LEXINGTON, Ky.—From 1935-1975, Lexington was home to the United States Narcotic Farm, a federal narcotic prison and treatment center. Volunteers who checked themselves into the center for help with their drug addictions worked alongside convicted addicts who were housed as inmates. Now the center is the subject of a book, The Narcotic Farm: The Rise and Fall of America’s First Prison for Drug Addicts, and a documentary, The Narcotic Farm. Transylvania University will host a performance piece on November 9 and a screening of the film on November 10. Both events are free and open to the public.
Monday, November 9, 8 p.m.
Carrick Theater, Mitchell Fine Arts Center
Book co-authors Nancy Campbell and Luke Walden and filmmaker J. P. Olsen will present a live multi-media performance that developed out of their collaborative work on The Narcotic Farm. Live jazz, book text and archival film come together in this engaging and provocative piece.
Tuesday, November 10, 7 p.m.
Cowgill Center, room 102
The Narcotic Farm, a one-hour PBS feature, includes personal interviews with inmates and administrators, along with government 16mm film and still footage that focuses on the personalities and often contentious ground-breaking programs that characterized The Narcotic Farm.
The Narcotic Farm events are part of the Drugged America Series at Transylvania, sponsored by the Bingham-Young Fellowship Program.
For more information on the film and book, visit www.narcoticfarm.com. For more information on the events at Transylvania, contact the public relations office at (859) 233-8120.