ANTIQUES - BICYCLING - BOATING CAMPING CRAFT SHOPS - DINING FISHING - GOLFING HIKING - HUNTING LAND BETWEEN LAKES - MUSIC RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES - SHOPPING
SWIMMING - LOCAL FARMERS MARKET
Located in southern Marshall County, Kentucky, on the Jonathan Creek area of Kentucky Lake, you can do what your heart desires. From hiking, mountain biking, boating, swimming, shopping, camping or fishing to just reading and relaxing there are endless possibilities!
Nestled around one of Kentucky Lake's largest embayments, the Aurora and Jonathan Creek resort area offers endless opportunities for fishing, boating and outdoor recreation just minutes off Interstate 24 in beautiful western Kentucky.
While best known for its spring Crappie run and excellent fishing year-round (species include Smallmouth, Largemouth and spotted Bass, Crappie, Sauger, Catfish, Shellcrakers, White and Striper Bass)
Aurora and Jonathan Creek also provides a wide range of activities, accomodations, camping and dining. Located less than one mile from the central entrance to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL), it is the perfect choice when participating in the spring or fall quota hunts or enjoying the miles of hiking/biking trails, attractions and 180,000 acres of natural surroundings that make LBL unique.
The avid golfer will find a challenging selection of nearby courses. Restaurants offer everything from home style meals to find dining and area stores can provide groceries, household items, bait & tackle, sporting goods and even boat/motor repairs. Visit local antique, craft and gift shops and take home a crafted or collectable item of lasting beauty. Annual events include the 4th of July Fireworks at Kenlake State Resort Park, Kentucky Bluegrass Festival, and Hot August Blues Festival held at the Kenlake State Resort Park Amphitheater and the Aurora Country Festival on the first weekend of October.
Aurora also features a local Farmers Market & Outdoor Trade Market every Saturday at the Aurora Visitors Center on
Hwy. 68 in downtown Aurora. Many other festivals and events are scheduled annually.
Website Designed and hosted by: MasterPlan Design Solutions
Aurora Trade Day
WELCOME TO AURORA & JONATHAN CREEK...
A RESORT AREA OF SOUTHERN MARSHALL COUNTY
ON KENTUCKY LAKE...
HOME OF THE AURORA COUNTRY FESTIVAL!
MARSHALL COUNTY FISCAL COURT REPORT
Marshall County, Kentucky
EGGNER'S FERRY BRIDGE REPORT - STATE HWY68/80
From: Marshall County Office of Emergency Management
Duane Hawes, Deputy Emergency Management Director
Note: This bridge is Hwy 68/80 link across Kentucky Lake/Tennessee River at the Trigg/Marshall County line at Aurora, Kentucky. It is a vital state highway link from surrounding counties to the east of Marshall County as well as a statewide highway going to Lexington. It is a major gateway into the Land Between the Lakes State Recreation Park and and KenLake State Resork Park at Aurora, as well as a vital link into the Kentucky Lake Resort Fishing areas and to Murray State University at Murray, Kentucky. It is also a major link into western Kentucky.
The Vessel
"The Delta Mariner is a marine vessel that is owned by Foss Maritime and its primary function is to move material such as booster rockets and other material related to the Space Industry and was en route from Decatur, Alabama to Cape Canaveral, Florida", Hawes reported. "When you see the size of the boosters that are in there you know why they can't come by rail or by truck. They come up the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi rivers and down the east coast to Cape Canaveral. By the grace of God, we had no injuries or fatalities.
No Injuries
Every county agency responded to the accident along with state and federal agencies. The first thing everyone had on their mind was to get the bridge shut down and determine if anything had gone into the water. I know a lot of people had some close calls so how we got that lucky, I don't know, but based on reports we had, there wasn't anyone in the water. The rescue called up the sonar to look at the bottom to make sure there weren't any cars in the water.
Declaration of Emergency Declared
The county has filed a Declaration of Emergency in case the cost reaches a certain point where we need to recoup our costs. The salvage operation is underway and the boat has been moved to right outside of Vickers Bay to continue the operation. The Aurora-Ross fire boat has been on the scene throughout the operational hours and the Department of Transportation has been conducting underwater inspections and laser inspections to see if there is any shifting in the piers. That will be very critical to us knowing if there is any other damage to the superstructure as well as the piers and how we can move forward from here if the bridge is repairable. If you started today on a new bridge, you're probably looking at three to four years completion time would be my best guess. The cause of the incident is under investigation by the Coast Guard, the National Transportation Safety Board and also the owner of Foss Maritime. At this time there are still no injuries involved in the incident and we are thankful for that." "The Coast Guard also requested that we be out there everyday and have been", Sheriff Kevin Byars said.
"In talking with the District Engineer about where we go from here, I've got a lot of calls asking, are they going to put a ferry system in", Judge Miller said. "The District Engineer said that's not a good option because first of all, you have to dredge on our side and build a parking lot with access to it. He said "if" and that's a big if, if the pier is stable, that he feels they can repair that section of the bridge within four months. Now, all of us are interested in a new bridge, but in reality if we started a new bridge today, we're four to five years out so we've got to have a temporary measure.
Travel Interupted
In the meantime, people are having to go way out of their way. Those people from Christian, Trigg and Todd Counties...I was asking Murray State President Randy Dunn, Saturday, how many students were affected and I was shocked, it was a lot of kids. What his concern is, they've already paid tuition and will probably finish this semester, but if we don't get a fix, it could very well be that those students will transfer to Austin Peay next year. Murray Hospital, according to the County Judge, has nine people that work at Murray-Calloway County Hospital from that area. A lot of workers at Calvert City's Industrial Complex, Pella in Murray and Briggs and Stratton, so it's affected a tremendous amount of people.
Economic Impact
The economic impact, there's no way we can do that at this point. We know, yes, there's going to be an economic impact, but how much, we don't know at this point. Bob Gold has been in contact with the Jonathon-Aurora Action Committee to see if we can get a handle on whether occupancy is down, time will tell. But we're going to try to keep a handle on it as best we can." The DOT is supposed to release their laser information later this week", Hawes said.
County First Responders Did Tremendous Job
"I talked to Chris Sirls", Miller said. "I thought the Aurora-Ross Fire Department, Sheriff's Department, Rescue Squad and all of our responders did a tremendous job in answering the call. It was a total effort from everybody and we appreciate them all."
Size of Vessel
"That Delta Mariner travels that route many times", Hawes said.
"The first time I saw the Delta Mariner was in Decatur, Alabama when I toured the Boeing plant where they build those booster rockets and the ship was in port", Miller said. "At that time, they would go down the Tenn-Tom Waterway to the port of Mobile then hit the ocean and go to either California or Cape Canaveral to the launch sites. And I said, "man, that thing can run on the Tenn-Tom?", and they said it can run in nine feet of water. It was amazing to me, but that was years ago when I saw it loading its first load down in Decatur".
Detour Information
Commissioner Gold reported on a number that people affected by the bridge collapse can call. It's the office of Bobby Miller Law Firm in Paducah and the number is 270-554-0051. Judge Miller also gave a number for people affected to call that goes directly to Suzanne Lagoni with Foss Marine in Seattle, Washington, and that number is 206-790-9784.
CATASTROPHIC BARGE COLLISION CAUSES HWY 68/80 BRIDGE COLLAPSE
CUTS VITAL LINK TO MARSHALL COUNTY, COULD HAVE DEVASTATING
ECONOMIC IMPACT ON AURORA AND MARSHALL COUNTY
