All over the county last Wednesday morning, people stopped their work to watch one of Owen County’s own make an appearance on the Today Show.
Wanda New “of Kays Branch in Monterey,” as she told Katie Couric during the broadcast, had traveled to New York City to have 53 inches of hair cut off for a segment the show was doing on Locks of Love.
She wasn’t alone. More than 100 other people from around the country participated in the show — at Rockefeller Center in New York as well as in their hometowns.
But she was unique. Wanda’s braid was the longest lock of hair cut for the segment.
“I really hadn’t planned on having that much cut,” she said. “But all the hairdressers who were there insisted that it be cut short to blend in with the front. I intended to give 30 inches, maybe 40 inches, but not 53 inches.”
She nearly cried when her hair was cut, holding her face in her hands as she regained her composure. After the drastic cut, New was whisked away for a new “do” and clothing makeover before her new look was revealed later in the program.
The end result, a compliment to beat any compliment. Matt Lahr told her she looked “amazing.”
The trip began Feb. 28 when New and her sister, Barbara, flew to New York City. There they were met by a limousine and taken to their hotel, Essex House, directly across from Central Park. That afternoon, they went shopping with a Today Show producer to find clothes for Wanda to wear after her hair was cut.
“We went into all of these stores until finally we found the dress I wore. I didn’t really like it, but it was OK,” she said Friday afternoon, back in Owenton. “It definitely isn’t like going to the Clothes Closet to pick something out.”
After the shopping spree, New and her sister had a chance to tour the city and to visit “Top of the Rock,” a recently opened attraction at the top of Rockefeller Center. New said the day was clear and she could see for miles from the top of the building.
“We saw Ground Zero and the Brooklyn Bridge,” she said. “But the traffic was horrible. It definitely was not Kays Branch.”
After their whirlwind tour of the city, the Owen Countians returned to their hotel, where Wanda washed her long hair for the last time.
“They picked us up at 5:45 a.m. the next morning, along with (Madonna Coffman) the lady who started Locks of Love,” New said. “By 6 we were in the green room. And, for the record, it’s not green and it’s not very big.”
The day progressed in organized chaos from that point on, she said.
“It was three hours of pandemonium,” she said. “But it was also kind of amazing. When you see it from television, you don’t realize the commotion that’s going on just off camera. It was pretty fast-paced. I’m glad I got to do it.”
After her experience on the Today Show, New also participated in an interview with Inside Edition.
While she came back with a shorter “do” than planned, New said she’s glad she had a chance to help children who need wigs because of medical hair loss.
“I think it really did a lot to get the word out,” she said. “It wasn’t just about what I gave, but the recognition it gave the organization as well.”
New said she sees her new look as the start of yet another chapter in her life.
“My hair was always a contact point between me and other people,” she said. “No one talked to me on the plane on the way back home.”
She added that without the program, she probably never would have cut her hair.
“I don’t know if I could have ever followed through,” she said. “I feel as if I’ve cut off a part of my life, especially when I think of the many times Danny braided it for me.”
New’s husband died several years ago when his bulldozer overturned in a pond on their property.
“But this is a new chapter for me, and I’ve got a new look to go with it,” she said.

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