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After a successful inaugural event last year that saw more than 1,000 children attend, Louisville Parks and Recreation is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing on Saturday, March 24.
The event will begin at 10 a.m., and five age groups will participate in this year’s hunt:
- Ages 10-12: 10:30 – 11 a.m.
- Ages 8-10: 11-11:30 a.m.
- Ages 7-9: 11:30 a.m. – noon
- Ages 4-6: Noon-12:30 p.m.
- Ages 1-3: 1:30 – 2 p.m.
The cost to participate in the event is $2 per child. Music, crafts and food trucks will all be on site at Riverside on March 24 for additional entertainment options.
“There’s no prettier area during the spring to have an event than Riverside,” said Seve Ghose, Director of Parks and Recreation. “We had a successful first year. The children had fun, and we’re looking forward to seeing their smiling faces back at Riverside again on March 24.”
For more information, visit www.riverside-landing.org.
Churchill Downs announced Champions Day presented by Twinspires.com, a new Derby Week event that will take place at the racetrack on Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Champions Day will delight Kentucky Derby fans by celebrating the greatest moments in the sport’s history and honoring its legendary jockeys and trainers. Gates open at 11:00 a.m., first post at 12:45 p.m. Tickets start at $10 at www.KentuckyDerbyWeek.com.
In addition to a full day of live Thoroughbred races, this must-see event for any racing fan will offer guests the opportunity to meet famed Derby and Oaks-winning jockeys and trainers. These horse racing legends will be in the Plaza and Paddock from 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Guests can purchase a collectible poster for the jockeys and trainers to sign. Proceeds from the poster sales will benefit the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.
Featured jockeys include Pat Day, winner of the Kentucky Oaks in 1988 and 2000 and the Kentucky Derby in 1992; Gary Stevens, winner of the Kentucky Oaks in 1986 and 1999 and the Kentucky Derby in 1988, 1995, and 1997; and Craig Perret who won the 1990 Kentucky Derby. Hall of Famers D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time Kentucky Derby winner in 1988, 1995, 1996 and 1999, and Carl Nafzger, who trained the 1990 and 2007 Kentucky Derby winners, will be two of several featured trainers.
Champions Day guests are invited to learn from the best in the business at the Advanced Insider Handicapping Seminar presented by Twinspires.com in the Aristides Lounge from 12:00 p.m. – 12:40 p.m. “At the Races” host Steve Byk and clocker and bloodstock agent, Gary Young, will share their expertise on Derby Week handicapping. Two of the most respected handicappers in the game, Byk’s “At the Races” is Thoroughbred racing’s longest running and best known daily radio news magazine, while horses recommended by Young have accounted for three Breeders Cup and 17 Grade I races.
Derby history enthusiasts will especially enjoy the Big Board on Champions Day as it brings Kentucky Derby history to life. The Kentucky Derby Museum and Churchill Downs have curated captivating oral history, fascinating trivia and archived footage of the sport’s most sensational moments to share throughout the day.
Fans who want to take advantage of everything that Champions Day and Tuesday of Derby Week have to offer can purchase the “Ultimate Champions Experience.” This $250 special ticket package includes:
- “Inside The Vault” tour at the Kentucky Derby Museum with its curators to visit rare racing artifacts not currently on display to the public
- A seat in the Stakes Room Veranda during Champions Day
- An exclusive meet and greet with legendary jockeys and trainers·
- All day access to the Kentucky Derby Museum
The First 20 guests to purchase Ultimate Champions Experience tickets will receive one admission pass to the Derby Post Draw at 11:00 a.m. on Champions Day. www.KentuckyDerbyWeek.com.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Dixie Highway is experiencing a renovation and renaissance as work continues on updating this important transportation corridor in Metro Louisville.
As part of that movement forward, this Saturday, more than 60 businesses will gather at the Discover Dixie Expo to showcase everything from education, financial services, healthcare and fitness to home improvement, computer and technical needs.
“The Southwest has many wonderful businesses serving our Dixie Highway community. The Discover Dixie Expo is a great way to bring together our local businesses under one roof. Please come out to meet and support our Dixie Area Businesses!” Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14).
The Dixie Area Business Association created the Expo, to highlight the benefits of the Dixie Highway Corridor, as well as other businesses in the marketplace. It is a great way to showcase these companies
“Southwest Louisville’s economy is built upon honest, reputable local businesses that serve our entire city. The Discover Dixie Expo is a showcase of these great entrepreneurs,” says Councilman David Yates (D-25). “I hope you will join me in keeping our dollars local by coming out and learning what each of these businesses can do for you!”
“Our Southwest Metro Council Team will be part of the DABA Expo to bring local government to the business community at this special event.,” says Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13). “I look forward to learning more about the many businesses that attend.”
Discover Dixie Expo is set for this Saturday, March 10th at Valley High School, 10200 Dixie Highway starting at 10:00am. Admission is free with a can good (non expired) with all going to Southwest Community Ministries.
2018 DABA BUSINESS EXPO EXHIBITOR LIST
Shop Local, Buy Local, Be Local, Discover the Power of Dixie!
- JenCare Senior Medical Center
- L&N Federal Credit Union
- Leanhart Plumbing, Inc.
- Ink Publishing & Design
- Senior Helpers
- Southwest YMCA
- Valley High School
- Metro Council District 12
- Metro Council District 13
- Metro Council District 14
- Metro Council District 25
- Signarama
- CareSource
- Newcomer Funeral Home
- LG&E
- 20/20 Eye Care
- Better Business Bureau
- Park Community Credit Union
- Humana
- Michael Walker Advertising
- Stephenson Nursery & Garden Center
- Cardinal Chiropractic Center
- Beacon Community Credit Union
- Harbor House of Louisville
- Southwest Community Ministries
- Owen Funeral Home
- Karing Kleaners
- Signature
- Ken Thieneman Builder
- LMPD Advisory Board
- Advantage Funeral Home
- Jefferson County Federal Credit Union
- Altitude Trampoline Park
- Berkshire Hathaway
- Cervices, LLC
- BNI Alliance for Business
- Waky RadioGeorgetown Manor
- The Riverside Farnsley Moreman
- Heartsong Memory Care
- Timmy’s Auto Wash
- Edward Jones
- G&S General Contracting LLC
- Triology
- SW Festival
- Sun Vally Community Center
- Maryhurst
The Kentucky Exposition Center goes to the dogs March 15-18 when thousands of canines compete in the Kentuckiana Cluster of Dog Shows and the Greater Louisville Training Club Agility Trials.
Kentuckiana Cluster of Dog Shows During the Kentuckiana Cluster of Dog Shows, top dogs from around the world will be judged based on conformation, obedience and agility. Winners of early rounds and AKC Champions will then move on to compete for Best of Breed. Depending on their performance, they can advance to group competition and Best of Show.
Special highlights during the show include:
- NEW: Puppy competition
- Dock-diving: dogs compete by jumping into a swimming pool and chasing a Frisbee
- Animal rescue organizations
The dog shows run Thursday, March 15 through Sunday, March 18 and are open 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily in the West Wing, Pavilion and West Hall. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors (age 60 and over) and children (age 4-13). Thursday admission is free.
For more information, visit www.thekentuckianaclusterofdogshows.org.
Greater Louisville Training Club Agility Trials The dog agility trials run Thursday, March 15 through Sunday, March 18 and are open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. daily in Broadbent Arena at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Admission for this event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.greaterlouisvilletrainingclub.com.
Parking at the Kentucky Exposition Center is $8 per vehicle and $20 per bus.
Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra announce the third annual Festival of American Music at The Kentucky Center, beginning with Kentucky Classics on Saturday, March 24 (8PM). This concert features music inspired by the bluegrass state and homegrown songwriters. The second program of the Festival of American Music, Play, will be performed on Friday, April 6 (11AM) and Saturday, April 7 (8PM) at The Kentucky Center and explores some of the most potent voices in contemporary American composition; Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, and Jim James.
Individual tickets range from $27 – $85 and are available by calling 502.584.7777 or by visiting LouisvilleOrchestra.org.
Kentucky Classics (March 24) will celebrate American roots, emphasizing Kentucky-centered music and local musicians such as singer-songwriter Joan Shelley, a Louisville native whose “crystal-clear voice meditates on the spaces between people, in arrangements that evoke Bacharach and African blues influences as much as acid-folk” (UK Independent). Another Louisville native and singer-songwriter, Tyrone Cotton, will perform in a unique style influenced by his classical guitar studies at Western Kentucky University and a period of jazz immersion in Boston. Neo-folk singer and harpist Lizzie No, “an exceptionally talented artist with a gift for making an age-old music sound fresh and relevant again” (Americana UK), will make her Louisville Orchestra debut. And Michael Cleveland, the International Bluegrass Music Association’s most awarded fiddler, returns with his band Flamekeeper after their LO debut on March 10. The program is bookended with New Piece for Orchestra by Edgar Meyer and Four Dance Episodes from Aaron Copland’s ballet Rodeo.
When putting this program together, Louisville Orchestra’s Music Director, Teddy Abrams said:
“Our 2018 Festival of American Music celebrates music that was quite literally ‘grown’ and nurtured here in our country: a kind of music from the very earth of this nation. The first program features a range of modern soloists who derive inspiration and continue traditions from Kentucky’s folk and Americana genres. Ultimately these different solo sets lead to a special performance of Copland’s Rodeo.”
The second program, Play (April 6+7), further broadens the perspective to include a wider range of contemporary American composers. Pulitzer Prize-winner Julia Wolfe’s riSE and fLY will be performed with percussion soloist Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, who was also featured on Abrams’s Muhammad Ali: The Greatest this past fall. Natural History by Michael Gordon was commissioned for the 2016 National Parks Service Centennial, and premiered at the Britt Festival under Teddy Abrams’s leadership on sacred land in Oregon. Natural History explores the spiritual connection between the land and the traditions of the Klamath tribe. The Louisville performance will feature the Steiger Butte Singers and Drummers, a Native American drumming ensemble who participated in the premiere and both a new recording on the Cantaloupe label and the documentary Symphony for Nature from Owsley Brown Presents, currently airing on PBS stations across the country. Play is rounded out with music by special guest artist Jim James, founding front-man of famed Louisville alt-rock band My Morning Jacket. He joins the orchestra for the world premiere performance of a song cycle written in collaboration with Abrams.
Teddy Abrams elaborated:
“The second week of our Festival showcases some of the great creative forces in American music today. Julia Wolfe’s riSE and fLY is a percussion concerto inspired by New York street beats and the rhythm of the American work song. Michael Gordon’s Natural History is an enormous-scale composition that I commissioned at the Britt Festival to be performed with over 150 musicians on the very edge of Crater Lake National Park, and his work is intimately constructed around a group of musicians from Oregon’s Klamath Tribe – for whom Crater Lake is a sacred place. Finally, Louisville’s world-renowned Jim James and I have been co-writing a song cycle which will be premiered at this show. His music is very special to me – he combines a beautiful insight into the world around us with a great and readily apparent human spirit.”
Photo: KFC Yum! Center
The KFC Yum! Center is expanding its Thunder festivities with an event created specifically to enable members of the Louisville business community to connect, expand their professional network and discuss opportunities for collaboration. The event will take place in the arena’s Woodford Reserve Lounge, which overlooks the Ohio River and provides premium viewing opportunities for the Thunder Over Louisville fireworks and air shows on Saturday, April 21, 2018.
The all-day event is presented by KFC Yum! Center in partnership with Greater Louisville Inc., Louisville Business First and Leadership Louisville.
Individual tickets are $160, discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Admission includes:
- Access to KFC Yum! Center Woodford Reserve Lounge
- Networking opportunities
- 2-3 business oriented speaking sessions
- Evening meal + 2 drink tickets
- Access to private restrooms
- DJ and live music
Louisville businessman and philanthropist Dr. Mark Lynn, owner of Visionworks, will speak at the event. Lynn is the current Chairman of the Kentucky State Fair Board, is active on the University of Louisville Foundation and Finance Committee and is a Trustee for Sacred Heart Schools. He and his family believe in giving back through involvement and development of the communities they serve. Additional speakers will be announced at a later date.
For more information and to order tickets, please visit kfcyumcenter.com.
Photo: Kentucky Derby Museum
The Kentucky Derby Museum’s multi-million dollar expansion project is officially underway after a groundbreaking ceremony today in the Museum’s garden terrace. The project will add over 11,000 square feet of brand new space to the Museum. It also includes the renovation of 5,000 square feet of existing space. It will be the largest expansion of the Museum’s footprint since the building was constructed in 1985 and one of the largest renovations since a major refurbishing project following damaging flooding in 2009.
The expansion will provide a greater visitor experience for guests with an emphasis on new exhibit space, featuring the collection of legendary trainer, D. Wayne Lukas. It also creates space to display key pieces of the Bill Shoemaker collection, which has been housed in the Museum’s archives for many years. The expanded second floor will also include additional meeting and rental space. The Museum will build an entirely new third floor within the expansion footprint to house administrative offices, a large conference room and storage areas.
On the ground level, a new stable will house the Museum’s resident Thoroughbred and companion horse. The area will include seating for educational programming. It also features more than 7,400 square feet of covered space that can be set for various events, including outdoor weddings, dinners, parties and more. With the addition of the new rental space, the Museum will be able to accommodate much larger groups for special events.
Construction will begin this month and will include the demolition of the stable, the relocation of the Finish Line pole and the removal of more than 3,000 square feet of pavers. Major construction work inside the Museum will get underway following Kentucky Derby 144.
“We’ve seen the number of visitors coming through our doors growing consistently, reaching 230,000 in 2017. Building off that momentum, we wanted to create something that would take the Museum to the next level and offer a truly outstanding experience to our guests as we showcase the extraordinary event that is the Kentucky Derby, “Kentucky Derby Museum President and CEO Patrick Armstrong said.
The Museum will remain open to visitors during the entire duration of the project. The expansion will be completed by November, in time for the 2018 Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs Racetrack. Following the groundbreaking ceremony, Kentucky Derby Museum employees gave Winston, the Museum’s miniature horse for 22 years, a fond farewell as he headed off into retirement at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky. With a final victory lap through the Museum, Winston made his way out the Museum’s front doors for the last time as employees and well-wishers cheered him on his way!
Winston came to the Kentucky Derby Museum at two years old, in the fall of 1995. He’s been the companion horse to more than 30 resident Thoroughbreds, including three horses that ran in the Kentucky Derby, Perfect Drift, Phantom on Tour and Twinspired, as well as Kentucky Derby 135 winner, Mine that Bird.
He’s also thrown out the first pitch at the Louisville Bats game, helped Churchill Downs pick the Derby winner ahead of the race, supported many charitable organizations around town and performed more than ten marriage proposals with his “Will You Marry Me?” blanket!
