Tri-State Custom Carts is Here to Help You Find Wheels

Charles Romans

The Ashland Beacon

              A new business in Ashland is quickly building up speed. After barely a month and a half, Tri-State Custom Carts is gearing up to provide recreational transportation for local residents through a wide variety of custom golf carts. Actually, the term “golf cart” is something of a misnomer. Yes, any of the new and used carts at the new business located at 2788 Greenup Avenue in Ashland, Kentucky, could be used to cruise from hole to hole on manicured courses; but according to one of the owner/operators Aaron Hart, the public’s desired uses for them has changed a lot. Hart said his customers like to use them for tailgating at sports events, quick and easy transportation between warehouses on jobsites, or even simply because they are just fun to ride.

              Co-Owner Heidi Lanzendorfer said that the new business is a dealership for new carts from Custom Carts, but they also carry a selection of pre-owned carts as well. Lanzendorfer also said that Tri-State Custom Carts deals with four individual banks that are experienced in financing carts, so the business is a “one stop shop” where customers can walk in with desire to own a cart, and they are well equipped to help you make that desire a reality. “We also service and repair carts,” Lanzendorfer said.

              Co-Owner Hart said it was their desire to help the community with their needs and make Tri-State Custom Carts their go to shop for whatever those needs might be. “We do a bit of everything,” he said. “We can help you customize your cart with everything from specialty wheels and addons to custom paint jobs. And even if you didn’t buy your cart from us, we will still offer everything you need.”

              The popularity of “golf carts” has been steadily growing over the years due to their convenience and fun factor. Now most cities, including Ashland, have city ordinances regulating carts, and insurance is even available through most providers to add a layer of protection and piece of mind in case your cart ever gets damaged, Lanzendorfer and Hart said. But Hart added that he tries to keep repair costs down to benefit their customers and make owning and using them available to as many people as possible.

              “It really is like its own leisure sport,” Hart said. “More people are using them than ever before.”

              Tri-State Custom Cart carries a lot of models of varying sizes, so everyone should be able to find something that suits them. Most models even have built in storage for when you need to transport something, Hart said. And both Hart and Lanzendorfer said they want to be the local choice for the community where they live.

              The business is open now at its Greenup Avenue location (formerly the Bill Cole Body shop) and operates during the hours of 9 to 5 on Monday through Friday, and from 9 to 1 on Saturdays. Currently they are closed on Sundays. Their Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting is planned for the month of March as the weather continues to improve, and they will have a presence at the Home and Garden Show as well.

For more information they can be reached through their Facebook page (Tri-State Custom Carts) or by calling 606.393.1033

A Life Changing Date with Upper Cervical

 Deidra Bowling-Meade

The Ashland Beacon

“I was 41 years old; he was 31 years old. He had never been married, no children and had his life ahead of him. I told him I needed to be honest with him and spare both of us of a heartbreak.” 

On September 22, 2004, Tawnya knew the moment she met Jason Runyon that she had met the love of her life, but she was afraid her happily ever after would never come true.

Tawnya recalled, “After I had my daughter at 23, I became very sick. After lots of specialists and testing, I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and after that diagnosis came a plethora of others. I was also diagnosed with Raynaud’s Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Epstein Barr, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Restless Leg Syndrome, Migraines, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Insomnia, Depression, and the list goes on and on and a list of medications came with it. Every time I went to the doctor, there was another drug and another diagnosis. My kidneys were failing, and I had accepted the fact that lupus patients don’t live long lives. After years of struggling with it, I knew there was nothing else I could do about it….or so I thought!”

Jason’s response to Tawnya’s health wasn’t what she expected.  His pickup line was, “You just need your power turned on!”

What was this man even saying? Jason shared with Tawnya that he was an Upper Cervical Chiropractor and could help her. Tawnya was skeptical at first but decided to trust Jason and met him the following day at his office on his day off to get checked out. Tawnya declared, “That was the day my life changed!”

Dr. Runyon shared about his work, “In a nutshell, I focus on the top two vertebrae of the neck, C1 and C2, because those are the two bones that surround and protect the brainstem. The brainstem is the mediator between the brain and body; all communication flows through it. If one of the top two bones of the neck move out of place and put pressure on the brainstem, it decreases your brain to body communication, leading to dis-ease. It's impossible for the body to function properly when this happens.”

Dr. Runyon used the analogy of a power switch to describe how the body works. It’s comparable to having the power turned off to having it then turned back on or restored.  “We have an infrared scanner that detects when someone has this pressure on the brainstem and with the use of x-rays, we can determine where that pressure is coming from and make a specific adjustment to the upper cervical spine to remove that pressure, thus restoring full brain to body communication. We do not diagnose or treat any conditions. We just simply turn the power back on so that the body can work and heal the way God designed it.”

Tawnya remembered back on the day she received her first upper cervical adjustment,

“As soon as he adjusted me he told me I needed to lie down for 30 minutes to allow that bone to settle into place and allow that nerve flow to start doing its job. As soon as I laid down I could feel heat flowing into my cold hands and feet. I felt heat flowing down my spine; I was having all kinds of strange sensations. I was terrified. About 15 minutes into my rest time, he came back to check on me and to be honest I was pretty angry, I thought he had hurt me. When I told him what all I had going on, he clapped his hands together and said, ‘outstanding!’”

Wow!  This man really knows how to get a reaction. Tawnya was in disbelief. This was definitely a date to remember. Tawnya continued, “He told me I had 15 more minutes to rest, and he would be back in to get me up and get me scanned again and see what it looked like. The change was dramatic! The scan had drastically improved!”

Tawnya’s health continued to dramatically improve. Tawnya proclaimed, “After two weeks of Upper Cervical care, I decided I no longer needed to take all of the prescriptions. I knew I had been healed! I never went back to the rheumatologist. I don’t tell anyone else to do this; it was my own personal decision. I just knew God had healed me, and I knew he used this man to do it! Needless to say, if I thought I loved him before, I knew for a fact I had met my soulmate and the one God had intended for me to be with the rest of my life!”

The couple married Nov. 18, 2009 and worked together sharing with others the benefits Upper Cervical.  According to Runyon Upper Cervical website,

Upper Cervical has actually been around since the 1930s when it was developed by Dr. BJ Palmer of Davenport, Iowa. “It does not involve any type of medicine or drugs, surgery or hospital stay.  It is a hands-on procedure that focuses entirely on the relationship between the top two bones in the neck (Atlas and Axis) and the brain stem.” There is an extensive list of conditions that respond well to Upper Cervical care, which are listed on the website.  Some of those conditions include: acid reflux, ADHD, allergies, high blood pressure, migraines, depression, TMJ, chronic pain, tendonitis, numbness and mobility issues. 

A high school graduate from Rock Hill High School in Lawrence County, Ohio, Jason Runyon attended Life University College of Chiropractic, Marietta, GA from 1997-2002. Immediately upon graduating from Life University, he moved to Iowa to work for the inventor of the TyTron, which is the scanner used in his chiropractic office. Dr. Runyon is the only Upper Cervical Chiropractor in the area and will be celebrating 20 years at his practice this June. 

Dr. Runyon shared how his practice took off and became a place where people could experience great care. “I opened my office in June 2004. It started out very slow.  People had no idea what Upper Cervical Chiropractic was. I spent every day off going out into the community and telling people about it. Many local businesses were kind enough to let me come in and scan their employees and any customers that were interested.  It was slow but steady growth for several years, but it was never the booming practice that I had dreamed of.  My wife (who by this time was the office manager) and I had strongly considered moving away from here to a larger city in hopes that we could have the practice that we wanted.  But one day in the spring of 2010, we told a patient that we were planning on closing the office and move away and told her it was because there wasn't enough interest in Upper Cervical in this area.  She was very upset because she had gotten great results and was afraid she would end up sick again. Her husband was a minister and she asked if they could have prayer with Tawnya and myself.  We all held hands and bowed our heads and her husband prayed that we would have a busy practice so we would stay in the area.  The very next day, the phones would not stop ringing. It was new patient after new patient calling to make appointments because they had been hearing about the wonderful results we were getting at the office.  Our practice took off from that day forward. There is power in prayer!”

As you enter the office of Runyon’s Upper Cervical Chiropractic, the verse from 1 Timothy 4:14 is on the wall: “Neglect not the gift that is in thee.” This verse is significant two-fold. It is a reminder to Dr. Runyon not to become careless and neglect the calling or wonderful opportunity that has been given.  Also, the power that made the body heals the body.  We have to decide if we will allow that to happen. It’s not Dr. Jason Runyon doing the healing; it’s God’s power and using him as the instrument to do it.   

Dr. Runyon sees patients of all ages. He shared, “I've adjusted babies as young as two days old and people up into their 90s. We have seen people with all kinds of illnesses and disabilities.  We have hundreds of Amish patients because like Tawnya and myself, they prefer a more natural, drug free approach to health.”

As stated on Runyon Upper Cervical Chiropractic, “If you have a health problem or if you are healthy and just want to stay healthy then Upper Cervical is for you! Everyone of us, regardless of age, sex or condition has a nervous system that controls and coordinates all our bodily functions.  Maintaining the health of your nervous system is vital to living a healthy life.”

Runyon Upper Cervical Chiropractic is located at 2412 Argillite Road in Flatwoods. To learn more about Runyon Upper Cervical Chiropractic, visit the website at: www.uppercervicalchiropractor.com or call the office 606.833.9355.

New Day in Baseball for Boyd County Youth

Grace Phillips

Ashland Beacon

Soon hundreds of boys and girls in Boyd County will grab their ball bats and gloves and head to the ball diamond. However, it will not be business as usual this year in Boyd County. Something very exciting has happened over the winter months with the merging of all three baseball and softball leagues in Boyd County. The Ripken League, Catlettsburg, and Boyd County National Little League have merged into one united league called Boyd County-Catlettsburg Little League. 

Recently, the newly formed league held a public informational meeting to answer questions about the upcoming season. Tiffany Black, League President, introduced the current board members and discussed the need for additional leadership positions to be filled. She also told those attending that many coaches and assistant coaches would be needed for the upcoming season. 

Black told the large group in attendance, “It will take a village to make this work and to be honest, one of the reasons for the merge is that our village was dwindling. I understand we have jobs and so many other commitments, but it was difficult to get volunteers and people to work. We anticipate approximately 600 young people to participate in the league. \ It will be all hands on deck.”  

Softball will feature a rookie division-coach pitched, minor league-player pitched, major league and a senior league. 

Baseball will feature seven different age groups with the most noticeable change in the t-ball program. There will be two divisions of t-ball this year: Pee Wee for three and four-year-old children and advanced t-ball for five and six-year-old children. Carrie Seasor, VP of softball explained, “In the advanced t-ball at the beginning of the season, they will get three or four coach-pitched balls whether they swing or not and then have the chance to hit on the tee. We are still working on the logistics of the rules, but by the end of the year we want there to be three outs in the inning and teach them how to rotate through. We want them to be prepared to move into the next level of play and know where all the bases are and to realize that not everyone will hit the ball every time.”

All three ball complexes will be used during the season. Plans are to have certain divisions playing on set days each week to prevent baseball and softball from overlapping on the same field. Carrie Seasor continued, “We are going to try to keep it as simple as possible. This will help with field management. If we had to set the field for a baseball game and then immediately reset for a softball game, it just wouldn’t be feasible.”  

Jarred Seasor, secretary and equipment manager added, “I’ve done some rough math. With baseball, softball, and t-ball and the many divisions of each group, I anticipate there will be approximately 1,300 games played this year.” 

Tryouts are set for Feb. 24 and 25. The location and times are still to be determined. Registration was opened in Jan. and will continue through Feb. 25 at the close of tryouts. You can register for all divisions online at: www.606littleleague.com.

Opening night will be April 12 with all division of the league playing games Saturday, April 13. Black stated, “This is the only Saturday that all divisions will be playing this season.”

David Salisbury, Boyd County Commissioner commented, “This is a very exciting time for the youth of our county. It is something that has been a long time coming, and I am excited about the possibilities.”

Black’s final thoughts on the new season and the new league is very simple, “Buckle up and enjoy the ride!”

If you are interested in coaching or participating in any way with the league or have any questions you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 606.776.3763.  

Raceland Rambotics Team Eyes Next Step

Jarrod E. Stephens

The Ashland Beacon

There’s no doubt that the world around us is getting more digitally sophisticated every day. Jobs that were once labor intensive have been replaced by robotics and in some cases more work is accomplished in less time. While this can affect the workforce in a negative way, remember, there has to be a person to design, operate and update all those fancy machines.

The Raceland Rambotics team is a small group that has embraced the robotics world in a way that is giving students the chance to build robots, complete tasks and compete with other schools. The problem-solving skills that are needed to compete become life skills that can one day help these students compete in our technological workforce.

According to their coach Kristina Brown the experience gives the kids a skillset that prepares them for the future. “The students learn how to use tools when they build the robot, they use CAD software to design pieces for the robot, they learning coding which is what runs the robot. This is a STEAM program which is the future. Marathon, MarkWest, and Toyota have streamlined their business with automation and robots. The students also use design skills for their webpage and other projects for the team. Students leave the program with skills they can use in the future.”

Brown further explained the action that the kids have been part of. “This year as a state we have transitioned to League Play (KY Metro League) and there are currently 32 teams in the league. Teams from other states are also participating in the league (OH, AL, & TN). Teams are ranked based on their performance on the competition field only. You have to participate in 2 league meets to be eligible to compete in the state tournament on February 17^th at the University of Kentucky. From the state tournament, only two Kentucky teams will advance to Worlds in Houston, Texas in April.  This is new this season because in the past any team could advance, but they've changed the policies to have more equitable representation at the next level of competition.”

The team competed in the Louisville League meet on February 3rd. They finished 4^th at the meet which put them in 5^th for the league and 3^rd in the state as they go into state competition on February 17th.

This year’s team consists of team members: Caleb Hamilton, Charlotte Klinepeter, Tiffany Perry, Skyler Waugh, Noah Wright, and Jeremiah Young.

“Our team is still a rookie team, but we have expanded this year to include middle school students to try to garner interest and build this program,” Brown said. “We have a community mentor, Brennan Plummer, from Marathon this season. Mr. Plummer is a Raceland alumnus.

When asked why he wanted to be a mentor Plummer stated, “When I first saw that Raceland-Worthington had a robotics team I was jealous. I wish they had something like that when I was in school.” After learning more about the program Brennan became a mentor. “After seeing Mrs. Brown’s passion for the program and the potential it had to students I wanted to be part of the team as their mentor.”

The competitions are quite intense and require a lot of planning and on the spot thinking according the Plummer’s description. “The teams show up and have to set up the pit area, then get the robot inspections done. Teams compete in alliances. Two robots work together to get the highest score in a 2.5-minute match. Those alliances change each match. The team that you are trying to beat may be your ally next round. It encourages finding strengths of each team. Plus, you have to be a good winner and sore loser, you never know who you will have to work with. The team will usually have 4 matches during a meet. Students have to do repairs, plan battery charging, and swap roles. There is a Driver Coach, Driver, and Human Participant in each match. Those roles can change student assignments based on skill and interest. The meets are very quick paced.”

Coaches for the team are Kristina Brown and Mary Johnson. This is Mrs. Brown’s 6^th season participating in FIRST. During the two previous seasons, her team has been part of the winning alliance at the state competition.

With the final state competition on the horizon, the Raceland Rambotics team will continue perfecting their robot and its functionality in order to advance to Houston. Good luck to the Raceland Rambotics team!