You know how people have some relatives that you dont' really know that well, even though they don't live that far away? For whatever reason, you just never hung out with them much growing up.
Then one day, you actually take some time to get to know them. Maybe you hung out at a family reunion, or they took the initiative and reached out to invite you over. And they turn out to be really cool and you hit if off quite nicely.
Our creative economy exploratory mission to Lexington, hosted by LeXenomics, was a little like that. Leader Eric Marr provides some comprehensive notes on his blog if you'd like to check up on us.
Lexington is just a few miles further from Charleston than Morgantown, yet we often don't think of expanding our networks of relationships and partnerships east along I-64...At least past Huntington. It does bring to mind how artificial geo-political borders limit our thinking and our opportunities.
Kentucky and West Virginia of course have much in common culturally and economically. Coal and not a few stereotypical jokes come to mind. But in many ways Kentucky has seemed to be on a little higher wrung. At least one "big" city (Louisville), a university that has won quite a few NCAA basketball championships (eh hem, won't mention last year's NCAA tournament...OK I just did). And in many ways, although rooted in rural culture and bluegrass, Lexington's signature industries of bourbon and horse racing had a tinge of upper crust. Maybe we didn't think we were as good as those cousins we didn't know very well, so we didn't bother to look them up.
But, as is often the case in too many sad, comical situations, perceptions often don't match reality. The folks in Kentucky share many of the same struggles we do: a streak of insecurity over their image, consternation over how to pay homage to old industry while discovering the new, and getting their institutions and individuals to collaborate towards the future. And like West Virginians, they are genuinely nice and welcoming people.
Heck, our new friendly cousins even paid us a compliment. They said what Create WV and Vision Shared have done are ahead of where they are at. I guess they can't be all bad.
So what happens when Appalachian communities and regions get to talking? Could any good come of it? One way to keep a people down is to keep them separated and fighting among one another (feud, anyone?). If we keep talking like this and some collaboration bursts out of the hollers....it could make some people nervous.
After all, what would the rest of the country do if Central Appalachia became a driving force in the new economy? I guess they would have to start making fun of Ohio.
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