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Visitors to the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville this month can get information and expert guidance on health, wellness and family assistance programs at the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) exhibit.
The fair is Aug. 17-27 at the Kentucky Exposition Center, and the CHFS exhibit in the Health Horizons area of South Wing B will feature information to help support the strategies of Gov. Matt Bevin’s Kentucky HEALTH (Helping to Engage and Achieve Long Term Health) initiative, his Medicaid transformation proposal, which empowers individuals to improve their health and well-being through healthy lifestyle habits.
CHFS Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said the CHFS exhibit will encourage fair visitors to follow healthy patterns like choosing nutritious foods, getting regular physical activity and regularly seeing a doctor.
“In the spirit of Kentucky HEALTH, our CHFS staff at the state fair will encourage individuals to take meaningful steps toward improving their health with the help of our programs,” Glisson said. “There is so much we can do on our own, too, like choosing to stop smoking, buying ingredients for meals at the local farmers market and fitting in walking or other exercise every day.”
Glisson said that for many guests at the fair, meeting with an expert and talking about health concerns in such a relaxed environment can be a first step toward meeting wellness goals.
“Lifestyle modifications can contribute to chronic disease prevention, savings in health costs, and ultimately, a longer life,” she said. “Every day, our exhibit will offer new information about how to ensure a healthier lifestyle by making good decisions about nutrition, daily activity and behavioral health. It’s not easy, and many of our programs offer families help toward better well-being.”
The interactive display will feature learning activities for children and adults, free health screenings and on-site health educators who can speak one-to-one about wellness and prevention.
The exhibit includes a 45-foot dental screening van, sponsored by CHFS, the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville. Medical staff will offer free dental screenings to children entering public school kindergarten or first grade who have signed consent from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.
Duffle Bag and Backpack Drive
Also to help children in foster care, CHFS is collecting new duffel bags and backpacks at its display. Children in foster care will receive the bags to carry their belongings. Everyone is encouraged to bring a bag or backpack with them to the fair and place it in our donation bin.
CHFS Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said that the need for bags surprises a lot of people.
“Often times, when children are removed from their home and placed into state care, all their belongings are literally stuffed into a black garbage bag,” Secretary Glisson said. “Can you image how that makes them feel? No child deserves to be given a trash bag for their belongings. This effort changes that.”
Focus Days
Visitors and media are invited to ask top experts about several Cabinet programs on special “focus days.” From 10 a.m. to noon, the Cabinet leadership will be on site to speak with guests and reporters about some of the agency’s highest priorities.
Glisson said the “focus day” topics include dental health (Aug. 17), foster care and adoption (Aug. 23), Zika education (Aug. 24) and substance use disorder (Aug. 25).
“Substance abuse is our state’s No. 1 public health issue,” Secretary Glisson said. “We will have experts on hand to talk about harm reduction education, behavioral health referral services, prescription drug abuse prevention and family preservation efforts that are making a difference in the fight against this terrible epidemic.”
Media and guests can also talk to dental health experts including Dental Director Dr. Julie McKee about improvements to oral health and the state’s updated Strategic Oral Health Plan.
When Zika education and mosquito prevention is in the spotlight, guests can learn about how to protect against harmful mosquitoes and even pose for pictures with life-size Marty Mosquito, who travels the state educating families how to “Fight the Bite.”
Glisson said the cabinet’s new Adoption Czar, Daniel Dumas, and several adoptive families plan to join her on the foster care and adoption “focus day” the morning of Aug. 23.
“Every child deserves a safe and loving home,” Glisson said. “For children in foster care, safe reunification is always the goal. But when that cannot happen, we look for other families to open their hearts and their homes. Families considering that journey can learn more at our fair exhibit just by having a conversation with a veteran recruiter or adoptive parent.”
More CHFS Staff Providing Services at the Fair
In the South Wing, the cabinet’s Nutrition Services Branch staff will assist visitors with the Rock and Relax room, sponsored by Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness and Baptist East Hospital. Parents can stop by to privately and comfortably nurse, feed or change their infants and learn about breastfeeding and baby safety.
And throughout the fair, inspectors from the Food Safety Program of the Department for Public Health will be monitoring food services.
Fair Admission and Hours
Exhibit buildings at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center are open daily at 9 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Advance tickets are $7 for adults, seniors and children; free for children 5 years and under. Parking in advance is $5 per vehicle (car and bus). Advance discount prices are available through 10 p.m., Aug. 16, at Kroger and online at http://www.kystatefair.org and on the Kentucky State Fair app.
Admission at the gate is $10 for adults, seniors and children; free for children 5 years and under.
Parking after Aug. 16 and at the gate is $10 per car.
Councilwoman Mary C. Woolridge (D-3) is inviting everyone to come out to the Annual Community Unity and Back To School Festival on Saturday, August 12th in Algonquin Park for some great summer fun. It will be a fun filled afternoon and evening for the entire family and a way to help kids get ready to go back to school.
“I am very pleased that the community once again sees Algonquin Park as an important place for all the neighborhoods in the area. The individuals who love the community stepped up to be lifeguards so the Algonquin Pool could be opened when all the other pools were opened and the pool would not open late,” says Woolridge. “As a way of saying thank you, we want to have a little fun and help children in need have a good start to the new school year.
The Annual Community Unity and Back To School Festival will get underway from 1:00pm to 8:00pm in Algonquin Park located at Cypress and Burwell Streets.
There will be a Back to School Back Pack and School Supply giveaway starting at 2:00pm. 500 back packs will be given away while they last. The backpacks will include rulers, notebooks, folders, pencil pouch, glue stick and more supplies.
All children must be accompanied by an adult to receive a backpack and supplies.
The festival will also feature food from Mack Bar-B-Que and free hot dogs beginning at 2:00pm until they are gone, compliments of Councilwoman Mary C. Woolridge.
There will be music from Eddie Abraham 4:00pm to 5:30pm and the very popular Unlimited Band 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
Metro Parks will be on hand providing inflatables, face painting, balloons and other activities for the kids.
Everyone is encouraged to bring their lawn chairs, kick back and enjoy a great summer day in Algonquin Park.
“This is truly a community event with a purpose: making sure our children are ready for school and helping our families. We also want the community to have a chance to enjoy themselves with 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.”
For more information about the Annual Community Unity and Back To School Festival, contact Councilwoman Woolridge’s office at 574-1103.
A talent contest to save a theater brings together a wide variety of talented animals performing popular song favorites when “Sing” closes out another great season of Free Summer Movies at Iroquois Amphitheater on Saturday, August 12th at 8:00pm.
“This is a great movie to help close out ten years of the Free Summer Movie program that began as a way to showcase one of the best entertainment venues in the area,” says Councilwoman Marianne Butler (D-15). “Once again, Iroquois Amphitheater has delighted audiences and introduced people to Iroquois Park.”
“Sing” focuses on the efforts of Buster, a koala, who tries to save his late father’s theater. He decides to hold a talent contest and a wide range of talented animals come forth to audition and save his father’s legacy. The 2016 American 3D computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment stars the voices of Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, and Tori Kelly.
“We appreciate the support we have received from the Metro Council over these past ten years. With the Council’s help, we have enjoyed entertaining thousands of families at the Iroquois Amphitheatre with the Free Summer Movies program over that time,” says Seve Ghose, Director of Metro Parks. “We forward to their Council continued support over these next ten years and beyond.”
The Free Summer Movies program is made possible by several Metro Council members. For the 2017 movie season, more than 5,000 people attended the free films that were shown on Monday and Saturday nights. The final Monday night film will be The Legend of Tarzan on August 14th. Joining Councilwoman Butler as sponsors this year are Council Members Rick Blackwell (D-12) Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13), Dan Johnson (D-21) President David Yates (D-25), Mary C. Woolridge (D-3), David James (D-6), Cindi Fowler (D- 14), Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5), Angela Leet (R-7), Pat Mulvihill (D-10), Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4), Bill Hollander (D-9), Robin Engel (R-22), Barbara Shanklin (D-2), Madonna Flood (D-24), and James Peden (R-23).
Concessions are available. No outside food is permitted. Iroquois Amphitheater is located at 1080 Amphitheater Road, off New Cut Road. To learn more about events at Iroquois Amphitheater, call 502-368-5865.
Business leaders and elected officials join the development partners in breaking ground on one of the city’s newest and largest intergenerational communities – Riverport Landings. This intergenerational community will be home to families, senior citizens, single parent families and young adult foster alumni enrolled in FSH’s educational program. Situated on a 36-acre site, Riverport Landings includes various retail services and residents of Riverport Landings will have access to a 2.5 acre community park and other shared amenities conveniently located on a shared site.
“I want to congratulate the development team—LDG, Marian, the funders and many more—who have pushed this project forward,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “This tremendous asset to southwest Louisville will provide stable housing for seniors and families, while spurring commercial development along Cane Run Road, and establishing a community center and a park that will be excellent resources for those living in these units and in the surrounding neighborhoods. I am especially pleased to see private-sector investment in affordable housing, and the recognition that safe and reliable housing leads to more productivity and security for all members of the family. I look forward to seeing this investment progress and returning once it is complete.”
Riverport Landings is a joint venture between Marian Development and LDG Development—two of the nation’s largest developers of affordable housing. Combined, the companies have provided more than 9,000 affordable housing units for seniors, students and families in various cities across the country. Riverport Landings will include three types of affordable housing developments: Riverport Senior Living—a 108 unit senior property; Riverport Family Apartments—a 240 unit affordable family property and Riverport Scholar House—a 64 unit community for low-income single parent families and young adult foster alumni enrolled in FSH’s educational program. The development will also include a community park, retail space and other amenities that residents from all three properties will be able to access.
The need for more affordable housing in Louisville and throughout our country is well documented and is essential to attracting and retaining the diverse workforce needed for communities to grow,” said Jacob Brown, Chris Dischinger and Mark Lechner, principals for Marian Development and LDG Development. “The addition of Riverport Landings to southwest Louisville not only fills a need for more housing choice, but allows a nationally recognized non-profit—Family Scholar House— to fulfill its mission to end the cycle of poverty and transform our community by empowering families and youth to succeed in education and achieve lifelong self-sufficiency.”
Cathe Dykstra, Chief Possibility Officer and President and CEO of FSH, agrees. “Partnerships with high quality developers like Marian and LDG drive the expansion of physical sites to fulfill the needs of our families and young adults. We are not a housing program. We are an educational program with a housing component. Our partners allow Family Scholar House to focus on its mission and the housing component helps disadvantaged single parent families and young adult foster alumni transition from poverty and homelessness to financial independence and gratitude. Access to stable, affordable housing means these families and young adults can focus on graduating from college and looking forward to a future that includes self-sufficiency, home ownership and success.”
Funding for this $71,000,000 development was secured through Tax-Exempt Bonds, 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credits, and HOME and AHTF funds provided by Kentucky Housing Corporation, traditional construction and capital loans provided by RedStone Tax Exempt Funding, PNC Bank and U.S. Bank, Louisville Metro Government’s HOME and Louisville CARES programs, FSH’s capital fundraising which includes grants from James Graham Brown Foundation and Frank and Paula Harshaw, and capital contributions from The Ezekiel Foundation. Edwin King, Executive Director of Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) believes the mix of funding being used for this project demonstrates the support and need for this type of development within the area.
“KHC wants to engage in innovative solutions to problems related to housing. Part of the solution is leveraging partnerships and resources to achieve this goal and produce impactful outcomes. This mix of funding and partnerships allowed partners to increase the scope of this development and produce a greater number of affordable housing units while adding intrinsic community value to the project by including a community park, retail services and a community service facility.”
Construction of Riverport Landings is underway and is expected to be complete by January 2019.
Photo: Neighborhood Place
Neighborhood Place partners offer resources to help expectant parents and enhance fathers’ roles as well as an information session about becoming a foster parent. To learn more about these offerings and several others please refer to the list below.
Also six back to school events remain in early August featuring free school supplies, sponsored by Neighborhood Place and numerous community partners.
Two Opportunities for “4 Your Child – Dads Making the Difference” workshop series
For more information and to register, contact Dr. Cheri Langley at (502) 709-9323. “4 Your Child” is an eight-week fatherhood program that aims to improve the quantity and quality of fathers’ involvement by integrating responsible parenting, economic stability, and relationship education services. Participants may be compensated for their time up to $220 but registration is required.
- Sat., Aug. 5 – Sept 19, First Neighborhood Place, 1503 Rangeland Rd., 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
- Sat., Aug. 5 – Sept. 23, Charmoli Neighborhood Place, 200 Juneau Dr., 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Aug. 2 and 16, Legal Aid Office Hours at South Central Neighborhood Place, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Located at 4255 Hazelwood Ave. Call 485-7130 for more information. A Legal Aid Society staff member will be on hand to answer questions, talk about cases that Legal Aid handles and provide referrals.
Aug. 8, Foster Parent Recruitment Meeting at First Neighborhood Place, 6 – 8 p.m.
Located at 1503 Rangeland Rd., side of Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Call 595-5437 (KIDS) for more information. Detailed information will be provided on the requirements and process of how to become a foster or adoptive parent. Information such as an explanation of foster care, special needs adoption, and information on foster parent training classes will be provided. Sponsored by Kentucky Foster Care and the training classes will be provided. Sponsored by Kentucky Foster Care and the Special Needs Adoption Program.
Aug. 9 and 10, A Healthy Journey for Two Educational Baby Shower
For more information and to RSVP, contact Mendy Mason at 502-341-5400. A Healthy Journey for Two is an educational baby shower open to any expectant mothers. The class will include a range of information and resources, as well as free baby items, gift cards, prizes, and snacks. Hosted by Seven Counties and KIDSNow. Fathers are welcome but must be registered.
- Aug. 9, Ujima Neighborhood Place, 3610 Bohne Ave., 1 – 3 p.m.
- Aug. 10, First Neighborhood Place, 1503 Rangeland Rd., 1 – 3 p.m.
Aug. 10, Becoming Weight Wise at South Central Neighborhood Place, 12 – 1 p.m.
Located at 4255 Hazelwood Ave. Call 313-4089 for more information. It’s not easy to manage body weight. This course will allow self-discovery, skill building and support can help you learn about weight control. This program is based on approaches that are promising ways to achieve better health. Sponsored by Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness.
Aug. 14, Sodexo Hiring Opportunities at South Central Neighborhood Place, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Located at 4255 Hazelwood Ave. Call 574-4516 for more information. Sodexo, a food-service agency, will provide on-the-spot interviews for positions with Jewish Hospital, Our Lady of Peace and University of Louisville Hospital. Bring your resume and be prepared for an interview. This is one of Sodexo’s busiest hiring seasons. Stop by if you are looking for employment that can lead to a full-time or part-time position.
Credit: Louisville Metro Police
With the back drop of the Peterson-Dumesnil House, residents of Crescent Hill, Clifton, the Highlands, and St. Matthews will have a chance to find out what’s going on in the fight against crime on Tuesday, August 1st.
For a sixth year, the Fifth Division of Louisville Metro Police will host the 2017 National Night Out Celebration at this well-known landmark, located at 301 S. Peterson Avenue in Crescent Hill.
“Many of us on the Metro Council have had a sharp focus on crime in our districts. Fighting Crime begins with working with the men and women who patrol our streets,” says Councilman Bill Hollander (D-9). “National Night Out provides the chance for anyone to know what’s going on out in the streets.”
Hollander along with Council members Brandon Coan (D-8), Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4) and Angela Leet (R-7) are encouraging the public to come out for National Night Out which will be held from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.
“One of my goals in District 8 is to increase the number of neighborhood watch groups that can actively work with officers to keep our neighborhoods safe,” says Coan. “National Night Out is an opportunity to learn more about and sign-up for our program.”
“I talk many times about how people need to be connected to each other to improve our quality of life. An important connection is to know the men and women who keep our neighborhoods safe,” says Sexton Smith.
“Events such as National Night Out, help link neighbors to one another as well as help to build partnerships between the community and police,” Says Leet. “We need events like National Night Out to help empower our citizens to put a stop to the growing rates of violent and property crime.”
There is fun for all ages, including food, music, door prizes, and the making of child ID cards. There will also be a way to safely dispose of expired drugs.
For more information about the Fifth Division’s National Night Out event, call 574-LMPD (5673).
Photo: Actors Theatre of Louisville
Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Kevin E. Moore are excited to announce the cast and creative team for Tony Kushner’s epic, two-part masterpiece, Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, both directed by Associate Artistic Director Meredith McDonough (Airness, Circle Mirror Transformation, Peter and the Starcatcher). Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches will preview on August 29 and 30, open on August 31, and run through October 10. Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika will preview on September 19 and 20, open on September 21, and run through October 14. Both productions will be presented in repertory in the Pamela Brown Auditorium as part of the Brown-Forman Series. Tickets are available at 502.584.1205, online at ActorsTheatre.org, or in person by visiting the Actors Theatre Box Office at 316 West Main Street, Louisville, KY, 40202.
One of the most celebrated plays of the 20th century, Tony Kushner’s two-part masterpiece carries the audience through an astonishing theatrical landscape, both intimate and epic. In the chaos of the mid-1980s, a web of friends, lovers, and strangers struggle to make sense of the world. The AIDS crisis is escalating. The ozone layer is disappearing. And then a celestial messenger comes crashing through the ceiling—literally. Told with thrilling wit and unflinching honesty, this searing examination of American politics, religion, power, sexuality, and justice is as powerful as ever.
Actors Theatre welcomes a powerhouse cast for this production of Angels in America. Lou Liberatore (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Awards nominee as part of the 1987 original Broadway cast of Burn This) will be making his Actors Theatre debut as Roy Cohn/Prior 2. Barbara Walsh (Tony, Drama Desk and Drama League Awards nominee and L.A. Ovation Award winner for her role as Trina in the 1992 original Broadway cast for Falsettos; Drama Desk and Drama League Awards nominee for the 2006 revival of Company; Helen Hayes award winner for the 2014 revival of Carrie: The Musical at Studio 2ndstage) will return to Actors Theatre, after last performing in a 1988 production of Tomfoolery, as Rabbi Chemelwitz/Henry/Hannah Pitt/Ethel Rosenberg. Actors Theatre also welcomes back Therese Barbato (Peter and the Starcatcher) as Harper Pitt/Martin Heller and Richard Prioleau (Peter and the Starcatcher, Love’s Labour’s Lost) as Mr. Lies/Belize. Richard Gallagher (Louis Ironson), Mark Junek (Prior Walter/Man in the Park), Rami Margron (Emily/Ella Chapter/The Woman in the South Bronx/The Angel) and Brian Slaten (Joe Pitt) will all be making their Actors Theatre debuts.
Actors Theatre’s production of Angels in America, Parts One & Two will be directed by Actors Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director Meredith McDonough, where she has directed Airness, Circle Mirror Transformation, Peter and the Starcatcher, This Random World, Dot, The Last Five Years, Noises Off, The Whipping Man, brownsville song (b-side for tray) and The Delling Shore. Previously, McDonough was the director of new works at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California, where she directed the world premiere musical Triangle, as well as Upright Grand, Auctioning the Ainsleys, Silent Sky, Now Circa Then, [title of show] and Opus (Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards: Best Director and Best Production). Other San Francisco credits include the premiere of Miss Bennett–Christmas at Pemberley and A Steady Rain at Marin Theatre Company, and The Lily’s Revenge and Another Way Home at the Magic Theatre. Regionally, favorites include the U.S. premiere of NSFW, Fair Use (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Eurydice (Williamstown Theatre Festival), The Book Club Play (Dallas Theater Center) and the Washington, D.C. premiere of the musical Summer of ’42. In New York City, McDonough has developed work with Roundabout Theatre Company, Atlantic Theater Company, Keen Company and Ars Nova. She was the associate artistic director of The Orchard Project, was the new works director for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and currently serves on the board of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. McDonough received her B.S. from Northwestern University and her M.F.A. from University of California, San Diego.
The creative team for Angels in America, Parts One & Two include scenic design by William Boles, costume design by Alison Siple, co-lighting design by Isabella Byrd and Paul Toben, sound design by Christian Frederickson and media design by Philip Allgeier.
Learn more about the cast and creative team by visiting ActorsTheatre.org.
Part One: Millennium Approaches will preview August 29 and 30 with an official opening on August 31. Part Two: Perestroika will preview September 19 and 20 with an official opening on September 21. Actors Theatre is committed to providing an accessible theatergoing experience and offers an open captioned performance on September 9 for Part One: Millennium Approaches and September 30 for Part Two: Perestroika. Audio described performances are on September 10 for Part One: Millennium Approaches and October 8 for Part Two: Perestroika. For more information about our facilities and all services offered, visit ActorsTheatre.org. Tickets are on sale to the public priced from $25. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Actors Theatre Box Office at 502.584.1205 or online at ActorsTheatre.org. Special rates for groups of 10 or more are available by calling 502.585.1210.
Both full-length plays will be presented in repertory, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience this extraordinary epic in its entirety on two-show days falling on October 1 and 7, 2017.
Two portions of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will hang in the Sara Shallenberger Brown lobby during the entire run of Angels in America, Parts One & Two: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika from August 29, 2017 to October 14, 2017. The Quilt will be viewable on Tuesdays – Fridays from 5 – 10 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 – 10 p.m.
Angels in America, Parts One & Two are made possible in part by production sponsor Brown-Forman, the Kentucky Arts Council and Fund for the Arts.
To reserve tickets to review, to request images or for any other press inquiries, please contact Melissa Hines, Marketing Manager, at 502.584.1265 ext. 3140 or mhines@actorstheatre.org.