LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A love of reading often begins when we're young, and that's certainly the case for 11-year-old Stella Heathcoat. Her love of books is a bond she shared with Russell "Redye" Salyer.
"He was an avid reader, so we talked about books," Stella told LEX 18. "And we played pinball on Saturday mornings."
Salyer ran the Chevy Chase Inn on Euclid for more than 40 years. When Stella's parents bought the bar, she and little brother Herrington got to know - and love - the bartender. So when Salyer neared the end of his life, Stella wanted to honor her "bonus grandfather" with her school project.
She decided to build a Little Free Library and make it a replica of her parents' bar. The project took six weeks for the now 6th grader.
"Well, it was a week of trying to figure out what we'd need and how it would fit together," she said. "And then a week of sanding, so much sanding. And then we stained it, and finally we put it together."
Another regular of the bar, Norm Drury, helped piece the project together. His wife Carol painted the roof and a miniature sign, putting the finishing touches on Stella's class project.
She calls it "Redeye's Little Library."
"My teachers were a little bit shocked, but everyone liked it," she said.
Salyer never got to the see the finished replica for himself, because he died in July. But his love for literature and Lexington's oldest bar will live on, thanks to his young friend and fellow reader.
"I think he would love it," Stella said.
The Heathcoats will dedicate the little library Saturday during Salyer's celebration of life at the Chevy Chase Inn.
The event is also a fundraiser for The Friends Book Cellar at the downtown library, where Salyer bought all of his books. It starts at 11 a.m. Saturday and includes a chili dog potluck and Bloody Marys.
