Saturday December 6, 2025
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Mayor Greg Fischer announced today that The Big Table, a welcoming event aimed at bringing people together to share food and conversation, is returning to Iroquois Park on Sunday, Sept. 16 from 5-7 p.m. Last year, more than 1,300 people participated in the event, and organizers hope to boost that number this year.
The annual event is hosted by The Big Table, with major support from the Global Human Project and the Louisville Metro Office for Globalization. Each participant is asked to bring a dish, fruit, dessert or non-alcoholic drink to share with at least six people. Participants are encouraged to bring a dish that reflects something about them, has a family story or personal significance, along with a recipe card. Tables, chairs, eating utensils and plates will be provided by event sponsors, but in case of an extra-large turnout, organizers encourage participants to bring a blanket and extra utensils.
Jud Hendrix, Executive Director of The Global Human Project and co-creator of the Big Table, said its purpose is to build greater community connections. “We hope the Big Table will spur a variety of other creative events to weave in the fabric of our community,” he said. “It’s simple. We’re inviting Louisville to be who we already are.”
In addition to encouraging conversation and meeting new people, organizers are hoping to break a world record. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest potluck was attended by 3,264 people in India. In order for The Big Table event to be in the Guinness record book, participants must be present from 5:45 – 6:15 p.m., and each participant must bring a dish or refreshment to share.
Mayor Fischer encouraged people to attend.
“This event started last year to welcome immigrants to our community. They are important contributors – filling jobs, starting companies and sharing their culture and heritage. At a time when our nation and world are so often divided, the Big Table gives us the opportunity to come together and celebrate the connections we have as fellow human beings,” the Mayor said. “We are proud to be a city of welcome, inclusion and compassion, and I encourage all Louisvillians to join in this event and break a world record.”
A unique aspect of The Big Table is the intentionality around having conversations. “On the surface, it’s a simple potluck. The intention, however, is much deeper, hoping to create a space for Louisvillians of all beliefs and backgrounds to come together in order to connect, especially in a time when our society holds so many opposing points of view,” said Cathy Berkey, co-creator of the Big Table.
In an effort to foster more intimate conversation and depth of connection, participants will be organized into tables of eight. Table Host volunteers will help seat participants and work to ensure tables are made up of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Table Hosts will also facilitate conversation and storytelling during the event. Approximately 450 Table Host volunteers are needed for this event.
“There is no central stage or entertainment schedule; the magic of the event is in the conversations that happen at the tables,” said Berkey.
In case of inclement weather, organizers will announce a cancellation of the event by 1 p.m. on Sept. 16 on social media and the event registration page.
Registration is strongly encouraged. For more information and event registration, visit www.globalhumanproject.net/the-big-table2.html
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Councilwoman Mary C. Woolridge (D-3) is inviting everyone to come out to this year’s Unity in the Community Festival on Saturday, August 11th in Algonquin Park. This annual event is a fun filled afternoon and evening for the entire family.
“Summer is winding down and the start of school is just around the corner. This Festival is a chance for everyone to have a little fun at the park and our help children get ready for the beginning of a new school year,” says Woolridge. “We want everyone to come out and enjoy themselves as we have some summer fun.”
A highlight of the Festival is a Back to School Back Pack and School Supply giveaway. 500 back packs will be given away while they last. All children must be accompanied by an adult to receive a backpack and supplies.
For children there will be free face painting and a free inflatable bouncy. The Festival will also feature free blood pressure screening and a voter registration booth.
There will be free hot dogs, sodas and water.
Summer entertainment this year will be provided by two great groups of musicians: The Unlimited Band and The Eddie Abraham Band.
“This is truly a community event with a purpose: making sure our children are ready for school while helping families prepare them for the new school year. We also want to kick back and have a little fun in Algonquin Park which is such a great asset to the community,” says Woolridge. “I hope everyone will come out and join us.
The Unity in the Community Festival will get underway from 3:00pm to 8:00pm in Algonquin Park located at Cypress and Burwell Streets.
For more information, contact Councilwoman Woolridge’s office at 574-1103.
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.
It’s time to celebrate emojis – those cute, sometimes annoying little images included in text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram pics, and everywhere else in today’s connect world.
World Emoji Day is celebrated on July 17, a date chosen because it is the date shown on the “calendar” emoji on most systems, including Apple iPhones and iPads, Android phones, Google services, Mozilla-based browsers, and EmojiOne. It is worth mentioning, however, that some holdouts like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp aren’t on board with the July 17 emoji, opting to show a different date or a generic calendar page.
Growing out of old-school internet “emoticons” crafted from punctuation such as the :-) smile and ;-) wink, what we now know as emoji originated on mobile phones in Japan around 1999, before becoming increasingly popular worldwide nearly a decade later after being added to several major mobile operating systems. Emoji are now considered to be a large part of popular culture – in fact, in 2015, Oxford Dictionaries named the Face with Tears of Joy emoji the “‘Word’ of the Year.”
The minuscule pictograms are so popular that they even gave rise to the 2017 film, “The Emoji Movie,” featuring the voices of T. J. Miller, Anna Faris, Rob Riggle, Jennifer Coolidge, Christina Aguilera, Sofía Vergara, Patrick Stewart, and other big name stars.
The World Emoji Day website gives some background on the celebration and gives a few ideas of how you can mark the occasion, including tips on throwing an emoji-themed party.
So go ahead: text, tweet, and post your favorite emoji to everyone you know today using the hashtag #WorldEmojiDay. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite in the World Emoji Awards.
Guests can create a customized Kentucky State Fair experience next month by downloading a new software program for mobile devices. The app is designed to connect users to all the unique events and attractions that make the Kentucky State Fair unforgettable.
The 2018 Kentucky State Fair mobile app is now available free on both Google Play and the App Store.
Highlighted features include:
- Attractions: check out which entertainers are on stage and what animals are in the stalls
- Trending: see what’s popular at the Fair
- Schedule: create daily schedules of must-see music and entertainment
- News & FAQ: get weather, parking and breaking news updates
- Maps: find locations of exhibitors, attractions and food
Advance tickets and parking for the Kentucky State Fair are available and can be purchased online via the app through 10 p.m. Aug. 15, as well as at participating Kroger locations.
Ticket prices are:
- General (Ages 6+); Children under 5 are free with adult
- In advance: $7
- Online During Fair: $8
- At The Gate: $10
- Parking
- In advance: $5
- Online During Fair: $8
- At The Gate: $10
The 2018 Kentucky State Fair is Aug. 16-26 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. For more information, visit www.kystatefair.org or find the Fair on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or its blog.
Due to the recent fire at The Kentucky Center, Dan & Phil World Tour 2018: Interactive Introverts, previously scheduled for Whitney Hall, has been moved to Iroquois Amphitheater. The event will still be held on August 2nd at 8 pm.
Ticket holders were carefully reassigned into comparable reserved seating at Iroquois Amphitheater. The Kentucky Center box office is sending new tickets to those patrons per their original delivery method. Anyone who purchased tickets in-person will receive their new tickets by mail.
The Kentucky Center remains the OFFICIAL ticket service for this event and open seats for the event at Iroquois Amphitheater are now on sale. Tickets are available online and by phone (584-7777).
A fundraiser for Breslin Park, hosted by the Louisville Parks Foundation and Home Skateshop, will take place at Headliners Music Hall on Thursday, July 26 at 7 p.m. Proceeds from the event will go towards improvements to the park, including a new skateboarding element and shade structure.
The all-ages show will feature Miracle Drug, The Hot Wires, Adventure, Comforter and Legs Akimbo with DJ’s Sam Sneed and Matt Anthony and Sean Cannon as emcee. Custom artwork, tee shirts and stickers designed by local pop artist, Matthew McDole, will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance at headlinerslouisville.com, Headliners Box Office, Home Skateshop, Guest Room Records, or at the door the night of the show. All tickets bought in person, will come with a free Matthew McDole Breslin sticker.
Funding for the project is the result of a partnership between the Louisville Parks Foundation, a non-profit that supports Louisville Parks and Recreation, Home Skateshop, Councilman Bill Hollander and individual donors.
Anyone interested in donating to the Breslin skate spot should visit lpfky.org.