I have to comment on a local issue of great importance to my region - the potential (what is looking now as likely) move of the Paducah international Quilt Show, sponsored by the owners of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky, to another city. The quilt show has become the premier event for Paducah and had begun to help define the city as something other than the "atomic" city.

I like the quilt show, and attend almost every year. The quilts are stunning in their colors, patterns, and craftmanship. Kristi and I don't have any huge financial stake in the show remaining in Paducah other than the general overall cloud that it casts on Paducah and the region. But, when you consider that there is a significant number of businesses, especially mom & pop businesses, who have come to rely on a large percentage of their annual income from the quilt show, then there is a huge financial stake in the aggregate community for the show remaining in Paducah. In that regard the Paducah Oligarchy's foot dragging and indecision on this issue over the years has done great harm.

The reason the Quilt show is leaving (supposedly) is because the "Executive Inn," the monstrosity of a motel that is built along the riverfront in downtown Paducah, connected to the convention center which is where the quilt show is held, is in such disrepair that it is becoming an embarassment. It's true that the "Big E" as we call it is in disrepair. It's pretty much a dump.

In fact, the situation was so bad with the Big E that about 3 or 4 years ago, the city, desperate to find an owner that actually might invest some money in improving it, let it go for a song to an Indian (from the country India) businessman, Bhupinder Singh. Now Mr. Singh has become the whipping boy and a convenient excuse for the city leaders that are letting their jewel slip away. And, no doubt that Mr. Singh has tap danced on ice about actually investing in the facility. But, the problems with the Big E go back to the beginning.

It was built in the early 1980s. We were here and watched the whole thing unfold. Paducah gave a sweetheart deal to a businessman, Bob Green, who hired non-union labor to build the giant facility. In (at least at the time) a strong labor community like Paducah, this went over like a lead balloon. It was very controversial, and there were pickets and the like. But, from the very first time that we entered the place, we thought that it was shabbily built. It's really a shame, because it's the only hotel/motel in Paducah with a riverfront view, and it could have been so good.

Over the first two decades of ownership, it went down quickly. Once, back in the late late 1980s, we got my parents a room there so they could have a river view. Although there weren't that many visitors in town at the time, and there were probably hundreds of empty rooms, my parents were given a room in which the carpet was soaked with water, sour, and decomposing - smelling terrible and being uninhabitable for the most part. Of course they complained and got a different room, and it was better, but still kind of dumpy. Yet, this was supposed to be the signature destination for visitors to downtown Paducah, and this was when the facility was still pretty young.

The city came in and built the convention center on the north end of the facility for the quilt show several years ago. In a way it was putting the cart before the horse, throwing good money after bad. The facility was already so run down that making it a quality facility was so expensive that it was for all intents and purposes cost prohibitive. The problem of the condition of the original motel should have been dealt with first, but it wasn't.

There's been talk of condemning the property and demolishing it to make way for a more modern facility. Geez, after less than 30 years in existence? It would take a pretty big landfill just to dispose of the demolition debris. There also was talk of allowing a competitor to build another convention center in another part of downtown, but that's turned out to be a bunch of blowhard malarky, at least up to this point.

It's a sad tale of neglect, back stabbing, and politically incorrect behavior over a period of decades. City leaders have gone out of their way to drag Singh's name through the mud in local media, threaten him with condemnation, make it easy for a competitor to come in, and on and on - all at the same time that they are publicly calling him a liar, blaming him for the quilt show leaving, and threatening him with repercussions but begging him to invest 10s of millions of dollars to clean up the city's bad decisions in the past.

I'm not sticking up for Singh. He just seems like a typical businessman. But he stands to lose a lot also if the quilt show leaves. Today at noon the proprietors of the Quilt Show are going to announce whether they will stay or take it elsewhere - Springfield, Missouri is the location being mentioned in local media. It almost seems like the media is preparing us for its departure. It will be a shock to actually hear that it's leaving. There should be and hopefully will be a lot of questions asked about the Big E deal, but not just starting with Singh taking over, but back to the very beginning. But I don't think Paxton media has the desire to give what could amount to, at least to an extent, a self examination.

Maybe the Quilt Show will stay. If it leaves, I doubt if it will return. Paducah really is a nice town to visit. Its lovely, historic downtown is relaxed and attractive, sitting at the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio Rivers - a remarkable location. There is just enough to do to keep people entertained for several days, and most of the people that come from around the world to the quilt show say that they enjoy Paducah. Things are reasonably priced. And, it's just the direction that the city has wanted to go - as an arts center. First, the Quilt show and Museum, then the Lowertown Arts program, and then the Four Rivers performing arts center, and now possibily the new art school downtown. Yes, it's a good direction for the city, although there is still a ways to go before the nation is convinced that this is truly an arts based community. Losing the quilt show is the last thing that this area needs. But it may happen. We'll keep you informed.
[Craig Rhodes contributed to this column]