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Historic Frankfort Avenue will host the FAT Friday Trolley Hop on Friday, August 29th from 6:00pm-10:30pm. Many businesses will host live music, offer special sales and serve refreshments. Free trolleys will run along Frankfort Avenue, from Cannons Lane to River Road. For more information, visit www.fatfridayhop.org.
Special activities planned for the August 29th Trolley Hop include:
- Crescent Hill Radio, 2520 Frankfort Avenue, will host a free concert on the lawn in front of the studio featuring folk/Americana band Harpeth Rising at 6:30pm, followed by the rock band Strongbird at 8:30pm. Food and beer will also be available from J. Gumbos.
- RiverPark Place Marina, 1501 River Road, will host the “Boats, Bands and Bourbon” event from 5:30pm-10:30pm featuring a live band, cash bar and food trucks.
- Fierce Salon, 2708 Frankfort Avenue, will host an Open House event including refreshments, discount coupons, and a meet-n-greet with the stylists.
- Heine Brothers, 2714 Frankfort Avenue, will offer 10% off all lemonade drinks during the Hop.
- A Reader’s Corner Bookstore, 2044 Frankfort Avenue, will host a book signing by Kris Applegate of her new book “Legendary Locals of Louisville” from 7:00pm-9:00pm.
- Lexie’s Trading Post, 2224 Frankfort Avenue, will host the Animal Care Society with adoptable pets, and anyone who donates an item for the animal center will get a free Lip Balm.
- The Tangerine Closet, 2359 Frankfort Avenue, will host live music by The Moonlight Peddlers and offer 30% off all summer inventory.
- Vint Coffee, 2309 Frankfort Avenue, will offer $1 off all beers if you mention Trolley Hop!
- Margaret’s Consignment, located at 2700 Frankfort Avenue, will host a tarot card reader, live entertainment by Tanita Gaines in the courtyard, refreshments, and a 10% discount on cash purchases.
- The Irish Rover, 2319 Frankfort Avenue, will host a Traditional Irish Music Seisuin (informal jam session) in the bar area beginning at approximately 8:00pm.
- The Comfy Cow, 2221 Frankfort Avenue, will host live music from the local blues duo Lazy 11 from 7:00pm-10:00pm on the porch.
- Just Creations, 2722 Frankfort Avenue, will host an Open House featuring food samples and 15% of all sales will be donated to Bombolulu Workshops in Kenya to help provide new sewing machines for the artisans.
- BAZ and BEA Boutique, located in the Mellwood Art Center, will host “March of the Monarchs” to raise awareness of the endangered Monarch butterfly. Monarch inspired apparel and other items will be featured, and guests can register for free milkweed plants to support the monarch’s migration and talk with a Kentucky Certified Nurseryman to learn how to attract butterflies.
- The Wine Rack, 2632 Frankfort Avenue, will host a wine tasting and Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese sampling from 6:00pm-8:00pm.
- Varanese Restaurant, 2106 Frankfort Avenue, will host drink specials and live jazz music.
It might be hard to believe with the relatively cooler weather that Louisville has been enjoying, but the Kentucky State Fair is upon us.
The 2014 Kentucky State Fair runs from August 14 through August 24. Gates open at 7 a.m. with exhibits opening at 9 a.m. The midway and tents will close at midnight while exhibit halls close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission at the gate is $10 for adults and $6 for children and seniors (55+) with several special discount days including half price admission for active duty and veteran military members and their family on Military Monday (August 18), and $1 admission for patrons 55 years of age and older on Humana Seniors’ Discount Day (August 19).
Popular events include concerts (see schedule below) with performers including Billy Currington, Styx, Foreigner, Joan Jett, and locals Plain White T’s. There are also Civil War and War of 1812 exhibits and an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the US Congress’s recognition of Kentucky’s favorite spirit, Bourbon, as a distinctive product of the United States. See the full daily schedule here.
While at the fair, visitors can use the Kentucky State Fair mobile site for easier navigation of fair information.
Parking is available at the Kentucky Exposition Center, with room for 19,000 vehicles, at a cost of $8 per vehicle. Access Fair gates 1-6 from Phillips Lane, Crittenden Drive and Preston Highway. Free off-site parking is also available both weekends of the fair starting at 4:00 p.m. in lots B, C and D of the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium green lot off of Floyd Street. A free shuttle is available with purchase of gate admission or presentation of advance tickets.
Given the large number of Fair visitors from around the state and beyond combined with local construction projects, be sure to keep an eye on the Louisville Dispatch Traffic page for live traffic conditions and drive times.
The Kentucky State Fair begins tomorrow; visit Louisville Dispatch and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for highlights from the 2014 State Fair. Continue reading
The Louisville Downtown Partnership has partnered with the KFC YUM! Center to host a Salsa Night on Sunday, August 17th from 7:00pm-9:00pm. This is the third and final event of the YUM! Summer Series on the Plaza. The Plaza will be bursting with the high energy sounds of Cosa Seria, a 7-piece Latin band, and dancing instructor Gabe Scott and his Xplosive Rhythms Dancers will be on hand to teach everyone some new dance moves. Dancers of all ages and abilities are welcome. Food trucks will also be on-site to offer food and beverages. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call (502) 584-6000 or visit www.louisvilledowntown.org.
The FandomFest Comic and Toy Expo is drawing large crowds to the downtown Kentucky International Convention Center as movie and TV stars, artists, authors, vendors and fans gather to celebrate all things comic, sci-fi, pop, steampunk, horror and more. The event was expected to draw record numbers and, based on the first two days, it appears to be on track to do just that.
The weekend-long event kicked off with the FandomFest FANtastic Parade which looped through downtown on Thursday. The expo itself opened Friday evening at 5PM, allowing visitors to roam the vendor hall and participate in events such as celebrity Q&A, games shows, photo ops, masquerade balls and more.
Fans enjoyed extended hours today from 10AM until 7PM, when the after-hours festivities start. Celebrities at the event include big and small screen stars such as the cast of Star Trek, Walking Dead, Defiance, Being Human, Star Wars, Lost Girl, Clerks and others as well as popular comic artists, authors, anime panels and more. After spending the day rubbing elbows with fellow fans, gamers and cosplayers and meeting their favorite heroes (or villains), fans participated in after-hours events including the film fest awards ceremony, a drive-in movie event featuring Transformers: Age of Extinction with Mark Ryan (Lockdown) and Bumblebee in attendance, the rave afterglow dance and a VIP party.
Some of the celebrities on hand Saturday included Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, Denise Crosby and other stars of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Grant Bowler, Julie Benz and Tony Curran from Defiance, Karl Urban, Eliza Dushku, George Wendt, and Ksenia Solo.
For fans who haven’t made it out to FandomFest yet – or visitors who didn’t get enough the first two days – the event continues Sunday from 11AM through 5PM. Sunday’s activities include vendor hall hours, more celebrity photo ops and Q&A sessions, and special sessions and talks ranging from True Blood and Walking Dead discussions to cosplay makeup and wardrobe lessons to writing and illustration pointers. Click here for the full FandomFest schedule.
Single day tickets are $30 and can be purchased from the FandomFest website or the registration booth at the Kentucky International Convention Center at 221 Fourth St. in downtown Louisville.
Check back later for more photos from FandomFest 2014 Louisville.
The next Republic Bank First Friday Trolley Hop will be held on Friday, July 4 from 5:00pm to 11:00pm in downtown Louisville. Trolley hoppers can hop on a free trolley to various art galleries, restaurants, and shops along the Main and Market Street corridors, as well as the recently revitalized South Fourth Street District. The trolley route runs along 4th Street from Main Street to Broadway, and riders can transfer between routes at 4th and Main Streets. FREE parking is available on the street after 6:00pm, or at Slugger Field, located at Main Street and Jackson. To see the full list of Trolley Hop members and events, or for more information on the trolley route or parking options, visitwww.louisvilledowntown.org.
The Trolley Hop Program is sponsored by Republic Bank and is supported by the Louisville Downtown Partnership, Kindred Healthcare, the Nulu Business Association, and the Main Street Association, all in partnership with TARC. Established in 2001, the First FridayTrolley Hop program has been going strong for more than ten years. The Republic Bank First Friday Trolley Hop is held on the first Friday of each month, rain or shine, and the trolleys are free and run until 11:00pm (most galleries close at 9:00pm). To view the Republic Bank First Friday Trolley Hop Lip Dub Music video visit http://www.youtube.com/
Varanese Restaurant, located at 2106 Frankfort Avenue, will host a “Bell’s Craft Beer Dinner” on Thursday, July 10, with a reception at6:30pm and dinner at 7:00pm. The evening will feature guest speaker Greg Pilch, and a four-course dinner paired with a variety of flavorful, unfiltered, quality craft beers from the award-winning Michigan-based brewery. The cost is $49 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (502) 899-9904 or emailing letsdine@varanese.com.
“We are excited to partner with one of the leaders of the craft brewing movement,” says Chef John Varanese. “Of the eight beers we tasted in preparation for this event, we choose five that complement the menu well and that really show the brewery’s different styles of brewing.” Continue reading
Fandomfest attracts global attention as it brings in over 50 top name celebrities and guests. Fans expected from all over the world, Austria, Australia, England ,Canada.
Meet Karl Urban; The Cast of Star Trek The Next Generation; The Cast of Defiance; The Cast of Being Human; Star Wars Cast Members; Cast from Power Rangers, Transformers, Anime Guests, Comic Book Artists and Many More….
Fandomfest is Aug 1-3rd at the Kentucky International Convent6ion Center. Join Fandom Fest in kicking off the event on Thurs., July 28th, at 6:30 for the Fans-Tastic Fandomfest Parade in Downtown Louisville (FREE to The PUBLIC)
Fandomfest is the biggest convention of this type in the region, bringing in expected crowds of 30,000 + the economic impact for Louisville has been projected to be over $2,000,000.
Fandom Fest offers convention goers, Celebrities, Gaming, Anime, Literary, Comics, Horror, Film Festival, Exhibitors, Industry Workshops, Fan Panels, Q&A’s, Music, Entertainment and much more.
