Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe
Friday December 5, 2025
Local Connection
Bourbon & Beyond music festival has launched a new mobile app to use at the second annual festival at Champions Park Saturday, September 22 and Sunday, September 23. Through the app, attendees can build their own schedule, learn more about the artists and personalities appearing at the festival and get the latest must-know information through push notifications. The app is available to download through the Google Play and Apple stores.
The schedule of events for Bourbon & Beyond has been announced offering a weekend of bourbon, area food and music assembled by festival producers Danny Wimmer Presents along with local culinary curator Edward Lee and bourbon curator Fred Minnick.
In addition to sets from Sting, Robert Plant And The Sensational Space Shifters, John Mayer, Lenny Kravitz, Counting Crows and David Byrne and many more on three stages, there are workshops from the many distilleries present at the festival, plus demos from culinary experts Tom Colicchio, Stephanie Izard, Aarón Sánchez and Ray Garcia on The Mash Stage.
Band performance times and the schedule for bourbon workshops and culinary demos are as follows (subject to change): Continue reading
Music Industry Veteran Danny Wimmer knows a little about producing music festivals, and he should… he has been at it since 1993 with big name events like Rock on the Range, the Aftershock Festival, Carolina Rebellion, Rock Allegiance, and others.
Evidence of his expertise can be seen with the huge crowds that he’s drawn to Louisville over the past half-decade with music festivals that may sound a little more familiar. Last year alone, Danny Wimmer Presents Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life Festivals drew a combined 110,000 fans to Champions Park for four amazing days of music, food, and great times.
Later this month, both festivals return with back-to-back weekends jam packed with dozens of favorites and new acts ready to expose attendees to the upcoming crop of artists in their respective genres. Continue reading
In conjunction with National Preparedness Month, Gov. Matt Bevin has proclaimed September as Preparedness Month in Kentucky.
Kentucky Emergency Management urges Kentuckians to “BE AWARE – BE PREPARED – HAVE A PLAN – MAKE A KIT.” Visit https://www.ready.gov/september for a host of ideas throughout National Preparedness Month.
Kentuckians face threats to their safety and property throughout the year; from tornadoes, flooding, straight line winds, lightning, winter storms, man-made hazards, to daily emergencies. Every household and every business should be prepared to face these challenges at any given time. Disasters can occur at anytime, anywhere in Kentucky.
As we have all seen recently with the devastating hurricanes and wildfires of 2017, preparedness can make the difference of saving your life or your family. Supplies such as water, non-perishable food, flashlights and batteries, radios and first aid kits are easy to store, and can be lifesavers when a crisis hits. A communication plan with family, friends and neighbors is also very important. Continue reading
Celebrating the organization’s 5th anniversary, U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers and Governor Matt Bevin welcomed more than 1,100 attendees to the annual summit at the East Kentucky Exposition Center in Pikeville, applauding federal, state and local leaders for overcoming early challenges to drive successful efforts inspired by Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR).
“Five years ago, the future of Kentucky’s Appalachian region seemed daunting. However, with approximately 12,000 coal miners left without jobs in the wake of the war on coal, more than 1,200 people from across Eastern Kentucky rallied together under the united mission of SOAR to reimagine our future, improve quality of life and diversify our struggling economy,” said Rogers. “Progress may seem slow at times, but we have made great strides against the heavy burden of the war on coal and we won’t stop pulling together federal, state and local resources to overcome our challenges and recruit new innovative opportunties to our region. The horizon is brighter than ever before with hundreds of new jobs opening soon, a new federal prison approved for construction and broadband access on the way to every county. Our best days are ahead!”
Congressman Rogers and Governor Bevin inspired local leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs to continue working together toward a better future for Eastern Kentucky.
“This year’s SOAR summit showcases the unlimited potential that exists in Eastern Kentucky,” said Gov. Bevin. “Kentucky’s Appalachian region is home to entrepreneurs, business leaders, innovators, and change-makers that are committed to making a difference in their local communities, and they are putting their ideas into action. We are committed to coming alongside the local communities to identify resources and new opportunities to encourage further economic growth and development. The determination and drive in this region of our Commonwealth ensures that the future of Appalachia will be bright.”
Keynote speakers included USDA Rural Development Assistant to the Secretary Anne Hazlett; Tim Thomas, Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC); Chris Thomlinson, owner of SilverLiner in Pikeville; Bob Schena, CEO of Rajant Corporation in Morehead; and Major General (Retired) Vinny Boles, who led logistics for the U.S. Army following the tragic events on September 11, 2001.
Hazlett and Thomas joined Rogers and Bevin to make several funding announcements for the region, including:
- A $100,000 grant from the ARC for SOAR operations;
- A $1.2 million grant from Kentucky ARC for development of a 30-acre industrial site in Perry County;
- $625,390 in grant funding from USDA Rural Development for several projects in the SOAR region, including a new national pilot program for transitional housing related to the opioid epidemic in Rockcastle County;
- $30,000 private investment from Toyota Tsusho to launch an Advanced Manufacturing Makerspace at the Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Middlesboro Campus; and
- $10.5 million for two new Abandoned Mine Land (AML) Pilot Projects in Letcher County and Pike County.
For more information about the ongoing work related to SOAR, visit soar-ky.org.
About the SOAR initiative
The SOAR initiative was launched in 2013, after a stunning downturn in the coal market exacerbated historic challenges in Eastern Kentucky related to unemployment and poverty. SOAR is intended to help the region develop and put into action new locally oriented strategies to attack those persistent challenges.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center and The Spirit of Kentucky® exhibition has officially opened at the Frazier History Museum in downtown Louisville on historic Main Street.
Located on the first floor of the Frazier and founded in partnership with the KDA (Kentucky Distillers’ Association), the KBT® Welcome Center will be the Official Starting Point of the KBT® tour.
A professional concierge service will help visitors plan their trips to Bourbon distilleries throughout Kentucky and navigate the hot spots of Louisville’s burgeoning Bourbon, culinary and nightlife scenes. Visitors will also get to test their knowledge of alcohol and responsible drinking by taking a DRINKiQ quiz.
“The Frazier History Museum is where the world meets Kentucky,” said Frazier President Penny Peavler. “With the launch of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center and The Spirit of Kentucky exhibit, we hope to spotlight Kentucky as the one, true home of Bourbon whiskey — America’s only native spirit.”
Admission to the KBT® Welcome Center will be free of charge. Continue reading
Gov. Matt Bevin today announced Walmart will invest $41 million and create 400 full-time jobs at a new facility in Bullitt County dedicated to fulfilling online orders from Walmart.com and Walmart subsidiary Jet.com.
“We are excited to welcome Walmart and Jet.com’s distribution facility to Bullitt County and the commonwealth,” Gov. Bevin said. “This is a major new venture for the company that will bring significant investment and hundreds of jobs to the region. It is further confirmation that Kentucky is the established leader for logistics and distribution in the United States.”
Walmart will lease a 720,000-square-foot building in the Velocity 65 trade center on Velocity Way off of I-65. In addition to full-time permanent workers, the facility will eventually employ several hundred temporary workers, including seasonal employees. Company leaders plan to open the center later this fall.
“This new facility will soon be serving even more Walmart.com and Jet.com customers with fast shipping in two-days or less, and we’re thrilled we found a home for it in Bullitt County,” said Nate Faust, senior vice president of supply chain, Walmart eCommerce U.S. “We look forward to opening for business and to a long relationship with the people of Kentucky and Shepherdsville.” Continue reading
Hundreds of bikes will roll into Louisville for the 6th Annual Kentucky Kick Down vintage motorcycle festival, held September 14-16, 2018. For the first time, the event will be held at Turners Louisville, a 13-acre historic riverfront complex located at 3125 River Road.
In addition to the bike show, the event will feature more local bands than ever before. The lineup includes the Falls City Drifters, Hot Wires, Vice Tricks, Riflemen, Relic, Voodoo Economics, The Feedback, and Johnny Berry and the Outliers.
Moto enthusiasts will enjoy the variety of vintage bikes on display, burn out pits, stunt shows, and mud drags. Other festival highlights will include the Miss Kentucky Kick Down Contest, a VIP area and the annual charity ride benefiting Home of the Innocents. Beginning at 10:00am on Saturday, September 15th, the route will wind through picturesque two-lane roads to the tiny riverside town of Westport in Oldham County before returning back to the city by 1:00pm.
Attendees can enjoy swimming, bowling, and other retailers and vendors. Local food trucks including La Chandeleur, Red Top Gourmet Hot Dogs, Germany’s #1 Food, Bourbon Bent Barbeque, and Three Girls and A Guy Fish Fry will also be available on site.
Admission is $5 per day, and parking is $10 per day. Kids 12 and under are free. Discounted weekend pricing is also available. On-site camping fees range from $65 for the baseball field to $100 for riverside. Continue reading