Fannee
Hilander
The Barefoot Blueblood Blonde Belle
of Bluegrass Horse Country Kentucky
CPT
is pleased to introduce our new columnist from Kentucky ,
Fannee Hilander, a true Blueblood from the Bluegrass
of thoroughbred horse country. This
Southern Belle has come a long ways from the barefoot babe of Muddy Ford, Kentucky to matriarch of her Hilander clan, not to be
confused with the immortal Scottish Highlanders whose ancestors settled all
around Fannee's Indian Summer Place in
Kentucky and
introduced world-famous Bourbon to the unsuspecting Earthlings.
In
a word Fannee is "authentic" whatever that may mean to you. Like most Bluebloods she is also a stickler
for etiquette, likes Jaguar sports cars, has a life size coat of armor in her
doorway, a massive Indian totem pole tree in her front yard, and huge lion
statues at the entry to her little corner of paradise. Of course the picture perfect setting would
not be complete without the spectacular water falls guarding her enchanted farm.
This
is a woman of purpose. By 16 years old
she won a United Nations UNICEF competition and appeared on the nationally
famous Ed Sullivan Show from New York
City . The
"Really Big Shew" appearance was sandwiched the week between the two
legendary Ed Sullivan introductions of a young singer named Elvis Presley. Imagine that, missing by a week from sharing
backstage with the King of Rock and Roll.
Should
one ever receive a coveted invitation to any of the legendary social events at Indian Summer Place Farm you will no
doubt wind up sipping mint juleps by the swimming pool as a Blueblood breed of
free range and free yard chickens dart between your legs while you discuss the
latest odds for the Kentucky Derby.
In
spite of having a hair dresser and manicurist on full time retainer Fannee is
not above getting her nails scratched or make up smudged while searching for
the perfect story for her books, movies, documentaries or magazine articles.
Her
favorite literary subjects beyond her mother, immediate family and scantily
clad Mayan Indian dancers are world famous or almost world famous celebrities
from movie actors to politicians to sports legends to Native American leaders, IF
she finds their story interesting.
I've
seen her in action from the sophisticated New
York City skyscrapers to the Smithsonian museums in
our nation's capitol. Of course there
were also stops at the National Press club luncheon with the President of Chile
to a rollicking evening at a French Burlesque club downtown. Fannee leaves no stone unturned in her search
for adventure, and/or stories.
She
prowls the mountains of Santa Fe , New Mexico and the theaters of southwestern film
festivals with occasional side trips to Paris ,
France or Yucatan
Mexico. I was even with her at one of
the most incredible of all Native American events in the canyons of Arizona
where the Hopi nation hosted a fulfillment of sacred prophecies by the Hopi,
Navajo, and Zuni nations of the US, the Algonquin from Canada, the Ute from
Columbia, South America and the Aborigines from Australia along with Tibetan
monks sent by the Dali Lama.
You
get the idea. Another writer with way
too much time on her hands whose subjects may be anyone from a Sheik in Dubai (just
another fellow horse person) to our most powerful politicians in Washington
(good old Kentucky boys). Her stories
are as colorful as her personality as you will discover and she brings us a
fresh new perspective behind the scenes in the mysterious world of the elite.
.