CHRISTOPHER HARRIS SEKYL Editor

This summer, we ' ve been celebrating America 250— the milestone birthday for our nation. And if there ' s anything that could be considered a fundamental building block for the cultural and economic well-being of the United State of America, it ' s small business.

It ' s the people who put the American Dream into action, who give their blood, sweat and tears each and every day as a form of fuel for the economic engine that powers Main Street USA.

Yes, those all sound like a bunch of hyper-patriotic buzzwords— but it ' s also true. And it ' s the ideal paradigm that so many of us grew up with, informing our understanding of the world and where we fit into it.

We all have the opportunity to succeed— the question is, what do we do with that opportunity, and what does success look like to each of us individually?

For the people in the pages of this July / August edition of the newly bi-monthly Southeast Kentucky Life Magazine, it looks like different things.

To Chris and April Robinson, it looks( and smells) a lot like hot, delicious pizza. The couple uprooted themselves from the Chicago area to seek a better life in the Lake Cumberland region they ' d enjoyed as visitors, and have built a sort of mini-pizza empire from one end of the county to the other, feeding folks and building community bonds.

For Melinda and Shawn Roberts, owners of Red Barn Thrift in Nancy, it means getting the people of their

community a good deal— day after day after day. Finding used treasures at affordable prices helps people from all corners of life have a chance to get ahead, and Red Barn Thrift also runs a charitable effort called Helping Hands that shows how deep neighborly spirits run in America ' s heartland.

Since it ' s Back-to-School time, we continue our tradition at SEKYL of doing a " Teacher Feature," profiling a noteworthy educator in our community. This time, we recognize a teacher who also thrives in the small business world, and visit a different type of " Red Barn "— don ' t get them confused!— this one called Red Barn Wool, operated by Pulaski County High School agriculture instructor Janella Miller and her husband Brian, also a teacher and coach. When not in the

classroom, the Miller are raising sheep and producing valuable wool— showing local ag students that what they ' re learning in the classroom can indeed be successfully applied to real life.

All that and more, including important information on how Schoolhouse Health is getting kids ready start the new school year in tip-top shape, the " Ask the Readers " survey, and a wide array of feature sections for a variety of interests is inside this late summer edition of Southeast Kentucky Life Magazine.

We hope you see it while you ' re out supporting some local small business— something we highly encourage. After all, we ' re a small business too, and we ' re grateful for all of our readers and supporters who help make this publication possible!