Driving down US 27 south past Nicholasville, if you tune in to 102.9 on your FM dial you might stumble upon a fascinating show called "The General Store" which comes to you live from WPBK in Stanford, Kentucky. This little gem of a show is basically a Facebook Marketplace or Ebay, but on the air waves instead of on your digital device, and I promise you, you will be entertained! I tuned in for the first time on my way last week to a job in Stanford, and knew I had to make time to stop in and see our good friend Tim Estes who is the station manager.
Tim Estes, besides being a retired teacher, DJ and employee of WPBK, volunteers for just about every committee in the county and is the biggest spokesperson for Stanford you will ever come across! He is a joy and a delight, and since Tim and I share a common love of food, it only made sense to have lunch at The Kentucky Depot. It was my first time eating here, but I can assure you it won't be the last!
Let me start off by saying that this place has a buffet, so if you're into large quantities of food, this is your kind of place. For the low price of $9.99, you can stuff yourself from 11-2pm on their delicious down-home cooking, and the dinner buffet is only a few bucks more. Not wanting to be tempted by the option of unlimited refills, I ordered the bbq pork sandwich, fried green tomatoes and coleslaw, and Tim opted for the chicken sandwich and fried okra. I originally thought, ew, fried okra?! That can't be good. I mean, who likes okra, right? I love to be proven wrong sometimes and this was definitely one of those times! It was really tasty! Everything was terrific, but my favorite came at the end. The server, whom Tim knew, of course, suggested we have the brown sugar pie or the cobbler. Not wanting to have to make a choice between the two, we opted for both. Take a look at the picture of the mile-high meringue on that pie! It was scrumptious, as was the hot blackberry cobbler swimming in melting vanilla ice cream. We both left there full and happy!
Needing to walk off some of that food, I left Tim and navigated to Main Street, just a few blocks away, for some window shopping. It's really one of the best things about small KY towns, the cute shops all lined up along Main Street, usually with a quaint coffee shop nestled in there, too. Stanford has a lovely main thoroughfare and on the backside, there's a small creek that runs parallel to the shops. I definitely had to stop in Morgan's on Main after seeing all their cute posts on social media. I dare you to look at their Instagram: morgansonmainky and not immediately want to purchase at least three things. They have the cutest women's fashion all at a price point that won't break the bank! Following my nose, I wandered over to Kentucky Soaps and Such where they have not only the best smelling line of bath bars, but all manner of other Kentucky products as well. You can create the perfect KY-themed gift basket or simply treat yourself to a little luxury. And just like Jimmy John's, the smells are free!
Leigh and I are always short on time, so this day was no exception. Needing to hurry and get back to Lexington, I had to cut my trip short, but I can assure you we will be back to Stanford. Our friend Tim Estes keeps us apprised of all the fun and unique things that this little town has to offer and it's always a nice respite from our busy lives to get down to his neck of the woods. It's easy to see why he's so proud of his hometown. And if you are in need of some clean hay, be sure to tune in to "The General Store". They got what you need! To learn more about Stanford, visit their website: http://stanford-lincolncountytourism.com/index.html