Friday March 29, 2024
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Louisville Parks and Recreation is accepting team registrations for its adult men’s winter basketball leagues. Games will be played Sunday afternoons at the Cyril Allgeier Community Center, 4101 Cadillac Court, beginning January 6, with game times of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 p.m.

The fee is $500 per team, and participants must be 18 or older. Deadline to register is December 15, or until leagues are filled.

For more information on how to register, please click here. Payments can be made by credit card over the phone at 502/574-4515. You may also pay by cash or check at the Parks and Recreation athletics office located at the Cyril Allgeier Center, 4101 Cadillac Ct., 40213.

Payment must be made in full at the time of registration in order to reserve your place for the season. Registrations received after deadline will be subject to $35 processing late fee.

All information concerning league offerings, rules, and team roster sheets can be found here. For more information, e-mail athletics at athletics@louisvilleky.gov or call 502/574-4515.

Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation

As part of a multi-year effort creating improvements at Shawnee Park, Mayor Greg Fischer and other local officials dedicated the newly upgraded and historic Dirt Bowl courts Tuesday morning. The annual Dirt Bowl tournament, in its 48th year, begins this year on Saturday, June 17 at Shawnee Park.

Many of the city’s and region’s leading hoops figures– including Darrell Griffith, Tony Kimbro, Artis Gilmore, Louie Dampier and Derek Anderson – have competed in the tournament. In addition to the high-quality of competition in the tournament, the Dirt Bowl is also been recognized as cultural and social summertime institution in west Louisville.

Just last year, a book titled “I Said Bang: A History Of The Dirt Bowl” was released by the Louisville Story Project outlining the significance of the tournament, from its beginnings in 1969 when it was created by Janis Carter and Ben Watkins.

In conjunction with an underground basin project that is ongoing in the park and is slated to continue through 2018, MSD has committed to making several improvements to the park, including new playing surfaces at Hornung Field, a new open-air pavilion and restrooms and the restoration of the lily pond and Ball House – the future home of the West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative.

“These changes will transform the park and bring amenities that will be enjoyed at Shawnee Park for generations to come,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “The short-term inconvenience due to MSD’s work in the park will result in a long-term gain.”

“I’m so glad that the MSD basin project has made the improvements to the Dirt Bowl courts possible. They are heavily used courts and will be able to extend the enjoyment and usage of the courts for years to come for patrons of all ages,” said Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton, who represents District 5, which includes Shawnee Park.

The work on the basketball courts consists of new fiberglass backboards, a scoreboard, concrete pads and bleachers as well as an enhanced electrical system for the court and nearby surroundings. The courts have also been slightly moved so that the evening sun will not be in the player’s faces, something that has been a long been a challenge at the Dirt Bowl.

“Everything about the Dirt Bowl experience, from the people in the stands listening to the call of the game and watching it on the court, to the players participating in it, will be enhanced because of this work,” said Seve Ghose, Director of Metro Parks and Recreation. “These are crowd-pleasing improvements and we’re looking forward to a great summer at Shawnee Park.”

Thunder, Derby, Travelling Events All Included on List

Courtesy: Kentuckytourism.com

Courtesy: Kentuckytourism.com

Several events hosted in Louisville have received the honor of inclusion on the Top 100 Events in the United States 2015 list.  At least two are Louisville-specific events, while others are events that are “just passing through.”  Still more events have connections to Louisville and the Commonwealth – which just goes to show why My Old Kentucky Home is a great place to live.

Among Sporting Events, the Kentucky Derby ranked at number seven.  The Fastest Two Minutes in Sports was edged out by heavyweight events such as the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500 race.

Also ahead of the Derby was another sporting event with Louisville and Kentucky connections:  the NCAA Men’s Final Four.  Last year, Kentucky made it to the Final Four in Indianapolis before being defeated, while Louisville was knocked out earlier in the tournament.  The previous year, Louisville and Kentucky met in the Midwest Regional of the tournament and the year before that Louisville rose to the top to beat Michigan for the Championship title.  Louisville, of course, also plays host to earlier rounds of the tournament.

In the Festivals, Parades & Holiday Events category, Louisville also got a nod for Thunder Over Louisville, which took 9th place in the category.  The Derby Festival celebration ranked behind events including Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, and Mardi Gras.

Under the heading of Political Events, ranked third (ahead of the State of the Union address) was the National Rifle Association Annual Meetings & Exhibits.  Although the 2015 NRAAM event was held just down I-65 in Nashville, next year’s event will be held right here in Louisville at the Kentucky Exposition Center.

Top honors in the Entertainment Industry Events category went to Comic-Con International and, although “the big show” is held in San Diego, Louisville does play host to it’s own versions of the show through FandomFest and the Derby City Comic Con.

View the full list of Top Events in the US at BizBash.com.

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