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Sunday December 21, 2025
Local Connection
Photo: Louisville Free Public Library
School is out for the summer, and Mayor Greg Fischer is reminding parents and caregivers that there are plenty of fun, low-cost or free learning opportunities available for Louisville area students of all ages over the next three months.
During a news conference at the South Central Regional Library in Okolona, the Mayor and partner organizations outlined a number of programs designed to keep kids engaged and prevent summer learning loss, including the Louisville Free Public Library’s Summer Reading program and the 2018 Cultural Pass presented by Churchill Downs in partnership with Metro Louisville, the Free Public Library, the Arts and Culture Alliance, and Fund for the Arts.
“Lifelong learning means year-round learning. And with our Summer Reading Program, Cultural Pass, and other programs, parents and children have plenty of fun options this summer to keep kids’ minds active so they’re prepared for success in school and beyond,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “I’m grateful to so many important partners in this effort, from Churchill Downs to the Fund for the Arts.”
In celebration of both the Library’s Summer Reading Program and the Cultural Pass, the Mayor announced the Main Library will host the Summer Reading Kickoff and Cultural Pass Showcase on Saturday, June 9, from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. This free, family-friendly event will offer a host of activities, performances, and crafts featuring more than a dozen members of the Arts and Culture Alliance. Participating groups will include the Louisville Zoo, Kentucky Science Center, Frazier History Museum, Kentucky Shakespeare, and more. For more information, please visit http://LFPL.org/Kids or call (502) 574-1620.
The Cultural Pass supports and encourages lifelong learning by providing free access to 50 Greater Louisville’s arts and cultural institutions for children and young adults to age 21.
New this year, residents in three surrounding counties—New Albany/Floyd County, Jeffersonville Township, and Bullitt County—will also be eligible to participate in the 2018 Cultural Pass through their public libraries. Southern Indiana residents are eligible for the Cultural Pass for the first time thanks to support from Bales Foundation, Duke Energy, and Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County.
The Pass is valid from June 1 to August 11 for one-time general admission at each of the 46 participating institutions. Also new this year, the Office of Advanced Planning developed an interactive map for enhanced user experience that can be found:https://fundforthearts.org/venues-cultural-pass.
“Our community is fortunate to have one of the most unique initiatives across the country to fight summer learning loss,” said Tonya Abeln, Director of Community Relations for Churchill Downs Inc. “Churchill Downs is proud to continue supporting arts & cultural experiences that make our city stronger.”
“This Cultural Pass is a passport for Greater Louisville kids and families to unlock boundless creativity at our world-class arts & cultural institutions,” said Christen Boone, Fund for the Arts President and CEO. “We are deeply grateful to our donors and partners who make this one-of-a-kind initiative possible. This is a critical investment for our region that allows kids to learn, play, and grow all summer long.”
The 2018 Cultural Pass and Summer Reading Program materials are available now at any Louisville Free Public Library branch. Pass holders can register and track the progress of their Cultural Pass online at LFPL.org/culturalpass and are encouraged to visit as many venues as they are able during the summer. Children with 5 or more documented visits are entered into a drawing for prizes, including a free stay at 21C Museum Hotel, tickets to area performances like The Christmas Carol at Actors Theatre or Louisville Ballet’s Nutcracker, family memberships to Bernheim Forest, the Frazier History Museum, Gheens Science Hall and Planetarium, and more.
“The Arts and Culture Alliance is proud to be the part of the Cultural Pass that provides access to arts and culture,” said Kim Baker, Chair of the Arts and Culture Alliance. “We invite our community and the new surrounding counties participating, to experience all our amazing arts and cultural organizations have to offer!”
To learn more about the Cultural Pass, please visit http://fundforthearts.org/culturalpass.
Since March 2018, nine businesses have been approved for loans totaling nearly $1 million by the Louisville Metro Departments of Economic Development and Resilience and Community Services. The loans will leverage a total investment of more than $9 million and will assist the businesses to open, expand services or rehabilitate properties.
METCO business loans, administered through Department of Economic Development, have been awarded to the following businesses:
- $600,000 Go Green loan has been approved for Steve Smith on behalf of Two Stone Inc., the holding company for Stoneware & Co., for properties located at 711 and 731 Brent Street in the Paristown neighborhood. The loan will allow Smith to go green by replacing the current HVAC units and windows with new energy efficient systems and windows. This project is part of the $28 million Paristown development that will feature a total renovation and expansion of iconic Louisville Stoneware & Co., which traces its roots back to 1815. The project also will be home to a new $12 million satellite location of The Kentucky Center for the Arts, which will be the anchor for the neighborhood development.
- $108,270 façade loan has been approved for MMCS Properties, LLC for the property located at 1003 Logan Street. The loan will allow the owners Mike and Medora Safai to install windows, cedar siding and specialty barn doors to the exterior of the existing warehouse in the Shelby Park neighborhood. Once complete, the warehouse will be transformed into a public market featuring locally-grown vegetables, fruits and dairy, a micro-brewery, and event space.
- $184,000 gap loan and $16,000 accessibility loan were approved for LOP Properties, the property holding company for the facilities leased and inhabited by the Ladies of Promise, for its buildings at 2131 – 2133 W. Market Street in the Russell neighborhood. The gap loan will allow business partners Kristie Eliason and Aileen Wales to renovate the building, and will supply working capital as the Ladies of Promise convert their organization to a Behavioral Health Service Organization (BHSO). The accessibility loan will allow them to bring the building into ADA compliance. Currently, the Ladies of Promise has capacity for fifty women in a safe, clean and sober environment including sleeping, food, clothes storage and shower capacity. Once the renovations and conversion to a BHSO are complete, the facility will add a variety of medical services and will serve food, which they currently do not do.
- $30,000 business loan has been approved for BBHPS, LLC dba Flavour, a restaurant which will operate at 1767 Bardstown Road in the heart of the Highlands neighborhood. The loan will allow the partner group (Doug Bibby, Eliott Horne, Clarence Benboe and William Pennington) to finance upfront costs of new signage, purchase additional equipment and electronics and supply working capital for the first three months. The restaurant opened in May and features ethnic cuisines and cocktails in an upscale setting.
- In addition, the METCO Board approved amending the Business Accelerator Loan which is available for small business owners in the nine neighborhoods of west Louisville (Algonquin, California, Chickasaw, Park DuValle, Park Hill, Parkland, Portland, Russell, Shawnee). Changes include:
- Extending the repayment period to seven years instead of five years
- Lowering the interest rate to 8% from 12%
- Adding six hours of requisite training to be completed through courses offered through Louisville Free Public Library’s Lynda.com
Microbusiness Development Program loans, administered through the Office of Resilience and Community Services, have been awarded to the following businesses:
- $5,000 loan to Baskets & More, located in downtown at 609 W. Main Street, to assist owner Kimberly Starks with rent, insurance and supplies.
- $7,500 loan to Manslick Learning Academy, LLC to assist owner Aquanette Knox with equipment, supplies, rent and insurance. Knox is a certified Child Development Associate who located her business at 4441 Manslick Road.
- $15,000 loan to People Power Personal Training, LLC to assist owner Angela Carter-Lanon with rent, insurance and supplies. Located at 909 Barret Avenue, People Power Personal Training offers individual and group wellness and health training. Carter-Lanon is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach who has a Master’s of Science Degree in Exercise Physiology and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, both from the University of Louisville.
- $15,000 loan to The Kentucky TACO Company to assist owners Carl Steve Higdon and Charles Leon Neal with rent, business insurance and inventory supplies. This expansion will include delivery and store front service. They will be located at 502 Warnock Street.
- $15,000 loan to Tristaca Loves Cooking, LLC to assist owner Tristaca Brown with new equipment, insurance and food supplies. The loan will assist Brown in catering as well as working to expand the food truck business.
As National Historic Preservation Month comes to a close, Louisville Metro Government reports significant progress in implementing recommendations from the Historic Preservation Advisory Task Force’s May 2017 report to Mayor Greg Fischer.
The Task Force, comprised of preservation advocates, architects, developers and neighborhood representatives from across the community, received technical support from National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preservation Green Lab.
Through a yearlong process, they reviewed research and best practices and then crafted a set of recommendations, including incentive programs, program improvements, policies and public engagement strategies—with the goal of improving the community dialogue and outcomes around historic preservation.
In response, the city so far has:
- Hired a Survey Coordinator for the Historic Preservation team to identify priority survey areas and inventory historic resources as recommended by the Task Force;
- Successfully pursued an African-American Civil Rights grant from the National Parks Service to stabilize the historic Quinn Chapel in the Russell neighborhood;
- Advocated with the Building Industry Association and other stakeholders for protection and expansion of the State and Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit;
- Developed a preliminary priority survey of historic buildings in the Russell neighborhood, which is a National Register Historic District; and
- Incorporated the Task Force recommendations into the Comprehensive Plan update.
The Task Force also recommended amending local ordinances to enhance Metro’s preservation efforts. The Landmarks Commission formed a subcommittee in October 2017 to develop recommended changes to the Landmarks Ordinance, and a draft of those amendments was presented to full Landmarks Commission on May 17, 2018.
Those proposed changes include:
- Authorizing the Landmarks Commission or Metro Council to initiate a landmark designation in addition to current initiation methods, which are community petition and property owner request;
- Creating more opportunity for property owners to provide input on designation requests;
- Improving and clarifying designation criteria;
- Linking designations to community surveys and other planning processes; and
- Updating and defining language for Certificates of Appropriateness and design guidelines for the city’s seven local preservation districts
To view the proposed changes in their entirety and to comment on them, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/planning-design/historic-preservatio…
The Commission will review the amendments and public feedback at its June 21 and July 19 meetings. When the Landmarks Commission completes its review, recommended changes will be sent to the Metro Council for review and approval.
Heaven Hill Brands announced today a partnership with Louisville Parks and Recreation to create a new outdoor recreation area at the California Community Center in West Louisville. Mayor Greg Fischer, Metro Council President David James, and Metro Parks Assistant Director Ben Johnson joined Heaven Hill Brands Chief Operating Officer Allan Latts to unveil plans including updated landscaping, permanent cornhole boards and chess sets.
Heaven Hill Brands first established itself as a community partner in the California neighborhood in 1999 with the purchase of the historic Bernheim Distillery, a site which has produced Bourbon since 1871. Rooted in Heaven Hill’s Corporate Charitable Giving Mission is the goal “to seek to improve the local communities in which our employees work and live by offering charitable support for education, health and well-being, and cultural enrichment.”
“As stewards of this long-standing facility, and as a family-owned and operated company, Heaven Hill recognizes the responsibility to the community that has been built around Bernheim, the community we have become a part of,” said Latts. “We are thrilled to continue this commitment to the California Neighborhood through a new outdoor recreation space for adults and children alike to enjoy.”
In West Louisville alone Heaven Hill has committed a substantial financial impact in the last two years to Dare to Care Food Bank, Simmons College, Reverend Elliott’s programs, Community Connections, Portland Elementary, Brightside, and more. Within the greater Louisville area, Heaven Hill has a longstanding history of partnerships with the Kentucky Science Center, The Louisville Zoo, The Speed Museum, Fund for the Arts, and many more throughout the city.
“This new park amenity fits right in with our city’s values of compassion, lifelong learning and health,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “I’m grateful to Heaven Hill for being not only good corporate partners, but good neighbors as well.”
To celebrate the announcement the Wheatley chess team joined local dignitaries and community members in a game of chess. Plans to begin construction on the new site at California Community Center are slated for summer 2018.
Louisville Metro Council passed an Ordinance requiring nutritional standards and a healthy default beverage in children’s meals, the first in the nation to adopt the combined standards. The so-called “healthy-by-default” rule that passed 13-11 by the Louisville Metro Council aims to tackle the city’s skyrocketing childhood obesity rate and worsening type II diabetes epidemic. This Ordinance follows the National Restaurant Association’s “Kids Live Well” Program.
Co-sponsor Councilwoman Vicki Welch (D-13) said, “Since restaurants are responsible for 25% of a child’s diet, this ordinance will be particularly effective in improving children’s health. Prevention of childhood obesity is also protecting our tax dollars from rising health costs of diabetes, tooth decay, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.”
In the upcoming months, restaurants that serve meals aimed at children will be required to provide milk, non-dairy milk, water, sparkling water or less than 25 calories/8 ounces drinks with no added artificial sweeteners as the default beverage option. Customers will still be able to purchase sodas, juices and other sugary drinks upon request.
“Parents will now be given the opportunity to start the meal off right with healthy beverage and food options,” Co-sponsor Rick Blackwell said. “We hope most parents will stick with the healthier option, protecting their children from the long-term chronic problems associated with sugary drinks, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and tooth decay.”
Various studies have linked a daily sugary drink habit to a 26% higher risk of type 2 diabetes, a 27% increased risk of adult obesity and a 55% greater risk of childhood obesity, as well as higher incidences of heart disease, liver disease and metabolic disorder. Sugary drinks contribute directly to diabetes by spiking glucose, converting fructose into fat in the liver and spurring excess insulin production, wearing out the pancreas. Sugary drinks also contribute to weight gain by adding empty calories – void of fiber and nutrients – that do not contribute to fullness.
Councilman Blackwell and Councilwoman Welch met with many interested parties in drafting this ordinance and believe the final product protects parents’ abilities to make decisions for their children while also minimizes the onus on businesses to comply with the new law.
Today, 30% of Louisvillians, 24% of sixth graders, and 18 % of kindergartens are obese. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one-in-three children born today will have diabetes by 2050.
“This policy is a common sense measure to support parents’ efforts to protect their children’s health. While communities all over the country wrestle with the disastrous consequences of growing childhood obesity and diabetes epidemics, Louisville drew a line in the sand.” said Welch. “The Council showed the powerful role that cities can play in solving big problems. Now, the healthy choice is the easy choice.”
Louisville businesses and residents affected by the severe storms and heavy flooding from Feb. 21 through March 21, 2018, can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, officials announced Wednesday.
The loans were made available after the state of Kentucky on May 1 requested a disaster declaration by the SBA, which covered Jefferson, Hardin, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Grayson, Hart, LaRue, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby and Spencer counties in Kentucky, and Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties in Indiana.
In Jefferson County, SBA’s representatives will be available at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center set up at T.J. Middle School’s First Neighborhood Place, 1503 Rangeland Road, to answer questions about the disaster loan program and help individuals complete their applications. The center will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. (Closed on Memorial Day weekend). The Center will close on May 31st.
Businesses and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets, according to SBA Kentucky District Director Ralph E. Ross.
For homeowners, loans up to $200,000 are available to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters also are eligible for loans up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property, according to the SBA.
For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.
Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA for mitigation purposes. Interest rates are as low as 3.58 percent for businesses, 2.5 percent for nonprofit organizations, and 1.8 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amount and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.
Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at DisasterLoan.sba.gov. Businesses and individuals may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded at sba.gov. Completed applications should be returned to the center or mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is July 23, 2018. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Feb. 22, 2019.
One of the largest off-road industry shows in the country, the Unlimited Off-Road American Show & Expo roars into the Kentucky Exposition Center June 1-3 in South Wing C and Lots B, V and W.
The Unlimited Off-Road American Show & Expo (UOR) showcases a huge collection of off-road companies, parts, equipment, gear and experts. Events focus on off-road racing, rock crawling, trail riding, sand sports, motorcycles, UTVs and ATVs, adventure camping and more. Visitors discover the latest products and innovations, get first-hand experience on demo rides, and meet professionals who live the off-road lifestyle.
Crowd daily favorites include:
- BFGoodrich Jeep Drives: Take a BFGoodrich Jeep on a specially designed off-road course
- Five-Acre Obstacle Course: bring 4×4 vehicle and tackle jumps, climbs, a mud pit and more
- Show & Shine Contest: show off vehicle and compete for cash prizes
- Racer Lounge: meet the racers
- Garage and Live Build: watch skilled technicians at work
- Over 200+ exhibitors: see new products, save with special deals
Show hours are:
- Friday, June 1, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Saturday, June 2, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Sunday, June 3, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Sunday events feature a swap meet and trail riding)
Purchase tickets online at uorshow.com/ky. Prices are:
- Adults:
- in advance: $15 for a one-day pass $20 for a three-day pass
- at the door: $20 for a one-day pass$35 for a three-day pass
- Children ten and under are free.
- Additional packages and discounts are available online.
- Parking at the Kentucky Exposition Center is $8 per vehicle and $20 per bus.
For more information and a complete schedule, visit uorshow.com/ky.
