Cook named Fourth of July grand marshal

Lewis Cook will be spending the next week here in Maysville, helping homeowners fix their property.

Cook isn't a contractor, he is a volunteer with the Kentucky Changers, a church based group of volunteers from across Kentucky.

Kentucky Changers is sponsored by the Kentucky Baptist Convention. The work force is made up of young people from grades 7 through 12, who assist adult homeowners to refurbish the home's exterior. They are supervised by and work alongside adults to conduct the repairs.

Cook has been involved with the program for 14 years through his church, Central Baptist.

It is his dedication to this program that has earned him the honor of serving as grand marshal of this year's Fourth of July parade.

Cook said when he learned he had been selected, he said "Are you talking about me?"

Cook came to Mason County in 1981, when he was hired to coach football at the high school. He retired from teaching in 1998 and said he is glad he came to Maysville.

"We like it here, it's a nice place to raise kids and close enough to the big cities, but still feel like a small town," he said.

Cook's work with Kentucky Changers has brought him into contact with homeowners across the state, many of whom are widows and widowers who have to make a choice between buying their medicines or fixing the leak in their roof.

Cook brought the Kentucky Changer volunteers to Maysville for the first time in 2005 to work on approximately 30 houses. Changer volunteers have returned in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 and this year. The repairs include painting exteriors, roof replacement, building decks and ramps and replacing siding. Cook said he and the kids don't have the needed skills for all the jobs and that's where the role of a professional contractor comes in, to guide the volunteers through their duties.

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Cook named Fourth of July grand marshal