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By Charlotte Stephens
Before he became a bestselling author, David Sedaris survived by working odd jobs. He picked apples in Oregon. He reinforced the edges of window screens with a stapler (to keep squirrels from invading attics) in Chicago. He cleaned apartments in new York City. And, broke and jobless after first moving to the Big Apple, he got a gig playing an elf at Macy’s “SantaLand,” which would inspire his beloved and hilariously biting personal essay, “Santaland Diaries.”
Sedaris is now a literary celebrity. he’s one of the few writers who can fill Carnegie Hall with his adoring fans and who’s been considered funny enough to appear regularly on The Late Show with David Letterman. During his days as Crumpet the Elf, however, he never thought he’d see his dream of being a published author come true. “I’m wearing a green velvet costume; it doesn’t get any worse than this,” Sedaris-as-Crumpet quips darkly. But his career would profit immensely from this time spent faking holiday cheer and herding frazzled families for their photo with Santa. It was “Santaland Diaries” that introduced Sedaris’s signature deadpan humor to a national audience, catapulting him to fame in the early 1990s.
Since 1977, Sedaris had kept a diary, often carrying a notebook with him to record experiences both bizarre and mundane. (He’s known for his ability to highlight the weirdness of everyday life, zeroing in on personal quirks or strange encounters that are often highly relateable, but that we might never think to document in such comic detail.) As with many of his other early writings, the pithy observations in “Santaland Diaries” originally came from these journal entries. According to Sedaris, “‘Santaland’ was just stuff in my diary. All I did was take things from my diary and arrange them.”
One night, he was reading exceprts from his diary onstage at a small New York club. He later recounted in an NPR interview:
“[Radio host] Ira Glass was in the audience. He introduced himself…Later, he called, asking if I had anything Christmassy for a show that he was doing at the time called…So I recorded the Santa story for that, and he put it on [the daily NPR program] Morning Edition.”
Sedaris could never have predicted the rush of popularity that followed. “My life just changed completely,” he has said, “like someone waved a magic wand.”
The rest is history. Thanks to the wild success of “Santaland Diaries,” Sedaris, in his words, “went from having 50 listeners to 50 million listeners.” Soon after, he landed the book contract that led to his first published collection of essays and short fiction, the critically acclaimed Barrel Fever (in which “Santaland Diaries” also appears). Today, there are more than 10 million copies of Sedaris’s books in print, and his work has been translated into 25 languages. Meanwhile, his recording of “Santaland Diaries” has aired on Morning Edition during the Christmas season every year since 2004, and is one of the show’s most requested features. Not too shabby for a man who’d often joked that he was only qualified for “jobs that needed no skills.”
Tickets are available online here.
The USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships will be held Dec. 11-16, 2018, at Joe Creason Park, the first time the event has been held in Louisville. The national championships will feature nearly 2,000 top professional and amateur riders competing over the course of the week from 45 states.
Forty-two national titles are on the line; male and female national champions will be crowned in the Junior, Senior, Collegiate, U23, Masters and Elite categories. Athletes range in age from 10 to 85 years old.
The event will be held on a cyclocross course at Joe Creason Park that made its debut at the 2017 Derby City Cup and Pan-American Cyclocross Championships. The challenging course includes elevation changes, a flyover, obstacles and off-camber ground that force riders off their bikes.
Cyclocross racing is a hybrid between road cycling and mountain biking that is athletically demanding, and fan and family-friendly. The experience for fans is interactive, with viewing areas within a few feet of the course, and cheering, jeering and crazy costumes that help energize the riders. Competitors race around an off-road circuit on bicycles that look very similar to road bikes, but have been built to take on the demands of rougher off-road racing. Circuits are typically 1.5 to 2 miles long, and feature obstacles that may force riders to dismount their bicycle. Multiple laps showcase these elite riders’ phenomenal skills and amazing speed, invoking the nickname “an hour of pain.”
Beer will be sold by Against the Grain Brewery; food will be provided by Black Rock Grille, POLLO, Moe-Licious BBQ and Blackbeard Expresso food trucks. Wristband admission is $20 per person including tax, which is good for the entire event week. Food and beverage are priced separately. Free vehicle parking will be available at the Louisville Zoo. There will be no warm up zone or tents allowed in the Zoo parking lot. For information on event expo and warm-up tents, please contact Ben Leto at bleto@louisvillesports.org.
Competition begins Tues., Dec. 11 with a full day of non-championship races. The contests to determine national champions – winners of the coveted Stars-and-Stripes jerseys – begin Wed., Dec. 12. Masters and Collegiate championship events for men and women will be held Dec. 12-14.; championship events for Juniors will be held on Saturday. The championships culminate on Sunday with the Junior Men 17-18 and the U23 and elite competitions for men and women.
Among the athletes who will be on hand to defend their titles are Stephen Hyde (Easthampton,Mass./Cannondale presented by CyclocrossWorld), defending U.S. Cyclocross National Champion; Jeremy Powers (Southampton, Mass./Pactimo / Fuji / SRAM), four-time U.S. Cyclocross National Champion ; Curtis White (Delanson, N.Y./Cannondale presented by CyclocrossWorld), no. 1-ranked U.S. male pro cyclocross rider; Ellen Noble (Kennebunkport, Maine/Trek Factory Racing CX), three-time Cyclocross National Champion (U23 and Junior); Katie Clouse (Park City, Utah/Alpha Bicycle – Groove Subaru), 25-time National Champion in Cyclocross, Road and mountain bike; and Katie Compton (Colorado Springs, Colo./KFC Racing), 14-time Cyclocross National Champion.
“Louisville has a long-history of hosting national and international cycling championships – including the 2013 UCA Cyclocross Elite World Championships,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “We encourage everyone to come to Joe Creason Park to enjoy some fantastic cycling competition. Cyclocross is an amazing experience for fans – expect an eclectic mix of lively spectators and high-energy action on the course.”
The national championships are estimated to generate more than $2.6 million in economic impact to the local economy and will result in national media coverage for Louisville. Live streaming will be available Sun., Dec. 16 beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET on USA Cycling’s YouTube channel and on participating cycling media websites.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to host a nationally sanctioned championship with elite athletes, officials and spectators converging on Louisville from across the U.S.,” said Louisville Sports Commission President and CEO Karl F. Schmitt, Jr. “This event provides an excellent opportunity to showcase our community and will generate significant economic impact through inbound sports travel, especially welcome during the winter months.”
Louisville has become a mecca for championship-level cyclocross competitions, having successfully hosted the 2013 UCI Elite World Championships, the 2012 and 2013 UCI Masters World Championships, the annual Derby City Cup at Eva Bandman Park and the 2017 Pan-American Cyclocross Championships.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
President David James (D-6) will officially welcome District 6’s newest business on Thursday, November 29th when Adrienne & Co. opens its newest bakery cafe at 1212 S. 4th Street.
“We believe Adrienne’s will find that Old Louisville is ready to welcome Adrienne’s Bakery to become one of the many great businesses that are helping this area of our city grow,” says the President.
The official grand opening is set for 10:30am. President James, the Mayor’s Office, and company representatives will have a ribbon cutting. Following the ceremony, there will be a mini tour and light refreshments.
This is Adrienne & Co.’s fourth location and the first time it has located In Louisville. The Company’s three other locations are in Southern Indiana.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Seasonal festivities continue in Metro Louisville as Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5) joins the Shawnee Neighborhood Association, and area churches would like to invite the community to the first “Light Up Shawnee” at French Plaza at Amy and Market Street.
“One by one neighborhoods all over the city are welcoming the holiday season by throwing the switch to bring the lights of Christmas to glow in the weeks ahead,” says Hamilton. “This new event will be a break from the hustle and bustle of the season and a time for a little seasonal fun for all.”
With the theme, “We Are The Light of The World!” the lights will be turned on at 6:00pm for all to see!
There will be fun for the whole family at the event. Children and families can take pictures with Santa! Also, enjoy free food and hot cocoa, stop by the crafts stations, come here the angelic voices of churches from the Shawnee Neighborhood!
Everyone is welcome to participate in this signature holiday event!
For more information contact Anne Peak at (502) 778-0001.
Credit: Louisville Metro Police
It’s a Christmas tradition that brings smiles to the children of Portland and the Louisville Metro Police 1st Division service area every year.
On Saturday, December 8th the LMPD 1st Division Police Auxiliary will host children and their families at their 43rd Annual Christmas Party.
“This is a special time of year for children in our area and every year the 1st Division Police Auxiliary works to make sure the children of this area have a special Christmas,” says Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5). “I am proud to be a sponsor of this event and I thank the Auxiliary for its dedication to the children of our area.”
The event is set for the Molly Leonard Community Center at 640 North 27th Street from 11:00am to 3:00pm.
Hamilton is joined by Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4) and President David James (D-6) as sponsors of the event.
“Over the years, the Auxiliary has brought seasonal joy to thousands of children who would not have holiday party otherwise,” said Sexton Smith (D-4). “Their dedication to the community is a shining example of the reason for the season.”
“Once again the Auxiliary has gone above and beyond the call of helping those in need in our community,” says James. “Like the men and women who protect us in the 1st Division, they have shown us how they care for those in who would not otherwise have a special holiday.”
The 43rd Annual Christmas Party is for children aged ten and under. Last year, the 1st Division Police Auxiliary was able to help over 300 children have a special holiday season. Every Child will have a chance to visit Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and will receive a toy, fruit, candy, toboggan and gloves.
For more information about the event, call 502-574-7167.
How can the Louisville area ramp up an inclusive, tech-savvy workforce ready to tackle the rapidly developing knowledge economy? That’s one of the key issues bringing together national and local experts and innovators at the 4th annual Tomorrow’s Talent workforce and education summit.
The summit will also include breakout sessions and TED-style presentations featuring an eclectic lineup of presenters and topics. Mayor Greg Fischer, who has championed inclusiveness and has made scaling up Louisville’s tech-talent pipeline a top education and workforce priority, will attend and present.
The event is Friday, Dec. 14, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Muhammad Ali Center, 144 N. Sixth St. Registration is free at www.kentuckianaworks.org/summit.
The keynote speakers will be:
- Neeli Bendapudi, President, University of Louisville, who was selected earlier this year to lead the university following a nationwide search. She most recently served as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor at the University of Kansas. Her vision is to ensure that the University of Louisville is a great place to learn, work, and invest because it celebrates diversity, fosters equity, and strives to achieve inclusion;
- Heather Cox, Chief Digital Health and Analytics Officer, Humana, who is accountable for building the company’s digital care delivery operations and leading enterprise analytics. Prior to joining Humana, Cox served as Chief Technology and Digital Officer at USAA, and as CEO of Citi FinTech at Citigroup, helping that company adapt to a future dominated by mobile technology.
Tomorrow’s Talent is presented by KentuckianaWorks, 55,000 Degrees, Greater Louisville Inc., and the Greater Louisville Project, with funding from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Humana, and UPS. Light refreshments begin at 8 a.m., and lunch will be provided.
By Laura Mullaney
Actors Theatre of Louisville proudly announces the lineup for the 43rd Humana Festival of New American Plays. A cultural highlight for theatre lovers, artists and producers across the country, the Humana Festival runs March 1 through April 7, 2019 in Louisville.
This year’s Festival program will feature five world premieres, listed in order of first performance:
- We’ve Come to Believe by Kara Lee Corthron, Emily Feldman and Matthew Paul Olmos
- The Corpse Washer adapted by Ismail Khalidi and Naomi Wallace, from the novel of the same name by Sinan Antoon
- The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath
- How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla, co-world premiere with Victory Gardens Theater
- Everybody Black by Dave Harris
By investing in the future of playwriting, Actors Theatre makes a significant impact not only on the national theatre canon, but also on the economic prosperity and cultural vibrancy of Louisville. The 2018 Festival was attended by more than 38,000 people, with visitors from 41 states and 52 colleges and universities represented in the audience.
For over four decades, Actors Theatre of Louisville has been a driving force in new play development, introducing more than 450 plays into the American theatre repertoire and representing the work of more than 400 playwrights and ensembles. The internationally acclaimed Humana Festival is recognized as a crucial incubator for new work and a launchpad for myriad subsequent productions around the country and the world. Plays that have recently premiered at Actors Theatre—including Molly Smith Metzler’s Cry it Out, Leah Nanako Winkler’s God Said This, Jen Silverman’s The Roommate and Colman Domingo’s Dot—have continued to be produced on stages far and wide.
This year’s lineup of plays will be performed in rotating repertory in three theatres located in Actors Theatre’s downtown Louisville complex: the 633-seat Pamela Brown Auditorium, 318-seat Bingham Theatre and 159-seat Victor Jory Theatre. The 2019 Humana Festival schedule also offers a weekend of enrichment events for college students, and features special weekend packages for theatre lovers and practitioners alike. These weekends are packed with discussions, networking opportunities and parties, making Louisville an exciting destination for the American theatre this spring.
Weekend packages for the 2019 Humana Festival of New American Plays are now on sale and are available for the following weekends, enabling you to see a variety of Humana Festival plays and access special events: March 15-17, March 22-24, March 29-31 and April 5-7, 2019. Packages are available for theatre lovers and practitioners on all Festival weekends, and for college students and professors the weekend of March 22-24.. Single tickets prices start at $25, and go on sale January 3, 2019. For more information, please visit ActorsTheatre.org or call our Box Office at 502.584.1205.
Actors Theatre celebrates the 43rd Humana Festival with underwriter the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana, Inc. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.
