learned this.

Aunt Jemima pancake mix can still be bought and sold in stores today.

As Paul Harvey liked to say, “Now, you know the rest of the story.”

You would have learned a lot more if you had attended the program at the museum last week.

That is why I was so glad to see children at the program. They learned about the effects slavery had on people. They learned of the good that came from her wealth and how she helped her community out.

Before the meeting, Sandy Stults, the director of our museum, told that the museum received a $250,000 grant. If the community will match that grant, it could be doubled. There is a big need for the other building where the Guerrants had a bed and breakfast to be used for the overcrowding now at the museum on program nights. This building could be used for large crowds and for programs.

This is an opportunity for our community to donate to the museum so these wonderful learning experiences can keep happening. It does not matter how big or how small the donation is.

I hope I have whetted your appetite for some of the programs our town has to offer.

I have only mentioned a few.

Sue Staton is a Clark County native who grew up in the Kiddville area. She is a wife, mother and grandmother who is active in her church, First United Methodist Church, and her homemaker’s group, Towne and Country Homemakers.