The latest spring fashion trends walk the runway this week as Macy’s Presents the Kentucky Derby Festival Spring Fashion Show. Set for Thursday, March 28th, in the Showroom of Horseshoe Southern Indiana, this year’s show is themed We Are Wonder Women. The event starts with cocktails and boutique shopping at 5:30 p.m., V.I.P. lounge doors open at 5:30p.m., lounge doors open at 6:30p.m., Showroom doors open at 6:45p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and runway show at 8 p.m.

Christine Fellingham, Creative Consultant, returns this year to style and produce the show. Guests can expect a night of fun and high fashion. This year’s fashion show will feature outfits and accessories by: AFM Threads, Apricot Lane Boutique, BLU Boutique, Darling State of Mind, GUESS?, Inc., Him Gentleman’s Boutique, Macy’s, Magnolia & Fig, maurices, Six Sisters Boutique, The Urban Farmgirls and Work the Metal.

Eyewear is provided by the Official Eyewear Partner – Louisville Eye Center. Hats are provided by The Hat Girls: the Official Hat Designers of the 2019 Derby Festival. Hair and make-up is provided by J. Michael’s Spa & Salon. Some of the Festival’s Official Products will also be featured and the Official 2019 Derby Festival merchandise will be on sale at the event. Models are provided by Heyman Talent Agency.

As the title sponsor for the seventh consecutive year, Macy’s will treat guests to $10 gift cards and a red carpet photo opportunity. Contributing sponsors are Guess? Inc., Horseshoe Southern Indiana, and J Michael’s Spa & Salon. Media Sponsors include 99.7 DJX and TOPS Louisville.

First produced in 1990, the Kentucky Derby Festival Fashion Show was originally conceived as a venue for unveiling the new Board of Director’s uniform, the teal Pegasus jacket. It was so successful, the Board of Directors decided to make it a permanent addition to the Festival schedule. Thanks to the support of many retailers, the Spring Fashion Show has become THE fashion show for the season.

Lori Poe of Mt. Sterling is taking home the title of Derby Burger Champion, in the 8th Annual “Derby Burger Challenge” sponsored by Kentucky Beef Council and coordinated by the Kentucky Derby Festival. Poe’s recipe for her “Chimichurri Churchill Burger” was selected as the overall winner after a cook-off this morning at the Kroger in Prospect. It features ground beef, fresh sliced avocados, Mexican cheese, spicy pimento mayo spread, and a homemade parsley-garlic chimichurri sauce, all wrapped in a flour tortilla and re-toasted.

Lori placed third in the Derby Burger Challenge in 2018, which influenced her entry this year. “Some of the judges commented last year that they wanted a less-messy burger,” said Poe. “So, this year I wrapped it in a tortilla instead of using a bun – it seems like it made a difference.”

The Festival received dozens of submissions for the annual competition. More than 5,000 beef lovers voted online to help pick the top 4 finalists. At the final cook-off, a panel of judges determined the overall winner based on points accumulated from four factors – Taste, Appearance, Creativity and Ease of Preparation. Other finalists included Thomas Dew of Louisville with the “Asian BBQ Burger with Grilled Peaches”; Donna Gribbins of Shelbyville, with the “Foto Finish Filly Cheese Steak Burger”; and Scott Wisdom of Louisville, with the “Go Big Bleu! Burger”.

Poe’s winning Derby Burger recipe will be available to try at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville this year during its nine-day run, as well as sampled at BeerFest Presented by Liberty Financial, and recognized in Louisville-area Kroger stores.

Poe also receives VIP tickets to Thunder Over Louisville, VIP Experience at Waterfront Jam, tickets to BeerFest, as well as a $100 gift certificate to Kroger and a grilling package from Kentucky Beef Council.

Mayor Greg Fischer was joined today by officials from the Louisville Free Public Library, the Kentucky Science Center, Louisville Parks and Recreation and Jefferson County Public Schools to encourage local children to take advantage of the dozens of free and low-cost activities offered by those organizations during the upcoming spring break April 1-5.

“We want kids to enjoy the time off with their family and friends, and to come back ready to finish the school year strong,” Fischer said. “It’s important to keep those young minds and bodies healthy and active.” 

Those include camps run through parks and recreation community centers, including a free basketball clinic by former University of Louisville basketball player Robbie Valentine on April 2-3 at the Cyril Allgeier Community Center; activities that include free movie viewings, STEAM instruction, workshops, classes and more at local Louisville Free Public Library branches; and literacy classes for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders through JCPS.

“We want kids to have fun, stay safe and out of trouble during the break from school,” Fischer said. “There are several opportunities daily for them to remain active and engaged through guided programming. Hopefully the weather’s nice and they’ll be able to spend some time enjoying the outdoors as well.”

More information: 

Louisville Parks and Recreation 

Louisville Free Public Library

Jefferson County Public Schools

Kentucky Science Center

Councilwoman Donna Purvis will host a community meeting to bring representatives of Metro Government to the people of District 5 on Tuesday, March 26th.

          “I want everyone to have an opportunity to meet with those departments of government that bring services to us every day,” says Councilwoman Purvis. “If you have a concern or an issue you would like to have addressed, please come and join us.”

          The Community Meeting will be held at the Shawnee Golf Course Clubhouse at 4600 Northwestern Parkway beginning at 6:00pm.

          The Councilwoman will join representatives from Codes and Regulations, the Louisville Water Company, MSD, Louisville Fire, Louisville Metro Police, Solid Waste Management, Metro Public Works, TARC, LG&E, Develop Louisville and the Air Pollution Control Board.

          For those who come out, chili will be served.

          “This is your chance to let us know what we need to do for you,” says Councilwoman Purvis.

For more information about the Community Meeting in District 5, contact councilwoman Purvis office at 574-1105.

Solid Waste Management Systems Enforcement officers have located an impounded the first vehicle of 2019 for illegal dumping in Louisville Metro.

A citizen photographed an individual on March 7th who was dumping debris in the 4400 block of Bardstown Road. The citizen then contacted SWMS, who located the individual and he admitted to the illegal dumping and the vehicle was impounded.

“I want to thank the alert citizen who caught this activity and I also want to thank SWMS officers for their continued follow through to catch illegal dumpers in our city,” says Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin (D-2). “When the Metro Council changed the law to impound vehicles for dumping, the message was simple: if you are going to illegally dump in our city, it will be costly if we catch you.”

The individual was issued a citation totaling $500, and the owner will have to pay approximately $250 for impound and storage fees.

Class Act Federal Credit Union and the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation will host dozens of talented kids at the Academic Challenge this weekend. The quick-recall tournament is set for this Saturday, March 23, at Spalding University in the Mansion Building. The tournament is coordinated by Jefferson County Public Schools is scheduled for 8 AM to 3 PM.

“More than just a competition, the Academic Challenge is a great way to showcase the academic achievements of both our local students, and the public schools,” said Jeff English, President of the KDF Foundation.

The Academic Challenge is an opportunity for elementary students from all over the county to test their acumen by answering questions pertaining to math, science, social studies, language arts and humanities. This year’s competition will feature 12 teams from local elementary schools and 150 students.

One of running’s most iconic figures, Kathrine Switzer will participate in her first ever Derby Festival race. Switzer was the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon in 1967, and recently ran it again 50 years later in 2017. (The run was only 24 minutes slower than she did in her first marathon at age 20.) On Saturday, April 27, Switzer will run the Derby Festival’s Marathon Relay as member of the Humana Relay Team.

“I’m thrilled to team up with Humana to continue spreading awareness about the importance of active aging and the pursuit of healthy social, emotional, and physical habits,” said Kathrine Switzer. “With the relay you can train for as little as a 5K or 10K. Whether you’re an experienced runner or trying something new, I encourage everyone to come out and run with us.”

Humana is the title sponsor of the Derby Festival miniMarathon and Marathon, which mark the largest day of road racing in Kentucky. 2019 will be the 46th year for the miniMarathon and 18th year for the Marathon.

Switzer is an athlete, author, spokeswoman, commentator, and advocate. She will always be best known as the woman who challenged the all-male tradition of the Boston Marathon and became the first woman to officially enter and run the event in 1967. Throughout her career, Switzer has run 41 marathons. In 1975, her two-hour and 51-minute marathon in Boston was ranked sixth in the world and third in the United States. She won the New York City Marathon in 1974 and then, 43 years later, in 2017, she ran through the streets again and finished 2nd in her age group. She has run for 59 years. Switzer also advocates for women’s sports participation throughout the world and continues today with the creation of “261 Fearless”, a global non-profit movement that empowers women through running.

“We’re honored to have Kathrine Switzer, who has paved the way for so many female athletes, running with us in April,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “Women have been participating in the Kentucky Derby Festival’s races since the mini started in 1974, and now make up more than 50% of our running field.”

The mini, Marathon and Relay all start simultaneously on April 27th at 7:30 am on Main Street near Slugger Field and will finish at Preston and Witherspoon streets. Registration is still open online at DerbyFestivalMarathon.com.