Friday January 23, 2026
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Louder Than Life will be making it’s annual appearance at Champions Park this weekend and weather will be just about perfect. The two-day festival features music, food and drinks. Headlining performances will feature Ozzy Osbourne with Zakk Wylde, Rob Zombie, Incubus, Stone Sour, Halestorm, and many more. For the foodie, food will be showcasing many local and regional favorites ranging from fried chicken, barbecue, grilled cheese, hot dogs, tacos and gelato. For the bourbon lover, many Kentucky bourbon distilleries will be featured, including Angel’s Envy, Jim Beam, and Buffalo Trace.
Gates open at 11:00 AM on both days. Tickets are still available and prices range from $69.50 for Sunday only, $90 for Saturday only, $120 minimum for the entire weekend, to $280 for a VIP package. If you are planning to attend, be sure to check the information page for what items are allowed to be taken in with you, pay close attention to the bag size restrictions.
If you have not attended the show before, check out last year’s Louder Than Life Festival.
Credit: KY State Parks
The 27th Annual Civil War Days at Columbus-Belmont State Park is Oct. 13-15.
The weekend will include battle re-enactments, history and museum tours, soldier camps, entertainment, food and more. Admission is free.
This three-day event begins with an Education Day on Friday. There will be cannon and rifle demonstrations, life of a soldier, and dance instruction. Students, scouts, and groups are encouraged to participate, but everyone is invited to attend and take a closer look at history by taking a step back in time.
The opening ceremony is Friday evening with food and entertainment. Cannons will fire from the bluffs to end the ceremony and then there will be a Ghost Walk through the Confederate earthworks with lanterns lighting the way.
Events are scheduled throughout Saturday including music and the Ladies Tea at 11 a.m.
The Civil War Ball on Saturday night will feature music and dance instruction so you don’t have to be experienced to participate. The band for the evening is The 52nd Regimental String Band.
If you want to shop, you can find everything you need on “Sutler Row” where there will be tents set up with period clothing and accessories. There will be a Beautiful Belle and Handsome Gent contest before the dance and a Best Beard and Scraggly Beard contest during intermission.
Sunday begins with a morning service as well as a memorial service in Columbus Cemetery.
The battles are at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. They will feature guns firing, cannons blasting, horses running, and tents burning.
The Civil War Days event is co-sponsored by Columbus-Belmont State Park, Civil War Days Committee, and the Hickman County Judge Executive’s office/Hickman County Fiscal Court. The park is located on the Mississippi River in western Kentucky at the junction of highways 58, 80, and 123.
For more information, contact the park office at 270-677-2327 or email cindy.lynch@ky.gov or visit www.parks.ky.gov
Credit: KY State Parks
Step back in time as Big Bone Lick State Historic Site returns to days long past during the 35th annual Salt Festival the weekend of Oct. 13-15.
The festival features demonstrations of pioneer living, frontier skills, traditions, and lifeways. Browse the crafters corner to see the many handcrafted items for sale and find lots of good eats at the food court. Enjoy folk and bluegrass music, listen to a storyteller, view prehistoric Ice Age artifacts, and observe a blacksmith working red-hot iron. See how salt was extracted from the waters of Big Bone, watch a flintknapper make a stone point, and discover how bison hair was spun into yarn.
While visiting the park, be sure to drop by the park’s museum and visitor’s center to see some of the “big bones.” A shuttle van will transport event-goers to and from the festival field to the center at regular intervals. Don’t miss seeing the bison herd, the park’s living link to Kentucky’s early history.
On Friday, Oct. 13, the park will host school groups. The cost is $2 per person. Schools interested in bringing classes to the festival should call the park at 859-384-3522.
Regular festival admission is $5 per person; children 5 and under are free.
For information about the park, visit http://parks.ky.gov/parks/historicsites/big-bone-lick/. Big Bone Lick State Historic Site is recognized as the birthplace of American vertebrate paleontology for its significant role in the development of scientific thought regarding extinction and the relationship between geology and paleontology the world over. The park is located 22 miles southwest of Covington on KY 338, off US 42/127 and I-71 & I-75. From I-75 north or south, take exit 175 to KY 338. From I-71 north or south, take exit 62 to 127N/42E to KY 338.
Photo: Perryville Battlefield
The commemoration of the 155th anniversary of the Battle of Perryville will be Oct. 7-8 at Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site.
The 1862 battle was the largest Civil War conflict in Kentucky, leaving more than 7,000 casualties.
The park in Boyle County will host two battle re-enactments at 2 p.m. both days, battlefield tours, military camps, lectures and an interactive program where visitors can relive the past as a Civil War soldier. A walking tour called “Ghost of the Battle” is also scheduled for Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. (additional fee)
Guests can also visit the park’s museum and there will be vendors and food wagons.
The general admission price is $10 per adult. Tickets for veterans are $8 and the fee for children is $7. The Ghost of the Battle tour is $15 per person. Gates open at 9 a.m. both days.
For more information, including the entire schedule for the weekend, visit www.perryvillebattlefield.org or call the park at 859-332-8631.
Photo: Actors Theatre of Louisville
Author: Actor’s Theatre, Laura Humble
The Most Frequently Asked Questions About This Chilling Louisville Tradition Every fall, Count Dracula takes the Bingham Theatre by storm, continuing his bloodthirsty reign of terror in a production that’s become a Louisville tradition. From our special recipes for fake blood to our four-legged cast members and talented backstage crew, here we reveal answers to some of the most frequently asked questions from Dracula Fans.
This is the first part of a five-part series.
Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation
The “Canoemobile” is making its annual stop in Louisville on October 3-7, bringing fun and exploration through free trips for all ages on 24-foot Voyageur canoes on the Ohio River. The program, locally in its sixth year, is organized by Louisville Parks and Recreation’s Natural Areas Division based at Jefferson Memorial Forest in partnership with Wilderness Inquiry, Inc. of Minneapolis.
Additional funding support is being provided by the United States Forest Service through the Outdoor Foundation. The Canoemobile will offer trips from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at Shawnee Park on Friday, Oct. 6, and at Riverview Park on Saturday, Oct.7 from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
On Tuesday-Thursday, Oct. 3-5, the Louisville ECHO (Louisville is Engaging Children in the Outdoors) initiative, facilitated by JMF/Natural Areas, will host education days at Riverview Park with Chenoweth, Portland, and Coral Ridge elementary schools as part of the Canoemobile program. As part of this education day, students will canoe as well as learn about erosion and insects.
On Friday, JMF will be launching our first canoe built in our #CanoesBuildCommunity program, with assistance from Steam Exchange and Cabbage Patch Settlement House. The program inspires confidence and encourages ownership of paddling through kid-built canoes, from start to finish. With support from Canoe Kentucky, partners build canoes to keep.
“The Canoemobile program is a fun and safe way to introduce kids to the outdoors and part of our mission to expand outdoor recreation opportunities in the Louisville area,” said Seve Ghose, Director of Louisville Parks and Recreation. “We encourage everyone who is interested to come and take advantage of this great opportunity.”
The Voyageur canoes are safe, stable and can carry 9 participants per trip. Safety equipment and trained staff will be provided. Organizers suggest wearing comfortable outdoor clothing that can get wet, but no flip-flops. Water coolers will be available, so bring a refillable water bottle. Food also will be available for purchase.
Pre-registration is not required, and all trips will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Trips will leave every 30 minutes. All participants must sign a waiver, and those under the age of 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian. Forms can be found at memorialforest.com.
SCHEDULE
Friday, October 6
10 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Shawnee Park 4501 West Broadway 40211
* Event is located at the end of Southwestern Parkway on the north side of the park
Saturday, October 7
10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Riverview Park 8202 Greenwood Rd 40258
Credit: KY State Parks
Kentucky State Parks across the Commonwealth will host Halloween events throughout October.
Many of the park system’s campgrounds will have special activities for campers, including decorations, costumes, hayrides and games for the kids. Resort parks, recreation parks and historic sites will also have special Halloween events during October.
A list of events is available at: http://parks.ky.gov/halloween/
Parents of young children should check in advance as some parks have age recommendations for events.
Many state resort parks have inexpensive rates for lodge rooms and cottages during the fall. In addition to excellent restaurants, Kentucky State Parks have trails, playgrounds and plenty of wildlife viewing areas and fall colors that make for excellent family outings.
For more information about state park events, or to make lodging or camping reservations, visit www.parks.ky.gov