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On Saturday, July 1st, Southwest Louisville is once again ready to celebrate the Fourth of July Holiday weekend with fireworks and fun as the 6th Annual Riverview Independence Festival, presented by Brown-Forman, Kosair Charities and Metro PCS, gets underway.
“I invite everyone from across Louisville to come to the Riverview Festival to see the fun and festivities we have to offer,” says Councilman Rick Blackwell, D-12. “I am proud of this event as it continues to grow each year and has become a point of pride for our Southwest community.”
It’s a patriotic celebration of music, entertainment, and family fun at the beautiful Riverview Park along the scenic Ohio River. Then, at night, spectacular lights of fireworks will emanate from a barge on the Ohio River for a stunning display with a picturesque backdrop.
“Brown-Forman is a proud supporter of the Riverview Independence Festival – a treasured Southwest tradition that provides an opportunity for our community to gather together in one of Louisville’s most beautiful settings as we celebrate the birth of our nation,” says Carly Launius, Community Relations Manager for Brown-Forman. “We are so please to be a part of this annual event and look forward to seeing its continued growth and success.”
“The Riverview Independence Festival has become a hallmark event in Southwest Louisville,” says Randy Coe, Kosair Charities Board President. “This family-friendly event provides free activities and entertainment for both kids and parents. We are excited to be a part of the fun and community it helps to build.”
“MetroPCS is proud to be a sponsor for the 4th year in a row. Each year we look forward to spending time with our neighbors at the festival,” says Leigh Anne Burke-Schaad, Field Marketing Manager for Metro PCS.
The Riverview Independence Festival will begin at 3:00 pm and will cap off with the Fireworks show at 10:00 pm. It is a free event.
Among the highlights of this year’s Festival:
- Appearances by Abe Lincoln and Col. Sanders from Squallis Puppeteers
- Mad Science experiments to make your own slime and cotton candy
- Mingle with Louisville League of Mascots
- Beat the heat with the Riverview Sprayground
- Bring your refillable water bottles to fill up with “The Bubbler”
- Enjoy fair food from Kentuckiana Catering and Hot Diggety Dogs
- Dawne Gee, Kayla Vanover, Julian Glover from WAVE 3 News will be our emcees for the festival activities
- Musical performances by The Louisville Crashers and Sobourbon Shooters
- Fantastic Fireworks show on the River at 10:00 pm!
Limited parking is available at the event site. Additional parking will be available at LG&E, located at 7301 Distribution Drive. A shuttle service from the school to the park will be provided by TARC for attendees from 4:00 to 10:45 pm.
“Come join us for some patriotic fun at a festival that has quickly become a great tradition and is a great way to celebrate the holiday while enjoying one of the best parks in Southwest Louisville,” said Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14).
“Another fabulous free event for families to enjoy our beautiful riverfront along with music, booths, and food options! Bring a chair or blanket and have fun!” said Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13).
“This Festival is a great way to just kick back with family and friends and enjoy the 4th of July weekend,” says President David Yates (D-25). Community spirit is built when both public and private sectors come together to give the community a free event to celebrate our country’s rich heritage.”
In addition to this year’s Presenting Sponsors, the Riverview Festival is supported by many local businesses whose commitment to our community is essential to the success of the Festival. Lead Sponsors this year include WAVE3 News, LG&E, Atlas Machine & Supply, Café Press and Signarama Dixie. Algood Food Company and Owen Funeral Home have signed on as Proud Patrons.
Joining Blackwell, Fowler, Welch, and Yates as sponsors are Council members Marianne Butler (D-15), Madonna Flood (D-24), Mary C. Woolridge (D-3), Dan Johnson (D-21), Jessica Green (D-1), David James (D-6), Angela Leet (R-7), and Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4).
Chairs, blankets, and coolers are allowed. No pets, outside alcohol, tents in the event area, drones or flying objects or glass containers are permitted.
To see a listing of all the activities at the 6th Annual Riverview Independence Festival presented by Brown-Forman and Kosair Charities, and Metro PCS go to: www.RiverviewFestival.com/ or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/riverviewfest/
Councilwoman Madonna Flood (D-24) announced she has decided to forgo the “Doing Our Part from the Heart” campaign until February of 2018 due to unforeseen family medical problems.
“As everyone knows taking care of our servicemen and women in remote areas of the world has been at the center of every Doing Our Part from the Heart campaign,” says Flood. “When February 2017 came around, some of my family and I were dealing with health issues that we had to address. I could not devote my full attention to collecting those items that we send to our military.”
Flood says as a result, she believed it would be best to take a break from the campaign for just one year and then come back in full force to collect the items that traditionally have been sent to far away locations with the help of the community.
“In the ten years that we have been involved, I cannot thank the community enough for their support. From candy to razor blades, our items have touched the lives of service men and women to remind them that we all appreciate them and they are not forgotten,” says Flood. “You have my thanks and my deep appreciation for your caring spirit.”
However, Flood says there is still plenty of opportunity for the community to keep service men and women in mind as they do their duty.
“I would encourage everyone to get in touch with people who have family members who are serving,” says Flood. “Make them a part of your family. We are also always accepting monetary donations at any Republic Bank. This money is used to mail the packages we pack.”
It was in 2006 when the Councilwoman first called upon the community to help in this endeavor. She had received a simple letter from her son while he served in Iraq. For Christmas that year, he asked for basic personal items like deodorant, sunscreen and razors. He also asked if it was possible to send enough of those items for the other members of his unit.
It’s the day of the Great Adventure Bay Race between Adventure Bay’s Mayor Goodway and Foggy Bottom’s Mayor Humdinger, but Mayor Goodway is nowhere to be found. PAW Patrol to the rescue! Ryder summons Marshall, Chase, Skye, Rubble, Rocky, Zuma and Everest to rescue Mayor Goodway and to run the race in her place.
Using their unique skills and teamwork, the pups show that “no job is too big, no pup is too small,” and share lessons for all ages about citizenship, social skills and problem-solving as they make several heroic rescues on their race to the finish line.
The Kentucky Center is the official Ticket Service for this production. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, June 23, at 10 a.m. online, by phone (584-7777), and at the box office (501 W. Main Street, Louisville, 40202).
Ticket prices start at $22.50 reserved seating, fees apply. A VIP Package is available at $123.50 and includes premium seating, souvenir gift, and post-show Meet + Greet with photo opportunity including Ryder and two PAW Patrol characters.
PAW Patrol Live! – Race to the Rescue
Friday, January 5, 2018, 6 p.m.
Saturday, January 6, 10 a.m., 2 p.m.
Sunday, January 7, 1 p.m., 5 p.m.
The Kentucky Center
501 W. Main Street, Louisville 40202
Pet owners have a chance to find out what goes on when they are not at home with June’s Free Summer Movie. The 2016 American computer-animated comedy film “The Secret Life of Pets” is the feature film at Iroquois Amphitheater on Saturday, June 17th.
“As the Free Summer Movies celebrates its tenth year, we have a fun film for everyone. It’s free to the community at the Iroquois Park Amphitheater, a state of the art outdoor facility,” says Councilwoman Marianne Butler (D-15).
The movie tells the story of Max and Duke and other pets in a New York apartment building as they vie for the attention of their owner, Katie. What follows is a series of adventures where they encounter other animals after getting separated from their owner.
The Secret Life of Pets features the voices of stars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Steve Coogan in a dual role, Ellie Kemper, Bobby Moynihan, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Jenny Slate, and Albert Brooks.
Joining Councilwoman Butler as sponsors of 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), Stuart Benson (R-20) and James Peden (R-23).
The remaining summer lineup for “Movies Under the Stars” is as follows – all movies begin at 8:00pm:
July 15 – Zootopia
August 12 – Sing
Here is the lineup of Free Monday Night Movies for 2017 – all movies begin at 8:00pm:
June 19 – Madea’s Big Happy Family
July 3 – 1776
July 10 – School of Rock
July 17 – The Jungle Book
July 24 – Dial M for Murder
July 31 – The Wild Life
August 14 – The Legend of Tarzan
The Concession Stand is open for these events selling hotdogs, popcorn, ice cream and sodas.
To see all the great summer entertainment this year at the Iroquois Amphitheater, go to www.iroquoisamphithearter.com or call 502-368-5865.
Iroquois Amphitheater is located at 1080 Amphitheater Road in Iroquois Park.
Photo: Kentucky River Authority
The Kentucky River Authority (KRA) encourages volunteers to help in 19 Kentucky counties that will have teams removing debris as part of the Kentucky River Sweep this Saturday. The river sweep, a cooperative effort of the KRA and the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, encourages volunteers to clean the waterways of debris in six states.
The first Kentucky River Sweep, in 1994, was organized by the KRA to clean up the banks of the Kentucky River and its tributaries. Over the years, volunteers have removed tons of trash, debris and recyclable items.
The Kentucky River, including its upper tributaries, is approximately 420 miles long from its beginning in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to the Ohio River in Carrollton. There are 42 counties in the Kentucky River Basin and more than 750,000 people depend on the Kentucky River for their primary source of drinking water, agricultural production, and industrial uses.
Individuals interested in participating in cleanup activities and a list of contacts for participating counties, visit www.kra.ky.gov or contact Sue Elliston 502-696-2830 or sue.elliston@ky.gov.
Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14) has a great way for families and senior citizens to cool off this summer at the Sun Valley Pool beginning on Tuesday, June 13th.
“I am happy to again sponsor FREE Family Swim Nights on Tuesdays and Senior Citizen Swims on Thursday mornings during the summer,” says Fowler. “It’s a great way for everyone to cool off from the summer heat, spend time with your family and enjoy some exercise at one of the greatest pools we have in Metro Louisville.”
This year, the extended swim hours for the Sun Valley Pool will run from June 13th through July 27th.
Here is this year’s schedule:
FAMILY SWIM NIGHTS
- Tuesdays, June 13th – July 25th; 6:00-8:00pm
SENIOR CITIZEN SWIMS
- Thursdays, July 6th – July 27th; 11:00am – 1:00pm
Please Note: Children must be accompanied by an adult all times.
No drop-offs or unattended children will be permitted.
There will also be a special Summer Bash Pool Party Hosted by Councilwoman Fowler on Tuesday, August 4th as a way to bring summer fun to a close and get ready for a new school year.
“This is a great way to get away from the TV, the IPad or video games to enjoy a summer night, and get caught up on things between parents and their kids,” says Fowler. “You might also find that the Sun Valley Community Center is a great place offering different types of programs all year round.”
The Sun Valley Community Center and Pool is located at 6505 Bethany Lane.
For more information about this summer fun at Sun Valley, contact Councilwoman Fowler’s Office at 574-1114
Attorney General Andy Beshear today announced that his office is working with Tennessee law enforcement to focus on the effective prosecution of vehicular homicide cases.
The annual training event, being held in Pigeon Forge June 13-15, brings together Kentucky commonwealth’s attorneys with prosecutors from the Tennessee District Attorney’s Office and crash reconstruction officers from both states.
“Unfortunately, the Commonwealth has experienced a 10 percent increase in annual highway fatalities from 2015 through 2016,” Beshear said. “My administration is focused on addressing the persistent challenges our families face, and one of those is better addressing Kentucky’s drug epidemic. Every time our families, our friends or our children get in a vehicle, they are at risk of being harmed by a driver under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.”
In 2016, 834 people were killed on Kentucky’s roadways.
A statistic that remains constant, Beshear said, is that one in five highway fatalities are in crashes that involved alcohol.
In Kentucky last year, there were more than 6,228 collisions involving alcohol and drugs, resulting in more than 2,900 injuries and 167 fatalities.
Advanced training in this area by prosecutors and crash reconstructionists will improve the ability of prosecutors to both recognize these events as well as to successfully prosecute them when warranted, Beshear said.
Attorney General’s Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Robert Stokes will work in coordination with his Tennessee counterpart to present the training, which is open to the media. The training is at the Courtyard Marriott at 120 Community Drive in Pigeon Forge.
The goal of the training is to create a team building approach between crash reconstruction officers and state prosecutors, Stokes said.
The training is presented under the direction of the American Prosecutors Research Institute’s (APRI) National Traffic Law Center. Last year’s training was held at Lake Barkley State Park in Cadiz.