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SubscribeMayor Fischer, Metro Council Members and other leaders deliver Meals on Wheels
Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program announced today its support and participation in the 15th annual March for Meals – the month-long, nationwide celebration of Meals on Wheels and the homebound and vulnerable seniors who rely on this vital safety net.
“The services that we provide the seniors of Louisville are critical and the need is rapidly increasing,” said Faith Aeilts, program manager for the city’s Senior Nutrition Program, part of Louisville Metro Community Services. “Together, we can keep seniors living independently, healthier at home and feeling more connected to their community as they age.”
The Senior Nutrition Program works year-round to help seniors stay healthy by providing hot, nutritious meals. Through the Meals on Wheels program, hundreds of volunteers helped deliver over 100,000 hot noontime meals last year to qualified individuals. Another 90,000 meals were served to active seniors at more than 20 congregate meal sites, which offer seniors an opportunity for a nutritious lunch, socialization and activities.
“March is a time for us all to rally around Meals on Wheels,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “Our ability to meet the needs of vulnerable seniors lies in the willingness and generosity of businesses, government and concerned individuals of all ages to contribute in their own way. It not only makes economic sense to enable seniors to stay healthy and safe at home, but it improves the health and vibrancy of our communities and our nation at large.”
To spotlight important services provided by the Senior Nutrition Program and to help recruit volunteers, Mayor Greg Fischer, five Louisville Metro Council members and other local leaders will help deliver meals to homebound seniors during March. Next week, March 20 – 24, the following individuals will deliver meals: Council Members Jessica Green (District 1), Brandon Coan (District 8), Bill Hollander (District 9), and Pat Mulvihill (District 10), along with Yvette Gentry, Mayor Greg Fischer’s chief of community building and Becky Peak, Mayor of the City of Plantation.
Mayor Fischer will deliver meals on March 31 in the Okolona area. Community Services Director Eric Friedlander and Assistant Director Gena Redmon will also be participating this month as well. Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (District 4) delivered meals earlier in March.
The Senior Nutrition Program seeks volunteers all year long to help in a variety of capacities, including packaging and serving meals at one of the congregate sites, and delivering meals to homebound clients. For more information about volunteering, call (502) 574-6325. Volunteer drivers are especially needed for routes in the west and south ends of Louisville. To make a financial donation to Meals on Wheels, click here for Louisville Metro’s secure on-line donation form.
Meals on Wheels is available to qualified seniors in Jefferson County, 60 years or older, who are homebound with no one available to help prepare meals. Seniors who would like to receive Meals on Wheels can call (502) 574-6325 to begin the qualification process. The senior congregate sites for more active seniors, 60 and older, can be found by calling the same number above or by visiting https://louisvilleky.gov/government/community-services/senior-nutrition-program. Sites require a one-day advanced reservation.
Derby Festival Fans can help pick the next ‘Derby Burger’ Champion. Dozens of original recipes were submitted for the competition sponsored by the Kentucky Beef Council. Those recipes featuring 100% beef have been narrowed to the top 8 recipes. Voting is open online to help choose the top 4 burgers that will move on to the finals of the 2017 Derby Burger Challenge. Today through March 16, fans can visit KDF.org/Beef to vote for the burger they want to see make it the cook-off portion of the event. This is the sixth year for the Derby Burger competition.
“Everyone loves a juicy burger! Whether you’re gathered around the grill with family or looking for a lunch option to get you through the day, burger recipes offer something for everyone’s taste buds. The Derby Burger Challenge has been a great way for the Bluegrass to express their love for a great burger through all the inventive and exciting burger recipes. We are looking forward to seeing what this year has in store!” Steve Dunning, Kentucky Beef Council.
The burger recipes are judged based on Taste, Appearance, Creativity and Ease of Preparation. The winning burger will be featured at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville during Derby Festival, sampled at BeerFest presented by American Founders Bank and on the menu at Napa River Grill in May and June. Official rules of the competition can be found online at www.kdf.org/beef.
The winning chef also receives VIP tickets to Thunder Over Louisville, tickets to Waterfront Jam, as well as a $100 gift certificate to Kroger and a grilling package from Kentucky Beef Council.
Beginning Monday, March 13 through Friday, April 14, all purchasers of fresh ground beef at any of the Kentuckiana Kroger stores will receive a receipt message at checkout (on the bottom of the receipt). The message includes an entry code to register online at www.kdf.org/beef for a chance to win VIP tickets to a Waterfront Jam Concert at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville or BeerFest presented by American Founders Bank.
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
Christi’s Cafe Celebrates 10 years as a Great Local Business on Dixie Highway
In November 2006, Christi Druin took a chance and opened a small business on Dixie Highway. From that day forward, Christi’s Café has developed a great reputation for its home cooking and friendly service for the people of Valley Station.
On Monday, President David Yates (D-25) and Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14) will honor Christi’s Café with a proclamation and a thank you for her continued success as a small businesswoman in Southwest Metro Louisville.
“Christi’s Café is a great example of how small businesses drive the growth of our local economy,” says Yates. “For that reason, we are proud to honor Christi Druin and her dedicated employees for their contribution to making this locally owned and operated business a success.”
Druin is a graduate of Valley High School and the mother of six.
Two years after she started Christi’s Café, she was able to expand and purchase a familiar place along Dixie Highway that was once noted for its food served to the people of Valley Station.
“Everyone has a favorite place to eat and Christi has never forgotten where she came from. She makes her business feel more like a place where you go to meet your family and friends,” says Fowler. “She is successful because she cares about people.”
Christi’s Café is located at 12810 Dixie Highway which has a history for the people of Valley Station. When Druin bought the building, it was the location of a closed upholstery shop. Back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, the building was the location of Scotties Restaurant which was a local favorite along Dixie Highway.
On Monday November 14th, President Yates and Councilwoman Fowler will visit Christi’s Café at 1:00pm to bestow the proclamation and offer their congratulations on her tenth anniversary of operation.
To learn more about Christi’s Café, go to: http://christiscafe.com/
The two day long Louder Than Life music festival rocked heavy metal and rock fans from all over this past weekend with a jam-packed lineup of nearly 40 acts from around the world for the third annual celebration of bourbon, music, and gourmet man food.
Music fans made the journey to Louisville’s Champions Park in massive numbers despite the rain and chilly temperatures early on the first day. Once inside the venue, they were treated to a series of unforgettable shows from their favorite artists – along with all the staples of a good music festival: food, booze, dancing, and band merch.
The three-dozen-plus bands shredded, pounded, screamed, and, yes, even bagpipe-ed for the electric crowds in front of the festival’s three stages. Although the two main Monster Energy stages were side-by-side at one end, the third was located at the far opposite corner of the venue – good for not having bands drown each other out, bad for trekking back and forth.
As the performers thrilled festival goers, thousands of fans packed as far forward toward the stages in a closer-than-usually-socially-acceptable mass of humanity that smelled of unwashed campers, smoked turkey legs, smoked pork, and other, possibly illicit, smoked items. Dancing, hugging, fist bumping, fist pumping, moshing, and getting knocked down only to be helped back up was the routine throughout the crowd.
Despite the signs warning the faint of heart against the potential dangers, crowd surfing fans could be seen during nearly every performance. This activity started off slow until, on day one of the festival, Michigan metalcore rockers I Prevail instructed everyone to make with the crowd surfing. After this, the waves of surfers grew throughout the weekend until Sunday’s headline acts Korn, Disturbed, and Slipknot were greeted by an absolute sea of bodies skimming the surface of the crowd toward the stage where they were helped down and escorted back into the audience by the alert security staff. The smaller venue at the Zorn stage – where bands like Clutch, Zakk Sabbath, Kyng, Being As An Ocean, and Bishop Gunn played – had minimal crowd surfing and only a small handful of mini-mosh pits.
Likely thanks to the easy going nature of rock fans, despite some of the crazy outfits, and the large presence of event security and LMPD officers, Louder Than Life attendees were on their best behavior. I did see one possibly dehydrated, likely inebriated reveler being carted off by medical staff to be checked out. The condition was apparently not serious enough that I didn’t spot him back out in the crowd later with a bandage on his arm – perhaps from an IV to help recover from the dehydration brought on by all-day dancing in the heat. Continue reading
The Louder Than Life Music Festival is set to rock Louisville fans in Champions Park this weekend. The jam-packed lineup for the two-day festival features mainstream headliners and newer groups from across the spectrum of rock and metal genres.
Bands will be playing on Louder Than Life’s three stages from 11AM until well into the night on both days of the festival.
Headline acts on Saturday include heavy hitters like Anthrax and Slayer, who have been rocking metal fans since the 80s and 90s; Brit rockers, The Cult, recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Cheap Trick; and powerhouse rockers Avenged Sevenfold. Other acts throughout the day include Pierce the Veil, Hellyeah, The Amity Affliction, Sick Puppies, and others.
The music and fun continues on Sunday with massive headline acts that include Slipknot, Disturbed, Korn, Clutch, and Sevendust. Earlier shows on the second and final day of Louder Than Life include Alter Bridge, Ghost, Zakk Sabbath, Crobot, Trivium, and many more.
Weekend and single-day tickets are still available starting at $80 with multi-day, VIP, camping, and hotel packages also available.
Admission to the festival also includes access to the Gourmet Man Food dining options and the various other entertainment, refreshment, and Louder Than Life Experience opportunities.
So, Are You Ready to ROCK, Louisville?
Eight Establishments in Louisville Named among America’s 80 Best Bourbon Bars
Bourbon industry publication, The Bourbon Review, has released its annual list of America’s 80 Best Bourbon Bars. During National Bourbon Heritage Month, The Bourbon Review will partner with Four Roses Bourbon for a nationwide “toast” to each of the 80 establishments selected.
Eight Louisville bars were selected as part of the list, including: Bourbons Bistro, Charr’d Bourbon Kitchen and Lounge, Derby Café, Doc Crows, Down One Bourbon Bar, Haymarket Whiskey Bar, Proof on Main, and Silver Dollar
Louisville has the most recognized bourbon bars than any other city in America. All eight of the establishments honored are also a part of the city’s Urban Bourbon Trail, a “pub crawl” that celebrates Louisville’s bourbon heritage and culture.
The nationwide “toast” will take place on Friday, September 30, when The Bourbon Review and Four Roses Bourbon will encourage fans to take part by tagging their favorite bourbon bar from the list using the hashtag #80Toast.
In addition to the toast, on-site visits to select winning Bourbon bars across the country by Four Roses Bourbon and The Bourbon Review are planned for September and October.
“We are proud to once again partner with The Bourbon Review to help celebrate its Top 80 list,” said Brent Elliott, master distiller, Four Roses Bourbon. “It’s an honor to recognize and toast these establishments who take their Bourbon as seriously as we do.”
To see the full list of America’s 80 Best Bourbon Bars, please visit www.gobourbon.com/best-80-bourbon-bars-2016.
In celebration of National Farmers Market Week, leaders of Louisville’s local food movement today launched the Double Dollars program at four Louisville farmers’ markets.
The program matches SNAP customers’ spending, dollar for dollar, up to $20, and aims to make shopping at farmers’ market more affordable for residents receiving government assistance. For example, if a resident uses a SNAP card to make a $10 purchase, the program will match that $10, giving the resident a new total of $20 to spend at the farmers’ market.
“Local food is for everyone, regardless of who you are, where you live, or how much money you make,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “I’m proud to have Double Dollars in our community and look forward to extending the program to additional farmers’ markets in our area.”
The Double Dollars program is funded by the Community Farm Alliance and is currently available at these farmers’ markets: Bardstown Road, Gray Street, Phoenix Hill and the newly opened South Pointe farmers’ market.
Using the program is simple. First, visit one of the four participating markets. Next, swipe the SNAP card for any dollar amount and receive wooden tokens, which will be matched dollar for dollar for the amount spent. Lastly, purchase healthy, locally grown, ready-to-eat items. Households can use Double Dollars to buy food intended to be prepared and eaten at home, such as breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables, honeys and jams, and meat and poultry.
“Making fresh, local produce affordable for those who are on a very limited budget pays back with a healthier community and a better quality of life for residents,” said Councilwoman Marianne Butler, District 15.
In Louisville, there are more than two dozen farmers’ markets operating during various times and days of the week. Continue reading