COMING HOME
SPRING EDITION 2025
MAYFIELD DIRECTORY
GUIDE
MAKE MAGIC IN MAYFIELD: THE JOY OF MAYFIELD
LIFETIME OF FRIENDHIP: REMEMBERING CHUCK FOSTER
ROOTED IN RENWAL: PERFECT SEASON TO SHOP LOCAL
SPRING EVENTS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS
OUR JOURNEY WITH AUTISM: AMANDA RORER
A LETTER FROM THE MAYOR
MAYFIELD CHURCHES ON THE MENDS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
PUBLISHER & PROMOTIONS MANAGER
www.cominghomemayfield.com
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Laura Doughty
Mel Doughty
www.mayfielddirectory.com
COMING HOME
Support Local
Welcome to our spring Special Edition! As we celebrate the season of giving, we’re
excited to bring you a guide filled with thoughtful gift ideas, community stories, and
tips to make your springs merry and bright. This edition is all about supporting local
businesses, finding unique gifts, and embracing the spirit of connection that makes
this time of year so special.
As you flip through these pages, we hope you’ll be inspired to shop small, savor the
moments with loved ones, and spread joy throughout our community. From our family
to yours, we wish you a wonderful spring season filled with warmth, laughter, and
cherished memories.
Happy springs,
Mel Doughty
Publisher
OUR
ADVERTISERS
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GREAT AMBITIONS
Making dreams come true
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THE GRAND HOME
Go back in time and create memories.
DAIRYMAN’S SUPPLY COMPANY
Ready, Set, Build!
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SIGNET FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
Join the legacy
BROADWAY FLORIST & GIFTS
The perfect gift, always!
in Mayfield
MAKING
Where
Community,
Charm, and
Kindness
Come
Standard
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COMING HOME AGAIN I spring 2025
faith, family, and fresh starts. And no matter how
fast the world moves, Mayfield has a way of
reminding you to slow down and savor the moments
that matter.
From sunrises over country fields to summer nights
filled with music and laughter, life here is built on
simple joys and strong roots. It’s the smell of fresh
biscuits at a local diner. It’s porch chats with
neighbors and kids playing barefoot in the yard. It’s
knowing that when something happens—good or
hard—this town shows up with casseroles, prayers,
and open arms.
The magic of Mayfield is made by the people who
live here. It's in the resilience we’ve shown, the
hope we carry, and the pride we feel for our
hometown. Whether you're born and raised here or
found your way later in life, Mayfield welcomes you
like family.
So this spring, let’s celebrate what makes our town
shine. Support local. Love big. And never stop
making a little magic in Mayfield.
There’s something special about Mayfield. It’s not just the friendly smiles you pass on the
sidewalk or the way everyone still waves when they drive by. It’s the feeling you get
when you walk into a local shop and someone knows your name. It’s the magic of a
community that shows up for each other—rain or shine, season after season.
Here in Mayfield, we know what matters. We treasure our traditions, support our small
businesses, and show up for Friday night football and downtown parades. We believe in
Magic
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I have a hard time expressing the sense of loss I feel at the death of Chuck Foster. We lived a
lot of life together.
He and I had known each other since we were four-years-old. We went through elementary
school together, high school, and the University of Kentucky. Even though we followed very
different paths after that, we always stayed in touch and when we talked, it was as though
very little time had passed. I can’t tell you how rare friends like that are.
As the only child of Willie and Kitty Foster, Chuck was a child of privilege, but somehow he
remained grounded. His mother called him “Charles” but his father called him “Charlie.” It
wasn’t until we were sophomores in high school and playing touch football at his house that
Bobby Haugh called him “Chuck.” It stuck.
For those who don’t know, Willie Foster was president of the Merit Clothing Company, which in
Mayfield in the 1950s and 60s was a very big deal.
Willie was also very politically connected, largely due to his close friendship with Vice
President Alben Barkley, a power he used to help hundreds, maybe thousands of people in
Western Kentucky. That’s something he passed along to his son.
Because of his father’s position, people showered Chuck with gifts. At his home there was a
playroom lined with floor to ceiling cabinets containing dozens and dozens of toys, most of
them in unopened boxes, gifts from Willie’s associates. But Chuck was not really into material
things, he had just a couple of favorite toys he played with, that’s it.
In the early 1960s, one of his father’s associates in the Midwest sent Chuck a piece of the
Green Bay Packers goal post after Green Bay won the 1963 NFL Championship, autographed
by Vince Lombardy and every member of the 1963 Packers. In recent years I asked Chuck what
ever happened to that valuable piece of sports memorabilia. With a laugh, he said his mother
probably discarded it, along with his baseball card collection that included Mickey Mantle’s
rookie card.
BY: Mark Huffman I 26th Street Media
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Chuck was wicked smart, something I realized when we were in Miss Lucille Elmore’s first grade class
at East College Elementary. One morning Miss Lucille called the roll and instructed the class to
respond by reciting a math problem instead of saying “here.” Most in the class said something like
one plus one is two, but when she got to Chuck, he calmly stated “64 plus 64 is 128.” My six-year-old
mind was blown.
Because Chuck and I were friends I got to do things I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do, such as
accompany Chuck and his family on trips to Lexington and attend a UK football game. It exposed
me to the world beyond Mayfield and showed me another side of life. In a way, I returned the favor.
I tended to walk on the wild side a bit in those days and Chuck once told me he always looked
forward to spending the night at our house “because I knew I was going to have an adventure.”
Chuck was always an enthusiastic participant in my hi-jinks and fortunately, we never got caught.
Perhaps because he was an only child, Chucks friends were very important to him. After we all went
our separate ways, he was the glue that held us together.
Our friend Bobby Sisson died in 2019 and the following year, Chuck organized a Zoom call with me,
Rufus Harris, Phillip Venable and Bobby’s twin brother Billy. Then two years later, when Billy was
diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Chuck stayed in touch with the family and kept the rest of us
informed.
In the early fall I persuaded Chuck to fill in as a guest host with me on WYMC’s 1430 Memory Lane.
We agreed on two episodes, one about his father and the other about the Merit Clothing Company.
Chuck arrived at the station and we established the connection but an equipment problem on my
end prevented us from recording.
When I was in Mayfield a couple of weeks later I showed up at his office to record them but he had
a conflict. A couple of weeks later, when I called to reschedule, he said the medical tests were not
good and that they were changing his medication, and physically he wasn’t up to it.
Honestly, I knew things were getting serious but I simply couldn’t conceive of the way things ended. I
wish I had because I would have liked to have told him what a great friend he was for 69 years.
My friend Gary Guthrie often says, “Never delay expressing gratitude.” Because, you never know.
Publishers Note: Chuck Foster and Mark Huffman were ushers at Mel Doughty’s wedding and his
Royal Ambassadors group.
www.cominghomemayfield.com
www.mayfielddirectory.com
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