Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
Subscribe
Saturday December 6, 2025
Local Connection
The University of Louisville’s Brandeis School of Law is marking the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to the school with a free, public celebration today.
The noon – 1:30 p.m. event in Room 275 at the law school will feature a speaker panel including Stephen Porter, a 1968 law school graduate who invited King to speak at UofL in 1967. Porter, a local attorney, will share his memories of the event and discuss King’s legacy. Other panelists will be professors Ricky Jones, Pan-African studies, and Cedric Powell, law.
“He loved to speak at colleges,” said Porter in a 2014 UofL video about King’s visit. “As a matter of fact, the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, he gave that dozens of times before he gave it in Washington and he gave it mostly to college groups.”
According to researchers in the law school, King came to Louisville many times during the 1960s but March 30, 1967, was the only time he visited UofL.
In 2014 the university unveiled never-before-seen photos of King’s law school stopover. The photo negatives were found among some old files and records. Those photos were reprinted and are now part of a permanent exhibit in the foyer of the school’s Allen Court Room.
“This was not a very big room, so there were people outside, people literally hanging from the windows,” said Porter, recounting the overwhelming student interest in the event.
Another university MLK-focused 50th anniversary celebration will be hosted April 4 by the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research. That event marks the anniversary of the civil rights leader’s notable anti-war speech. The 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. event will feature a reading of the speech; an open house will follow from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Abbey Road on the River (AROTR), the annual music festival honoring the music and legend of The Beatles, is just around the corner and area residents now have the opportunity to pick up tickets at all 45 Kentuckiana area Thorntons locations.
With roots dating back to 2002 in Cleveland, the 5-day music festival takes place over Memorial Day weekend along the Jeffersonville waterfront with venues including Big 4 Station Park, Clarion Hotel, and 300 Spring. Attracting over 30,000 attendees, Abbey Road on the River is billed as the largest Beatles festival in the country.
Since the move from Ohio, Abbey Road on the River has expanded greatly, averaging more than 60 bands annually. The 2017 lineup includes legendary greats such as Herman’s Hermits, The Family Stone, Paul Revere & the Raiders former lead singer Mark Lindsay, Wings drummer Steve Holley, The Grass Roots, Ambrosia, and many more. The star-studded lineup is backed by a full bill of original acts and tribute bands who carry on the musical traditions of 60’s, 70’s, and beyond.
And it’s all kicked off with a free concert starring starring Jake Clemons from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Thursday, May 25.
General Admission Tickets are available now for $20 at all 45 Kentuckiana Thorntons Stores, which includes free 21 and under admission. Tickets are also available online.
64 Students from Kentucky and Southern Indiana to Compete
Students from around Kentucky and Southern Indiana will compete in the 24th annual Ford Motor Company Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee today at 11 a.m. in the Bomhard Theater at the Kentucky Center for the Arts (501 W. Main Street in Louisville). 64 students representing 62 counties will compete on Saturday. They qualified by winning their respective school and county bees.
Said Kimberly Hofmann, Ford Zone Manager for the Cincinnati region: “As one of the top employers in the state, Ford is proud to help recognize the dedicated and talented students from all over the region in the Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee.” Ford’s commitment to driving a brighter future in Kentucky is well served by supporting this important educational event.
The overall champion of this year’s Spelling Bee will receive the John & Joan Murphy Memorial Scholarship Fund, a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond at maturity. 2nd Place receives the Barbara Cox Memorial Scholarship, a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond at maturity. The next three top finishers also receive savings bonds – $3,000 for third, $1,500 for fourth and $1,000 for fifth. The prize money will be provided by the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation – the Derby Festival’s charitable arm.
“Spelling is a skill that never goes out of style, so we’re happy to be able to support these outstanding students and showcase their skills,” said Mike Berry, KDF President and CEO. “The Spelling Bee is one of the Festival’s more far-reaching events, with participants from around Kentucky and Southern Indiana, and it’s always a nail-biter up until the final word is spelled.”
In addition to a $10,000 saving bond, the overall Spelling Bee champion will receive a Britannica online subscription gift certificate, Blue Orange Games: Speedeebee, an Amazon.com gift card and a trophy. The winner will also have the opportunity to ride the Winner’s Float in the 62nd annual Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on May 4th.
The Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee is sponsored by Ford Motor Company, with Media Sponsors Kentucky Monthly and 840WHAS.
Derby Festival Fans can help pick the next ‘Derby Burger’ Champion. Dozens of original recipes were submitted for the competition sponsored by the Kentucky Beef Council. Those recipes featuring 100% beef have been narrowed to the top 8 recipes. Voting is open online to help choose the top 4 burgers that will move on to the finals of the 2017 Derby Burger Challenge. Today through March 16, fans can visit KDF.org/Beef to vote for the burger they want to see make it the cook-off portion of the event. This is the sixth year for the Derby Burger competition.
“Everyone loves a juicy burger! Whether you’re gathered around the grill with family or looking for a lunch option to get you through the day, burger recipes offer something for everyone’s taste buds. The Derby Burger Challenge has been a great way for the Bluegrass to express their love for a great burger through all the inventive and exciting burger recipes. We are looking forward to seeing what this year has in store!” Steve Dunning, Kentucky Beef Council.
The burger recipes are judged based on Taste, Appearance, Creativity and Ease of Preparation. The winning burger will be featured at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville during Derby Festival, sampled at BeerFest presented by American Founders Bank and on the menu at Napa River Grill in May and June. Official rules of the competition can be found online at www.kdf.org/beef.
The winning chef also receives VIP tickets to Thunder Over Louisville, tickets to Waterfront Jam, as well as a $100 gift certificate to Kroger and a grilling package from Kentucky Beef Council.
Beginning Monday, March 13 through Friday, April 14, all purchasers of fresh ground beef at any of the Kentuckiana Kroger stores will receive a receipt message at checkout (on the bottom of the receipt). The message includes an entry code to register online at www.kdf.org/beef for a chance to win VIP tickets to a Waterfront Jam Concert at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville or BeerFest presented by American Founders Bank.
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
“Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta” Star Will Help Emcee
Tickets are available now for the first ball of the Derby season – the annual Fillies Derby Ball hosted at the Louisville Marriot Downtown. This ball is one of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s oldest and most elegant events.
Themed “The Royal Ball,” the event promises to treat every guest like royalty. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails, call to the post at 7:15, the Queen’s coronation at 7:30, all followed by dinner at 8:00. For dancing, live musical entertainment will be provided by The Sensations.
The highlight of the Derby Ball – which is planned and produced by The Fillies, Inc. – is the coronation of the Kentucky Derby Festival Queen, selected by the traditional spin-of-the-wheel.
The regal evening will be hosted by Vicki Dortch from WLKY TV with special guest Monte Durham, from TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. Durham originally joined the Derby Festival in January to help select the five ladies that make up the Royal Court. At the Ball he will return to the festivities to help crown the Queen, along with Kathy Bingham, 2017 Fillies President.
Contributing Sponsors of the event include the Brown-Forman Corporation and Total Wine & More. Media Sponsors are TOPS Louisville and 102.3 The Max.
The Fillies Derby Ball is also the largest fundraiser for the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, KDF’s charitable arm. A portion of proceeds from the ball benefits the Foundation.
Tickets are $175 each. VIP tables are also available for $2,500. Tickets include dinner and dancing. For tickets call (502) 572-3856.
The National Farm Machinery Show continues to be one of the largest-attended events at the Kentucky Exposition Center — and is ranked 6th in attendance for the Top Ten Largest U.S. Trade Shows. Held Feb. 15-18 of this year, attendees, exhibitors and agribusiness professionals totaled more than 300,000.
The National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) spanned 1.2 million square feet and was packed with 880 booths of the agricultural industry’s latest and most comprehensive display of equipment, services and technology. Other highlights included 15 free seminars with topics ranging from market strategies to aerial imagery to farm data.
As the nation’s largest indoor farm show, NFMS brings an economic impact of $17 million to Louisville annually, filling local hotels and restaurants with attendees from across the country and around the world.
An indicator of the show’s future potential, the National Farm Machinery Show and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) announced a verbal agreement. Beginning in 2018, AEM will assist with management and co-promotion of NFMS, and have an equity position in the future growth of the event.
The Championship Tractor Pull, held in conjunction with the farm show, sold more than 65,000 tickets. Fans flooded Freedom Hall for five pulls, which drew the nation’s top drivers as they competed for the title of Grand Champion and more than $200,000 in prize money.
For more information, visit www.farmmachineryshow.org.
Emergency Alert System Activation Will Appear as an Actual Tornado Event
The National Weather Service (NWS-KY) and the Kentucky Emergency Alert System (EAS, which includes all Kentucky broadcast radio and TV stations) will conduct a tornado drill in support of the Governor’s order naming February “Severe Storm Preparedness Month.”
This statewide tornado drill will include an activation of the EAS – the loud, screeching tones that we hear on television and radio during times of severe weather. The test will make use of the the ‘live’ Emergency Alert System code “TOR” and is scheduled for Friday, March 3 at 10:07 AM EST. If there is a threat of actual severe weather on the scheduled test day, the test drill will be postponed to March 1st or the first day with non-threatening weather conditions.
The Kentucky State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC) has obtained, from the FCC, a one-time waiver of federal rules to allow broadcasters to legally relay this drill, which can normally only be aired during actual tornado events.
One of the stipulations of the waiver grant is that all broadcasters will make every practicable effort to inform the public that the drill is coming and it will be a test, not an actual emergency. Additionally, since this drill must be originated by regional NWS offices, the message may run twice in some areas.