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Saturday December 20, 2025
Local Connection
Third District Congressman John Yarmuth, Metro Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton and others were on hand Saturday as Louisville Parks and Recreation unveiled a new bicycle pump track in Shawnee Park as part of the West Louisville Appreciation Day festival.
“This pump track is another exciting way for young people in West Louisville and throughout our city to experience the outdoors and have fun in one of the many award-winning parks right here in our community. It was an honor to join Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton and so many West Louisville residents as we cut the ribbon on this great new addition to Shawnee Park,” Congressman Yarmuth said.
The new pump track was funded with assistance from the Aetna Foundation and built by 12 youths working over the summer who participated in Mayor Greg Fischer’s Summerworks Program and the Louisville ECHO (Louisville is Engaging Children Outdoors) program.
The project has benefitted by support from the National Park Service who provided planning assistance and U.S. Forest Service who has providing funding support for Louisville ECHO.
It’s a feature of the West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative (WLORI), which began nearly a decade ago, and, under which, plans for a new Outdoor Learning Center in Shawnee Park were released last week. Those plans can be viewed on Louisville Parks and Recreation’s website, bestparksever.com.
A pump track is a type of off-road terrain for cycle sport consisting of a circuit of banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders “pumping” – creating momentum by up and down body movements.
The plans were also displayed at an information booth set up by staff from Jefferson Memorial Forest and Louisville Parks and Recreation’s Natural Areas Division on Saturday.
Other components of WLORI include a new boat ramp in Shawnee Park (construction will take place in 2019) and the proposed restoration of the pond in nearby Chickasaw Park for better fishing access.
“Where a person lives has a profound impact on how they live – particularly when it comes to their health,” said Jonathan Copley CEO of Aetna Better Health of Kentucky. “The West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative is an outstanding example of how important progress can be made when communities work together to look at the biggest issues facing their neighborhoods and develop healthy, home-grown solutions. We are pleased to be a contributor to today’s unveiling.”
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office is seeking next of kin for John Elkins, III, who expired at his residence in the 1000 block of Jackson Street, Louisville, KY, on 7/25/2018. If anyone has information, please contact Deputy Coroner Rita Taylor at 502-574-0106.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13) is inviting everyone to come out and share their thoughts and ideas on the proposed Fairdale Village Center Planning Project at a special community workshop on Tuesday, July 31.
“The Fairdale Village Center is a unique, vibrant, and attractive neighborhood center proposal that is both a gateway to the Jefferson Memorial Forest and a destination unto itself,” says Welch. “This workshop is a way to learn more about the project and at the same time gives the community the chance to offer their thoughts on what Fairdale should like in the future.”
The community workshop will be held at the Fairdale Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library at 10620 W. Manslick Rd. from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. This will be an open house forum with presentations on the Fairdale Village Center at 4:00pm and 6:00pm.
With the construction of the Fairdale Roundabout, Welch says this project will seek to build on the area’s momentum. It will further develop Fairdale’s unique sense of place, enhance the village center’s green space and green infrastructure, explore opportunities for economic development, and plan for upgrades to the area’s streets and sidewalks.
“The future development of Fairdale is one of my top priorities because this is home to generations of families. This project will build upon the recommendations of the 2006 Fairdale Neighborhood Plan,” says Welch. “I want the community to get involved and express their thoughts on what makes Fairdale special and how we can continue to improve the quality of life for everyone.”
This process is being managed by Louisville Metro’s Office of Advanced Planning and a team of local consultants from Taylor, Siefker, Williams Design Group. The focus area is primarily composed of the Fairdale Village Center Form District with further attention being given to the major roads leading up to the new roundabout. The project is anticipated to take about six months.
For more information about the Community Workshop, contact Councilwoman Welch’s office at 574-1113.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
In the days before YouTube, Netflix and Pay per View, there was one special place in Louisville’s South End to take the family out for a movie and you didn’t have to get out of the car.
On Tuesday, July 31st Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13), the Kentucky Historical Society and representatives of the Iroquois Neighborhood Association will dedicate the Commonwealth’s newest Historical Marker at the Kenwood Drive In.
“Sixty nine years ago, the Kenwood Drive In held its Grand Opening and for those of us who grew up in South Louisville and the surrounding area, the Kenwood was the place to go for a fun time with friends and family,” says Welch. “So many people have great memories of the movies shown here and the fun it was to just get in the car, place a speaker on your window, grab some popcorn and watch movies under the stars. From my own family, four generations have enjoyed movies at the Kenwood Drive In.”
The official dedication ceremony will begin at 12:00 noon.
When the Kenwood opened on July 31st, 1949, “El Paso” starring John Payne, Sterling Hayden and Gail Russell was the featured movie of the night.
The Kenwood Drive In Ceremony will be held at 7001 Southside Drive at the entry to the old location which is now Kenwood Business Park.
Afternoon Lecture Series
Sandy Staebell: Faces and Places in Kentucky Quilts
Wednesday, August 1, 1:15 pm
Quilts and other textiles frequently use faces and places that are tied to memory and provide a sense of identity, family, or place. In some, these images were based on real-life individuals such as President George Washington and Kentuckians Henry Clay, George Rogers Clark, and Robert Penn Warren, while in others they were inspired by fictional characters such as Don Quixote or children, real or imagined. Examples of “places” found in textiles include state quilts, governmental buildings, churches, and honeymoon cottages.
Sandy Staebell is the Registrar and Collections Curator at the Kentucky Museum at Western Kentucky University. This program was funded in part by the Kentucky Humanities Council, Inc. and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Locust Grove Afternoon Lecture Series is held the first Wednesday of each month. Dessert and coffee are served at 1:00 pm with the lecture immediately following at 1:15 pm. Admission is $6, $4 for Locust Grove members. Reservations are not required.
The Summer Used Book Sale
Friday, August 17, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday, August 18 and Sunday, August 19, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm
The region’s best book sale! 25,000+ used, antiquarian, and new books in all categories will be offered for sale. All categories-history, biography, mysteries, reference, science fiction, travel, cookbooks, children’s, Kentucky, romance, crafts, gardening, and much, much, more! Prices begin at $1 for paperbacks, and $2 for most hardcover books, with a large selection of illustrated books, rare books, and sets, priced individually. A special selection of remainders will be on sale, selected by the former Hawley-Cooke remainders buyer. All books are sorted by category and are in good condition. Because of the volume of donations, books may be added to the display during the sale. Special discounts on Sunday.
Members’ Preview: Thursday, August 16, 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Locust Grove members get the first look at the Summer Used Book Sale. Memberships can be purchased at the door at the preview, or in advance online at our membership page or by calling Locust Grove at 502-897-9845.
Summer Thursday Concert Series with Kentucky Opera
Locust Grove and Opera: A Musical Timeline
Thursday, August 30, 6:30 pm
Enjoy your opera favorites as explored through the history of Locust Grove. Settler William Croghan was calling Louisville home by 1784. That same year, Mozart became a Freemason in Austria, personally adapting ideals that not only influenced the American Founding Fathers, but would later embed themselves in his acclaimed opera, The Magic Flute. When The Magic Flute premiered a few years later in 1792, Italian opera legend Gioacchino Rossini was born in Italy, and back in Kentucky, William and Lucy Clark Croghan were building their home, Locust Grove. The Croghan family sold the land to riverboat captain James Paul in 1878, when productions of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S Pinafore premiered in the states, inspiring great interest in light opera throughout the country. When the site was purchased by Jefferson County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky and subsequently restored and opened to the public in 1964, Kentucky Opera was producing Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte and Verdi’s Rigoletto.
Admission: $16/$14 for members. Doors open at 6:00 pm; performance begins at 6:30 pm. Bring your own blankets and chairs. Against the Grain Brewery and Sweet ‘N Savory Food Truck will sell concessions.
Young African American men who are committed to self-improvement and building new skills will have the opportunity to prepare for careers in public service through the THRIVE Fellowship, a new program being offered through the Louisville Metro Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods.
The THRIVE Fellowship is a privately funded community leadership/civic engagement initiative designed in partnership with Cities United, an organization created by mayors across the U.S. to stop the loss of life due to violence. It is funded by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, a private foundation that awards grants to educational and social justice initiatives in communities throughout North Carolina, New York, Florida, Kentucky, and beyond.
“This is another example of our city developing compassionate public safety initiatives that support individuals in achieving their full human potential,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “The THRIVE Fellowship will unleash the capacity and ability of these young men to become the next generation of leaders.”
THRIVE Fellowships will be offered to men between the ages of 22 and 26 with misdemeanor convictions resulting from current or previous involvement with the criminal justice system. The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods is leading the program in cooperation with partners such as New Legacy, HEAT Time, the Louisville Urban League, and 15,000 Degrees.
“No one should be forever defined by their worst mistake,” said Rashaad Abdur-Rahman, director of the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods. “Great things can happen when we create space for leadership, civic engagement, and the desire for public service to flourish.”
Up to 30 THRIVE Fellows will be selected over the next three years. Beginning in September, the first group will start a two-year training and development program. Training topics include civic engagement, leadership development, case management, and workforce training. Fellows will follow a 32-hour schedule, Monday through Friday. Each fellow will receive a stipend to cover housing, food, clothing, daily living expenses, and education/training expenses.
“These fellows will transform the narrative around justice-involved people and help to eliminate harmful stereotypes that hold back far too many,” Abdur-Rahman said.
Applications must be received by 5 p.m., Friday, August 24, 2018.
Applications are available online at https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4470557/Civic-Engagement-Fellowship-Appli…, or by calling the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods at (502) 381-9671. Hard copy applications must either be mailed or hand-delivered to Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, 517 Court Place, Louisville, KY, 40202.
Downloaded applications can be electronically submitted to Amber Burns-Jones, THRIVE Fellowship Coordinator, at Amber.Burns@louisvilleky.gov. Contact Burns-Jones at 502-381-9671
A special guest will be in attendance at this Wednesday’s evening service at First Gethsemane Baptist Church. Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear will be joined by Metro Council President David James (D-6) and Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4).
The Attorney General will be on hand to announce the Church is joining Kentucky’s Opioid Disposal Program.
“We hope the people in the community will come out and learn more about how we can make an impact to keep opioids out of the hands of the unsuspecting,” says James. “General Beshear is taking this program out to the people so they can learn how to protect others from these dangerous drugs.”
Beshear launched the program in August of 2017, and so far it has eliminated more than 2.2 million opioids across Kentucky.
“As we honor and celebrate our seasoned saints this week at First Gethsemane we are delighted to partner with our Attorney General to address the growing problem of drugs, prescription and illegal, getting into the hands of our most vulnerable in our community,” says Dr. T. Vaughn Walker, Senior Pastor. “We as part of the faith community see the absolute necessity of dedicated partnerships from government, the medical community, business and faith families working collaboratively to stop what has become the epidemic cross of racial, cultural, and economic communities.”
With First Gethsemane becoming a partner, the church will distribute 100 safe drug deactivation pouches for use in the community.
“We have seen intense efforts by local, state and federal law enforcement to take drugs off our streets. Now it become our responsibility to make sure the medicine chest in our homes are safe. This program is an effective way to accomplish that goal,” says Sexton Smith.
The Attorney General will be at First Gethsemane tonight, Wednesday July 25th at 6:00pm. The Church is located at 1159 Algonquin Parkway.
