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SubscribeThe Louisville Tattoo Arts Convention draws world-class tattoo artists, enthusiasts and television personalities to the Kentucky Exposition Center for body art, seminars, contests and entertainment. More than 200 tattoo artists will attend the show to display their body art. Artists accept walk-up clients or schedule ahead by contacting the artists directly.
Show is located in the Kentucky Exposition Center’s East Hall. Show hours are:
- April 13 – 2:00 PM until 12:00 AM
- April 14 – 11:00 AM until 12:00 AM
- April 15 – 11:00 AM until 8:00 PM
Parking for the Exposition Center is $8 per vehicle or $20 for a bus. Show tickets can be purchased on site only:
- $20 for a single day pass
- $40 for all three days
- Children 12 and under are free
Visit villainarts.com/tattoo-conventions-villain-arts/louisville-tattoo-arts-convention for more information.
Credit: KY State Parks
Learn about wildflowers and enjoy the spring season at Red River Gorge with the Kentucky Native Plant Society’s Wildflower Weekend April 13-14 at Natural Bridge State Resort Park.
The annual event includes hikes at the state park and in Red River Gorge on Friday and Saturday. Admission is $10 for adults, $3 for ages 13-17. Ages 12 and under are free. More information is available at www.knps.org.
Natural Bridge State Resort Park at Slade has a lodge, cottages and restaurant.
There are several other wildflower opportunities at Kentucky State Parks during April and May. They include:
- Second Saturday Hike on wildflowers at Lake Barkley State Resort Park near Cadiz on April 14 starting at 10 a.m.
- Spring Wildflowers and Wild Edibles Hike at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park at Calvert City on April 14 at 10:30 a.m.
- Wildflower Extravaganza at John James Audubon State Park in Henderson on April 14. Hikes start at 9 a.m.
- Wildflower Pilgrimage at Carter Caves State Resort Park at Olive Hill on April 21.
- Wildflower Hikes at Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park near Dawson Springs on April 7 and May 3 at 10 a.m.
- Wild Wonderful Wildflower Hikes at Pine Mountain State Resort Park at Pineville on April 21 starting at 9 a.m.
For more information about these wildflower events, visit http://parks.ky.gov/wildflowers.aspx. For more information about Kentucky State Parks, including lodging and camping reservations, visit www.parks.ky.gov.
The Kentucky Derby Festival is heading to Southern Indiana for one of its newest events – Horseshoe Foundation FamFest. The Festival is partnering with the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County to bring the family friendly event to New Albany on Wednesday, April 11. Showcasing a special preview of the 2018 Festival and offering fun for the whole family, the event will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Downtown New Albany next to the YMCA located at 47 Pearl Street.
“We’re fortunate to have Festival fans on both sides of the river,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “We’re all ready for spring and this event will help get everyone in the spirit of Festival season. Plus, we’ll have activities and fun for kids of all ages.”
Highlights of the event include autographs with the 2018 Royal Court, a hot air balloon, inflatables, mini golf, a miniature bed racing course, a Belle of Louisville Steamboat replica, face painting and more. Plus, the first 1,000 attendees will also receive a custom Pegasus Pin.
Other participants at the event include:
- Baptist Health & Fitness Activity Center
- Louisville Mega Cavern
- Louisville City FC
- Mighty Titans Adventure
- US Marine Corps
- New Albany Fire Department
- Samtec MakerMobile
- And many more!
Guests will also have the opportunity to purchase Kentucky Derby Festival Official Merchandise as they gear up for the Festival season. Concessions will also be available from Mark’s Feed Store and Papa John’s.
Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County is title sponsor of the event with Media Sponsors 102.3 Jack FM and Extol Magazine.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
The Kentucky Derby Festival’s bourbon tasting event – King Southern Bank BourbonVille – returns next week. Celebrating Kentucky’s home-grown spirit, the event is set for Thursday, April 12th at 6 p.m. at the Louisville Palace.
“BourbonVille helps showcase two of Kentucky’s favorite things – bourbon and the Derby Festival celebration,” said Mike Berry, Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO. “Whether you like your bourbon neat or prefer a bourbon cocktail, it’s an event you don’t want to miss.”
BourbonVille will feature signature cocktails from several Kentucky Bourbon Distilleries. Participants include Evan Williams, Jim Beam, Four Roses, Flat Boat, Bulleit Bourbon and Jeptha Creed, to name a few. New for 2018, Angel’s Envy will host the VIP area. The different brands will present the spirit straight, of course, but also in specialty drinks, food and other variations. There will also be opportunities to mix and mingle with the Master Distillers and Brand Ambassadors.
Guests will be able to enjoy a wide-selection of Bourbon-inspired cuisine. The menu includes bourbon BBQ pork sliders; chicken’n waffles with bourbon syrup; smokey bourbon BBQ meatballs; gourmet cheese boards with bleu cheese, bourbon poached pears, cheddar, and smoked gouda; and more. For a full menu, visit KDF.org.
Each of the distilleries will build custom bars for the event inside the Louisville Palace. There will be a silent auction featuring bourbon inspired packages with everything from bourbon cocktail mixes and apparel to barrel heads and collectibles. Liquor Barn is also hosting a special Desserts Lounge.
Tickets for the event are still available. General Admission Tickets are $50. Each ticket includes bourbon and food tasting, as well as a swag bag with commemorative mason jar, BourbonVille event Pin, and other bourbon themed items. Tickets can be purchased online at KDF.org.
BourbonVille is sponsored by King Southern Bank, with Contributing Sponsors Liquor Barn/Party Mart, and RunSwitch PR. Media Sponsor is 107.7 The Eagle.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
The National Wheelchair Basketball Association National Tournament returns to the Kentucky Exposition Center April 12-15, bringing 96 junior and adult division teams together to battle it out on the courts. The competition is estimated to generate $2.8 million in economic impact for the Louisville area.
The National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) athletes wheel into action on 12 courts located throughout South Wings B and C. Tournament hours are:
- Thursday, April 12 9:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
- Friday, April 13 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
- Saturday, April 14 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Sunday, April 15 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
The National Wheelchair Basketball Association was founded in 1948, with teams of veterans competing against one another. Today there are more than 200 NWBA teams and eight divisions of play exist: Junior Prep; Junior Varsity; Division I-III; Intercollegiate Men’s; Intercollegiate Women’s; and Women’s.
TICKETS Pre-sale through April 4/At the door:
- $26, adults all sessions/$32, adults all sessions
- $15, adults single session/$19, adults single session
- $10, children (age 11-18) all sessions/$12, children (age 11-18) all sessions
- $7, children single session/$10, children single session
Children 10 and under are free. To purchase tickets in advance, visit the website below. Parking at the Kentucky Exposition Center is $8 per vehicle and $20 per bus.
For more information and a tournament schedule, visit www.nwba.org/2018nwbt.
The Kentucky State Fair Board has named the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation’s top executive as its new President and CEO. David S. Beck, 63, has served as CEO of Farm Bureau since 1995, and brings over 40 years of experience in agriculture and governmental affairs to Kentucky Venues. The State Fair Board is the governing body for Kentucky Venues which manages the Kentucky Exposition Center and Kentucky International Convention Center.
“I’m truly humbled and excited for the opportunity to lead Kentucky Venues,” said Beck. “Kentucky is thriving like never before, and I look forward to enhancing the properties and working with our partners to market and grow our business to attract even more national and international events.”
A native of Lyon County in western Kentucky, Beck is a graduate of Murray State University and began his career with Kentucky Farm Bureau in 1977 as an area field service director.
“David Beck successfully led a large organization, involved in major state and national legislative regulatory issues affecting agriculture and rural Kentucky,” said Don Parkinson, Secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. “He brings a wealth of business expertise to lead the sixth largest convention operation in the nation.”
A five-member search committee was appointed by KSFB chairman Mark Lynn in January to review applications for the position which has been vacant since September, 2017. The Board will vote to officially approve Beck’s contract at its April 26th meeting with a start date of July 1.
The Kentucky Arts Council’s celebration of Kentucky Writers’ Day April 24 at Louisville’s Spalding University will cap off a week of literary events around the state that recognize the Commonwealth’s literary tradition.
The Kentucky General Assembly established Kentucky Writers’ Day in 1990 to honor Kentucky’s strong literary tradition and to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Kentucky native Robert Penn Warren, the first poet laureate of the United States and winner of three Pulitzer Prizes.
Current Kentucky Poet Laureate Frederick Smock will be among the readers and panelists at the Kentucky Arts Council’s Kentucky Writers’ Day celebration, beginning 6 p.m. in Spalding University Library’s Kentucky Room, 853 Library Lane in Louisville.
Following poetry readings by Smock and former poets laureate Maureen Morehead (2011-2012) and Joe Survant (2003-2004), poet Lynnell Edwards, Spalding’s associate program director for the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program, will moderate a discussion about Kentucky’s literary tradition.
As Kentucky’s literary ambassador, Smock urges all Kentuckians to celebrate Writers’ Day, no matter where they are.
“On Kentucky Writers Day, turn off the phone. Log off the computer. Do not turn on the television. For a few minutes, just read a poem. Let it sink in,” Smock said. “Follow where your mind goes with it, for you are the only authority on what the poem means to you.
“As with love, the feeling of having read a good poem can induce a certain inner radiance. The poem sinks in and transforms itself from words on a page to a deep interior shift. After all, we go to poetry not to find out about the poet’s life, but to find out about our own.”
In addition to the main event at Spalding, several organizations around Kentucky have organized their own Kentucky Writers’ Day celebrations leading up to the main event on April 24.
In Frankfort, Paul Sawyier Public Library will host a Kentucky Writers’ Day celebration featuring former Kentucky Poet Laureate Richard Taylor on Wednesday, April 18. Taylor will be joined by award-winning writers Leatha Kendrick and Jeff Worley beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT. Local poets are invited to share their original poems at an open mic beginning at 6 p.m. Contact Diane Dehoney at diane.dehoney@pspl.org or at 502-352-2665.
The Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning will host Lexington’s celebration of Kentucky Writers’ Day with readings by three former Kentucky poets laureate – Gurney Norman, Frank X Walker and George Ella Lyon – at 6 p.m. EDT on April 23. Also invited to read are some of Kentucky’s newest writers from the University of Kentucky’s MFA in Creative Writing Program. For more information, contact the Carnegie Center at 859-254-4175.
Observance of Kentucky Writers’ Day in Murray is scheduled for April 23, at 6 p.m. CDT, in the Calloway County Public Library meeting room. The event is designed as a community gathering to honor Kentucky writers, celebrate National Poetry Month and observe William Shakespeare’s 402nd birthday. Families are invited to select favorite poems to read aloud. The festivities will also feature poems by Kentucky’s Robert Penn Warren, and current Kentucky Poet Laureate Frederick Smock. Contact Sandy Linn at sandy.linn@callowaycountylibrary.org or at 270-753-2288 for more information.
Kentucky Humanities will present “Paint the Town Red,” another celebration of Warren’s birthday. During the event, Kentucky Humanities will announce an upcoming statewide literacy initiative featuring Warren’s work. “Paint the Town Red” will start at 11 a.m. CDT April 24 at the Robert Penn Warren Birthplace Museum in Guthrie. For more information, contact Brooke Raby at brooke.raby@uky.edu or at 859-257-4317.
“‘Kentucky is a writerly state,’ Jim Wayne Miller used to say, and right he was,” Smock said. “Kentucky Writers’ Day is being celebrated across the state, from Frankfort to Murray, from Lexington to Guthrie. And in Louisville, in the Kentucky Room of Spalding University where I will be joined by recent poets laureate Maureen Morehead and Joe Survant.”
For more information about Kentucky Writers’ Day and the April 24 event at Spalding, contact Tamara Coffey, arts council individual artist director, at 502-892-3121 or tamara.coffey@ky.gov.
