Each month, The Kentucky Explorer magazine receives literally scores of letters from our faithful readers. Whenever possible, we try to publish as many of them as possible in the 12 pages we have set aside for "Letters to the Editor."

Lye Soap Recipe Wanted
Dear Editor:
I enjoy The Kentucky Explorer very much. I look forward to each issue of the magazine.
I am trying to find a recipe for old-fashioned lye soap; the kind I used to help my mother make in the 1940s.
I remember using lard and lye and cooking it over an open fire in a tub, but this is all I can recall.
I would greatly appreciate any information or the recipe.
June L. Salyers
6203 Daniels Fork Road
Ashland, KY 41102

Who Are The Craftsmen?
Dear Editor:
I am interested in locating the craftsmen who design and make family history tables with scroll writing. They work with cherry and walnut wood.
I will pay a stipend of $25 to anyone who can connect me with information regarding these craftsmen. They have such unique craftsmanship.
I last saw them at the Apple Festival in Paintsville, Johnson County, Kentucky, in 1998.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Charles Riley
P. O. Box 690
Jackson, KY 41339

Interested In Springtime
Winters In Kentucky
Dear Editor:
Springtime in Kentucky always brings warmer weather. It also has its share of cold spells, or as old-timers used to say, "certain types of winters." There are the redbud, dogwood, snowball, blackberry, and various other winters each spring.
I am curious to know if any reader knows if these winters occur every spring, if they follow a pattern, or if there is any scientific information on these winters.
Ernest Turner
P.O. Box 1194
Booneville, KY 41314
turner@prtcnet.org

Where Is The Board That Once
Stood At Blue Diamond?
Dear Editor:
I would like to thank everyone involved in publishing The Kentucky Explorer. I think the memory of growing up in Kentucky gives us all something in common, such as respect and feeling for each other, and the realization of how fortunate we are to have known Kentucky.
I would like to ask readers who had parents or grandparents who lived or worked at First Creek or Blue Diamond in Perry County, Kentucky, during and after WWII, what happened to the big glass enclosed board, with a list of all the people who served in WWII, after Blue Diamond Coal Company quit operations? I was back there several years later and the area was abandoned. Vandals had evidently destroyed a lot of the things in the area, but the board was still intact. There was a gold star beside each person's name who had lost their life in the war. I heard the board was kept for a while on courthouse property in Hazard.
I know that many other people would like to know if the board still exists.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone.
Grover C. Thurman
251 N. Galloway Street
Xenia, OH 45385

Needs Quilt Patterns
Dear Editor:
I have lost my Little Dutch Girl quilt pattern. If any reader could possibly send me the pattern, I will be happy to pay for the costs.
Also, I would like the Dutch Boy pattern.
Ola Deaton
P. O. Box 974
Beattyville, KY 41311

Thanks For Info. On Sloans Valley And Burnside
Dear Editor:
A special thanks is extended to everyone who sent me information about Sloans Valley and Burnside, Kentucky.
If any reader has any further information in the future, I would appreciate hearing from you.
Charline Marrinan
1101 Incline Road
Burnside, KY 42519
606/561-5057