WSGS

05/01/2025

Country music legend Conway Twitty made an unexpected stop at May's Dairy Bar in Hazard in the early 1960s. Shirley Walters, a Hazard High School student at the time, witnessed the chance encounter and recalled Conway's bus pulling up, his white t-shirt, and his smile as he placed an order for one of their famous footlong hotdogs.

When Conway Twitty came back to Hazard in 1971 to perform a concert at Memorial Gym, he also made another surprise visit to May's Dairy Bar.

Conway made his last trip to Perry County in 1975. The show was sponsored by WSGS, once again at the gym. We imagine he might have grabbed another hotdog from May's before leaving.

05/01/2025

May's Dairy Bar in Hazard had legendary footlong hotdogs smothered in their signature homemade chili - the secret recipe still sparks curiosity. Their peanut butter milkshakes were a treat, and other menu favorites included cheeseburgers, fries, banana splits, shrimp baskets, and the Brown Derby: soft-serve custard dipped in chocolate.

The business first opened as May's Grill on Main Street in Hazard on April 30, 1953. After the 1957 flood, it relocated to Memorial Drive, becoming a bustling hub in the late 1950s through the 1980s. People traveled far and wide for its delicious food, making it a local favorite.

Share your memories of May’s Dairy Bar.

04/30/2025

WSGS On This Day in History - April 30, 1930, John Lewis Johnson passed away. A Magoffin County native, Johnson arrived in Hazard in the 1890s and established the area's first sawmill on Messer's Branch (Bluegrass Hollow).

In 1914, he co-founded Hazard Lumber and Supply Company with George Wolfe, which later became Home Lumber Company. The firm remains in business today, 111 years later.

William P. Morton Sr. joined the firm, as Manager of the Hazard yard in 1914. His son, Bill, became president of Home Lumber Company in 1952 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1988.

04/30/2025

WSGS listeners comment on President Trump’s first 100 days in office. Talkback with Phil Neace (April 30, 2025).

04/30/2025

WSGS Fun Fact: According to the Federal Reserve Board, the Hazard Coal Fields typically loaded 608 cars of coal daily in 1940.

04/30/2025

On April 30, 1937, Hazard High School presented the senior play, "The Brat," at the old auditorium on Baker Hill.

The comedy starred 18-year-old Zita Bianchinotti as a chorus girl who is arrested on a minor charge. In court, she is spotted by a novelist who is looking for someone of her type on whom to model a character in a book he is writing. He takes her into his home where she is looked down upon by his snobbish family. But the girl brings something to the family unlike anything they have known before.

The cast included performances from Hoot Combs as the elder brother, Donald Galloway as the younger brother, and Athelene Evans as their mother. Other students played key roles, including Lula Mae Tankersley, Henrietta Thorpe, Joe Lyttle, Leon Tayloe, Marie Holliday, Doris Robertson, and Jackie Larkey. Tickets were 25 cents for children and 35 cents for adults. "The Brat" was a popular Broadway play that later inspired two movie adaptations.

Zita Bianchinotti later married Don Fouts and operated Don's Restaurant in Hazard for many years.

04/30/2025

Don Rigsby on The Wake up Show with Faron and Scott this morning.

04/30/2025

In 1916, Hazard became the only town in Southeastern Kentucky to offer both day and night electric power service. The power company illuminated the area with a 3,000-candle power light on the North Fork River bridge near the L&N depot and another in front of its Main Street office. Soon, other businesses followed suit, transforming Main Street into a well-lit hub.

Pictured: The old Perry County Courthouse (left) and the Beaumont Hotel (right), later known as the Hurst Hotel and Radio Building. A horse-drawn wagon is parked in front. (Notice the power poles).

Across Main Street, notable buildings include Wooton & Morgan (Hazard Drug), Patton Moore Dry Goods (later the Radio Building, now home of WSGS), and The First National Bank (later Peoples Bank).

04/29/2025

WSGS Sports; Listen to a playback of Hazard vs. Owensboro in the All A State Baseball Tournament (April 26, 2025). Greg Napier and Phil Neace provide the play-by-play on WSGS from Owensboro. Share this link so other sports fans can hear the game.

04/29/2025

On April 29, 1956, a fire broke out at Bible's Market in Hazard around 8:30 p.m., putting an entire city block at risk. The blaze was contained by midnight. The market, partially owned by G.G. Bible, was sandwiched between WKIC and Peoples Bank on one side and Engle Hardware and Florist Shop on the other. J & K Market, owned by George Lykins, later moved into the building. A second fire, in 1980, destroyed the business. The building was remodeled and is now a part of the bank.

04/29/2025

On April 29, 1911, Hazard Police Judge Ben Salley issued the following public notice.

"I will enforce all the laws that the trustees have made, regardless of any man. Hoping that no man will think little enough of himself as to swear before me. It destroys the morals of their own descendants. As you know very well the law fixes a fine of $1 for any person to swear before an officer of the law, you may know what is coming next." Judge Ben Salley. (The $1 fine in 1911 is the equivalent to around $32 in today's money with inflation factored in).

Salley was born in Letcher County in 1865 and moved to Hazard in 1885. Over the next 30 years, he led a multifaceted life, serving as Police Judge and County Attorney, while also working as a blacksmith and watch repairer. Salley was an ordained minister of the Christian Church. Salley died in 1915.

04/28/2025

04/28/2025

Keep the Gayheart family, including Chas Gayheart, in your prayers following the loss of Coleen, Chas' mother, on Wednesday.

Coleen Gayheart was born in Hindman in 1943 to the late Adam & Delphia Calhoun Combs. She was the widow of the late Chandler Gayheart.

Coleen is survived by her Children- Chris (Bonnie) Gayheart, Chas Gayheart; Sisters- Nadine Waddell, & Peggy (Warren Jay) Mullins.