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SubscribeThe Kentucky State Fair runs Aug. 17-27 at the Kentucky Exposition Center and is the largest summertime attraction in the Commonwealth.
The 11-day celebration stays true to its 113-year heritage, while each year offering fairgoers exciting new experiences, food, music, animals, exhibits, entertainment and more.
- New Kentucky State Fair App Fairgoers can make the most of their experience with the Fair’s new app, free on Google Play and the App Store:
- Tickets: save money by purchasing advance parking and admission
- Tastes of the Fair: find those once-a-year food favorites
- What’s Hot: see what’s “trending” at the Fair
- My Schedule: create daily schedules of “must-see” music and entertainment
- News: get weather, parking and news updates
- Now and Next: see what’s going on now, and later
- Main Stage: order tickets for I Love the 90s Tour, Alabama and Southern Uprising Tour
- Fun Photo Filters: use filters to create unique Fair photos
- Find Your Fun: check out which entertainers are on stage and what animals are in the stalls
- Thrill Ville New Name, Better Location The Midway has a new name – Thrill Ville – and a new location closer to the heart of the Fair.
- Easier access to rides, especially with free parking across from Gate 1 on weekends
- Closer to air-conditioned indoor space to cool off
- Quicker access to food and entertainment tents, and indoor exhibit areas
- New Food at the Fair All the old favorites will be at the Fair – corn dogs, ice cream, donut burgers, fudge, fried fish and more. But get ready to bite into some of the new arrivals this year:
- Alligator
- Fried mac ‘n cheese balls
- Farm-to-table burgers
- Frog legs
- Tator tots with toppings
- FAIRenheit 17 Mini Music Festival Feel the Louisville love and celebrate all things local at the first annual FAIRenheit festival Thursday, Aug. 24 from 6 to 11 p.m.
- Local food trucks: Fresh out of the Box, Smoking Cantina and Celtic Pig
- Local craft breweries, distilleries and wineries: Copper & Kings and more
- Local bands: Ben Sollee with special guests Tony and the Tan Lines and 64West
- Local aerialists and fire artists
- Local artisans
- New Acts, Animals and Awards From wallabies to Wallendas and mascots to the moon, check out new acts, events, competitions and more.
- Flying Wallendas perform the high-wire daredevil acts that’ve made them famous
- Aussie Kingdom introduces fairgoers to their native kangaroos, wallabies, reptiles and birds
- Total Eclipse Experience, Aug. 21, invites everyone to experience the biggest eclipse in American history
- Kentucky Remembers with a walk-through WWI barrack and educational displays
- Hip Hop Juggler from Harlem awes audiences with hip-hop music and juggling
- Cooks vs. Cons competition keeps audiences guessing – who’s the cook and who’s the con artist
- Blue Ribbon Stage features interactive, educational shows from the Louisville Zoo, Kentucky Science Center, Kentucky Derby Museum, League of Mascots and more
- Kentucky Living presents its Best in Kentucky awards Aug. 24 at 10 a.m.
- Owsley Brown II Portable Planetarium brings stars and the galaxy to life
The 2017 Kentucky State Fair is Aug. 17-27 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. For more information, visit www.kystatefair.org or find the Fair on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or its blog.
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.
Don’t Miss the Last Day of the 2017 ComicCon in Louisville
The first two full days of vendors, panels, and celebrity guests at Fandomfest 2017 are over, but there is still one more day to head out to the ComicCon. The event has met with some challenges this year, but if they are preventing anyone – aside from several celebrity cancellations – from coming out to the event, it isn’t showing. The aisles and meeting rooms of the Jefferson Mall Event Center, formerly Macy’s, are packed with attendees, costumed and otherwise. Although the venue change was last minute, the new location offers many conveniences that were not previously available such as ample free parking and more affordable food options on site.
Attendees so far have been treated to a wide array of events, including a very interactive (and hilarious) Q&A session with Matthew Lillard, a trailer for an independent Star Wars film that will raise money for Norton’s Children’s hospital, Q&A panels with Paul Michael Glaser, Sean Gunn, and Brian Cummings, as well as more educational panels to help new authors, artists, and cosplayers, and much more.
There are plenty of vendors from all across the region sharing their art, books, toys, comics, memorabilia, costume pieces, and many other wares. If you walk around long enough, you may even see amazingly detailed, fully functional R2D2 or BB8 droids wandering the aisles, courtesy of the R2D2 and BB8 Builders Clubs.
Today marks the last day of the three day event and there is stilt plenty to see and do. There are more Q&A sessions including actors from the Kill Bill series, discussions about female superheroes, Supernatural, Star Wars, and Attack on Titan, a chance to see the aforementioned Star Wars trailer, and a children’s cosplay contest. Doors open at 11:00 AM. Continue reading
Fandomfest 2017 is ready to kick off tomorrow afternoon at the Jefferson Mall on Outer Loop. The event, which draws fans of many genres from sci-fi and horror to comic books and literary works to anime and other art. 2017 marks the 12th year for the event, which started out as Fright Night in 2005.
Fandomfest runs from July 28 through 30 at the Jefferson Mall Event Space which many may remember as the former Macy’s. Doors are open 4PM to 10PM Friday, 10AM to 7PM Saturday with after-hours events until 2AM, and 11AM to the 4PM close of the show on Sunday. This marks the third home for Fandomfest in as many years after the event moved from the downtown Kentucky International Convention Center due to construction and from the Kentucky Exposition Center due to contract issues.
The new venue brings two floors of vendors, celebrity appearances, fan group meetings, gaming activities and – in a welcome change from previous years – ample free parking for attendees and easy access to shopping and dining opportunities.
The 2017 Fandomfest features celebrities such as Matthew Lillard; Netflix hit Stranger Things’ Peyton Wich (Troy); Flash Gordon’s Sam Jones; Rogue One’s Princess Leia, Ingvild Deila; Original Starsky, Paul Michael Glaser, WWE stars Sting and Al Snow, along with many other voice, television, and movie actors, authors, artists, and more. A partial list of appearances is available on the Fandomfest website.
In addition to celebrity appearances, meet and greets, Q&A sessions, the event also plays host to a large marketplace where collectors can find both new and vintage toys, artwork, novels and more. On top of that, there are numerous panels that discuss topics like Science in Comics, games like Fandom Jeopardy, competitions like the Cosplay Contest, and helpful sessions like Writing Tips for Genre Writing. Attendees looking to relax can even participate in some free retro gaming sessions.
Find full schedules, hours, panels, and more in the official Fandomfest app for iOS and Android or on the event website, fandomfest.com.
Tickets are available at the event box office (cash only) and in advance online starting at $30.
Can a rabbit police officer and a fox con artist work together to figure out what’s going on in a city of animals where certain species are disappearing? That is the premise of “Zootopia” the next Free Summer Movie at Iroquois Amphitheater on Saturday, July 15th.
“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 2016 animated film from Walt Disney Studios tells the story of a rabbit, Judy Hopps, who fulfills her dream of becoming a police officer in Zootopia. On the beat she comes in contact with Nick Wilde, a fox who is also a con artist. The two become unlikely partners as savage animal behavior starts breaking out though the city.
“Zootopia” features the voices Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Jenny Slate, Nate Torrence, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Tommy Chong, J. K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Alan Tudyk, and Shakira.
Joining Councilwoman Butler as sponsors of this year’s Free Summer Movies 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:
- August 12 – Sing
Here is the lineup of Free Monday Night Movies for 2017 – all movies begin at 8:00pm:
- 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.
Photo: Kentucky Department Fish and Wildlife
With every passing season, anglers are building their knowledge base about how to catch saugeye stocked in a handful of central and northern Kentucky lakes.
A saugeye is a fast-growing cross between a walleye and sauger that can reach 15 to 19 inches in its second year. The hybridization is evident in the species’ physical appearance. Saugeye display the faint saddle markings of a sauger and the white fin tips of a walleye. Unlike either, it features black smudges on its dorsal fin.
Three lakes – 317-acre Guist Creek Lake in Shelby County, 148-acre Bullock Pen Lake in Owen County and 175-acre A.J. Jolly Lake in Campbell County – received experimental stockings of the species in 2013 and five have been stocked this year by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Guist Creek Lake received more than 15,000 fingerlings this spring. Anglers have reported good success in recent weeks fishing jigs off mud flats in 4 to 10 feet of water.
Paul Wilkes and Dane Balsman had never tried fishing for saugeye before they visited Guist Creek Lake one day in late June. They spoke with other anglers and studied bottom contour maps available on Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website at fw.ky.gov beforehand.
“We were able to identify some flats that we wanted to hit and then went out and graphed some baitfish near the drop-offs of those flats,” said Wilkes, fisheries program coordinator with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We went out there with a mindset of if we caught one or two we were going to be pumped because this was a new species for us.”
The two reeled in 11 saugeye, including one that weighed 4.5 pounds and two others that weighed better than 3 pounds.
“We went out there and tried it and tried a few different drop-offs we mapped,” Wilkes said. “We stuck to the basics of jigging slowly in the areas we had identified. Strikes were kind of a thud, where you almost thought you were hung up until you really pulled it in. Once we found the fish, it seemed like they were in small schools. You’d catch several.”
Minnow or worm-tipped jigs or small shad-imitating crankbaits are good options for saugeye, as are small suspending jerkbaits or swimbaits in grey and white. Wilkes and Balsman, urban fisheries program coordinator with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, found bladed jig heads with chartreuse bodies worked best for them.
Mike Hardin enjoyed similarly good fortune on Guist Creek Lake this spring fishing a little deeper in 8 to 10 feet of water.
“If you look at the fishing reports from saugeye lakes in Kentucky and Ohio, you see a lot of reports of anglers finding them in shallow water on crankbaits,” said Hardin, assistant Fisheries Division director with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “For a long time, I looked and looked and fished extremely shallow water jigging and picking up the occasional saugeye.
“We pulled off the bank and found wads of baitfish in 8- to 10-feet of water and it was game on. Fish close to the bottom, just like walleye fishing.”
He’s also had caught saugeye on Taylorsville Lake. Fisheries biologists believe good saugeye fishing could be in the cards this fall on Salt River above Taylorsville Lake based on population sampling from last fall.
“It seemed like there was definitely a push up there in the river. There’s going to be crappie and saugeye and bass, a little bit of everything,” said David Baker, Central Fisheries District biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “Honestly, I think we’re going to be getting a lot of phone calls about saugeye in Taylorsville here in the next year or two.”
This year, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources stocked more than 150,000 fingerlings in five lakes with Taylorsville Lake receiving more than 115,000 saugeye fingerlings.
Also receiving saugeye fingerlings were Guist Creek Lake, 92-acre Boltz Lake in Grant County and A.J. Jolly Lake in Campbell County. Lake Carnico, a 114-acre lake in Nicholas County, received its first saugeye stocking this year.
“It was a ton of fun and we were able to get on some really nice fish,” Wilkes said. “It definitely exceeded our expectations.”
For more information about saugeye fishing in Kentucky, including special regulations, consult the current Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide. It is available online at fw.ky.gov and wherever licenses are sold.
As a way to enjoy both the summer and Algonquin Park, Councilwoman Mary C. Woolridge (D-3) is offering free swimming at the Algonquin Pool on Mondays and Thursdays for the remainder of July.
“This is my way of saying thank you to the community for showing everyone that Algonquin Park is a place of pride. Earlier this year, we asked the community to help us finding the staff needed to open up Algonquin pool. So now, come and enjoy a swim on District 3,” says Woolridge.
On Mondays and Thursdays for the remaining weeks of July, it will be free admission to the first 50 people who want to come and swim at the pool. There is no age requirement however younger smaller children should be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian
Working with Metro Parks and Recreation, Councilwoman Woolridge has allocated funding from her District 3 Neighborhood Development funds to cover the costs.
The pool is open Monday through Saturday from 11:00am to 4:00pm. Closed on Tuesdays. The pool is located in Algonquin Park at 1614 Cypress St.
For more information contact Councilwoman Woolridge’s office at 574-1103.
