Eric Hall, director of Florence's Public Services Department, will retire at the end of October after 27 years with the city. He leads 74 employees across eight divisions and a budget of about $30 million. Mayor Julie Aubuchon said, "Twenty seven years is an incredible commitment to one community." The city has not named a successor.
Read More →

Save Future Nature Preserve in Boone County KY plans a protest Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 10:30 a.m. at 1085 Eaton Dr. in Fort Wright, ahead of the SD1 Board of Directors meeting at 12:30 p.m. at 1045 Eaton Dr. The group says SD1 declined to put item B.2 on the next agenda or release supporting studies. SD1 told LINK nky the project will eliminate about 1.2 million gallons of sewer overflows into Woolper Creek in a typical year. The event is open to the public.
Read More 1 → Read More 2 →

Casey Baker Romans, a substance use prevention health educator with the Northern Kentucky Health Department, was named to the 2026 class of Healthy Kentucky Champions. She designed a vape disposal program now in more than two dozen schools that has removed 75.5 pounds of hazardous vape products. The 10 champions are finalists for a health policy award that carries a $5,000 grant.
Read More →

I am looking for businesses to spotlight in the Florence Pulse. Enquire about having your business in the spotlight. Email me at [email protected].

🌦️ Thursday — 78° / 63° · Chance Rain Showers
🌦️ Friday — 66° / 43° · Chance Rain Showers
☀️ Saturday — 54° / 37° · Sunny
📍 Source: weather.gov — Florence, KY 41042

Where is your favorite pumpkin patch?

Respond to this email with your answer.

Big Bone Lick State Historic Site in Union is hosting its annual Salt Festival on October 16–18, with tickets now available for purchase online. The festival celebrates the site's natural and archaeological heritage through live demonstrations, guided tours, and educational programming at one of Kentucky's most significant Pleistocene fossil sites.
More Information →

Friday, October 16
Turfway Park, 7 p.m.
More Information →

Saturday, October 17
High Stakes Harley-Davidson, 430 Meijer Drive, Florence, 1 to 4 p.m.
Live music by Billy Brown, Minton's Ducking Good BBQ food truck, cash bar, pumpkin decorating and a costume contest. Candy hand out begins at 3 p.m.
More Information →

Saturday, October 17
Nostalgic Garage, 7968 Kentucky Dr., Suite 5, Florence, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Classic, hot rod, muscle and off-road vehicles, plus a trunk or treat for kids. Attendees are asked to bring candy and non-perishable food. The candy supports Sunrise Children's Services and the food goes to a Go Pantry donation bin.
More Information →

Saturday, October 17
Florence Elks Lodge #314, 7704 Dixie Hwy, Florence, 2 to 6 p.m.
A family friendly fundraiser open to the public, with games, prizes, food, music, raffle baskets and Split the Pot. All proceeds support the Simon Kenton Cheer team.
More Information →

Saturday, October 17
3018 Second St., Petersburg, 2 to 7 p.m.
A free cruise in car show, more than 50 vendors, food booths, a free petting zoo, pumpkin painting for $5, a $1 raffle and split the pot, free kids games, a touch a truck and live music. Free competitions with prizes run through the afternoon, including a water balloon toss, three legged race and beard and mustache contest.
More Information →

Sunday, October 18
School of Rock NKY, 6415 Dixie Hwy, Florence, 3 to 6 p.m.
Free. A family friendly Halloween event with games for kids of all ages. Attendees can bring their own pumpkin for painting.
More Information →

Wednesday, October 21
4885 Houston Rd, Florence, 6 to 8 p.m.
Free. Children in costume collect candy from decorated trunks in the parking lot.
More Information →

Wednesday, October 21
Boone County High School commons, 7056 Burlington Pike, Florence, 6 to 8 p.m.
For children ages 4 to 12. The cost is $40 per child and includes a shirt, a bow, instruction and a spot in the performance at the Friday, October 23 football game. Proceeds help send the Boone County Cheerleaders to a national competition.
More Information →

Thursday, October 22
7210 Turfway Rd, Florence, 11 a.m. to noon
Free. The session covers new appraisal information that takes effect Nov. 1.
More Information →

Friday, October 23
Boone County Fairgrounds, 6 to 8 p.m.
Register at boonecountyky.org/parks.
More Information →

Saturday, October 24
St. Henry Athletic Complex, 35 Cavalier Blvd., Florence, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Admission is $5. More than 100 local craftsmen display handmade items, with free face painting, a fall display for photos and raffle tickets for themed gift baskets.
More Information →

Saturday, October 24
Dave & Buster's, 781 Heights Blvd, Florence, 3 to 5 p.m.
Free. Guests in costume can explore the midway for treats and surprises and receive an Unlimited Sim Play Card.
More Information →

Saturday, October 24
Boone County Fairgrounds, 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Free for all ages. Visitors walk a trail lit by jack-o-lanterns, take a hayride and end the night with a sweet treat.
More Information →

Saturday, October 24
Turfway Park, 7500 Turfway Road, Florence, 8:30 p.m.
Live concert.
More Information →

Monday, October 26
The 859 Taproom and Grill, 8720 Bankers St, Florence, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Florence Kentucky Pride hosts its second Pride Trunk or Treat, with costume and trunk decorating contests.
More Information →

Tuesday, October 27
7210 Turfway Rd, Florence, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Free. Lender affiliates share practical insights on how they keep preparing their clients. Rob Trump moderates a panel.
More Information →

Wednesday, October 28
Scheben Branch, Boone County Public Library, 8899 US 42, Florence, 6 to 7 p.m.
A Halloween themed family dance party with music and craft activities. Costumes are welcome.
More Information →

Saturday, October 31
Unincorporated Boone County, Florence, Union and Walton, 6 to 8 p.m.
Trick or treat is not a county sponsored event. Residents giving out candy can turn on porch lights. Drivers are asked to slow down in neighborhoods and turn on headlights before sunset.
More Information →

Thursday, October 15: Create A... (afternoon session)
Thursday, October 15: Northern Kentucky Beef Field Day
Thursday, October 15: Create A... (evening sessions)
Friday, October 16: Visual Journaling Series
Monday, October 19: Air-Dry Clay Ghosts
Tuesday, October 20: Fall Color Walk
Tuesday, October 20: Wildlife Critters October 2026
Tuesday, October 20: Building Healthy Soils
Wednesday, October 21: Hike the Trails
Wednesday, October 21: Pokeberry Ink & Quill Pen Workshop
Wednesday, October 21: Sleep Smarts: Getting Better ZZZs
Thursday, October 22: Woody Plants & Landscape Symposium
Thursday, October 22: Pokeberry Ink & Quill Pen Workshop
Thursday, October 22: Adulting Academy
Friday, October 23: Coffee, Tea, Caffeine, and Thee
Friday, October 23: Air-Dry Clay Ghosts
Tuesday, October 27: Healing Power of Connection
Tuesday, October 27: Fall Tree and Wildflower Hike
Tuesday, October 27: Intermediate Paper Mache
Wednesday, October 28: Hike the Trails
Wednesday, October 28: Intermediate Paper Mache
Wednesday, October 28: Sleep Smarts: Getting Better ZZZs
Thursday, October 29: Intermediate Paper Mache
Thursday, October 29: Adulting Academy

Date: Every Saturday through Oct 31.
Time: 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Location: 1961 Burlington Pike, Burlington, KY 41005
Description: About 50 member farm families sell Northern Kentucky-grown produce, flowers and other items. Vendors may also set up on other days, and the market's Facebook page posts pop-ups.
More Info: Boone County Farmers Market

Get your event listed here. Contact me at robert@florencepulse.com to get your event featured in the Florence Pulse.

BCHS Varsity Sports Schedule: Oct. 15 to 17

Thursday, Oct. 15: Girls Volleyball at Newport Central Catholic High School, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 16: Football at Dixie Heights High School, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17: No BCHS varsity games are scheduled.

Florence Bowl is hosting the Judy's Crew doubles bowling tournament this October. Teams can still enter on four dates: Saturday, October 17; Sunday, October 18; Saturday, October 24; and Sunday, October 25, 2026, with 10:00 AM and 12:15 PM start times available each day. Entry fee is $60 per team.

Location: Florence Bowl, 7500 Sussex Dr., Florence, KY 41042

Sign up: https://www.florencebowl.com/judyscrew

Let us know about your sport results. Send to [email protected]

The cabin came first. Always the cabin first.

A family in the Kentucky wilderness needed walls and a roof before anything else. Log construction was the method: trees felled nearby, notched at the corners, stacked and chinked with clay or moss. A good crew of neighbors could raise a one-room cabin in a day. Neighbors mattered enormously. Nobody survived this alone.

Corn was the staple. It fed families and livestock alike through a Kentucky winter. Tobacco came as soon as there was a market for it. Gardens filled in the rest: beans, squash, root vegetables. Salt from the local springs preserved the meat. Churches organized the community around something larger than survival, though survival was often the sermon's subtext. News, marriages, disputes, and mutual aid all moved through the congregation. It was infrastructure as much as it was faith. Friday, we look at who those families were and what they left behind on the map.