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A Lyon County woman celebrated her 109th birthday while social distancing during the second pandemic of her lifetime Wednesday.
Ruth Evelyn Harrington of Kuttawa celebrated with a parade in the town she has called home for nearly 70 years.
Born in 1911, Harrington has seen two world wars, 17 American presidents, Prohibition, and now, two global pandemics with the Spanish Flu and COVID-19.
A news release says community members, friends and family coordinated a parade past her home at River’s Bend Retirement Community.
Harrington was all smiles under her protective face mask, waving at every one of the nearly 40 vehicles as they drove by including fire trucks adorned with pink balloons, mayors of three nearby towns, and loved ones with noisemakers and signs.
Harrington was born in Tennessee and married her late husband Paul in 1927 with whom she had seven children. She and her husband moved to Kentucky in the 1950s and opened popular Calvert City Drive-In in 1953.
The drive-in movie theater has been operated by her family for four generations and is known for serving the best burgers in the area. Ruth’s family includes eight grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, 11 great-great-grandchildren and three great-great-great-grandchildren, most of which live in the western Kentucky area and participated in the parade.
