Bonus Moth StorySLAM in October!

One of the best things that I do every month is volunteer at The Moth StorySLAM on the last Tuesday of every month at Headliners. My dear friend, Tara Anderson, is the producer and has allowed me to basically become the "permanent volunteer" for the event (I actually have it listed on my resume, that's how hardcore of a Moth fan I am).

This month you have TWO chances to check out The Moth StorySlam-- at its regular date and time AND in conjunction with the current exhibit at the Kentucky Museum of Art & Craft (KMAC) called "Storytelling as Craft."

The event is on Thursday, October 18 at 8pm (doors at 7pm). It's free for KMAC members or $8 for the general public. Awesome Louisvillager, Gabe Bullard, will be hosting.

According to the press release: 

The Theme for this evening is: MUSE. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by influential individuals in their lives, motivating them to create their best work. Now it's your turn. What is your interpretation of this word and more importantly - how will you TELL it? This is an open-mic event where anybody can sign up to tell a story. Between 7 and 8pm, place your name in the hat and 10 storytellers will be chosen at random to present on the stage. Three teams of judges will also be randomly chosen from the audience. They will give each story a score and help determine the winner at the end of the night. Storytelling tips are available on The Moth's website: themoth.org/tell-a-story/storytelling-tips. Event information can also be found on KMAC's Facebook page.

I assume I will be there "taking stories" like I normally do.  Stop by and say hi!

And no. I am too much of a wimp to get up on stage and tell a story myself. I gave a speech at the LFPL a while back and truly, TRULY thought I was dying of a heart attack halfway through. If the theme is ever "superheroes" then maybe... MAYBE... I'll tell a story. Maybe.

Don't forget Louisville Public Media is the NOPTM this month!

I Vant to Suck Your Blood! Early Halloween with Actors

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Actors Theatre Generation One Board. I am one of the Social Chairs (a little funny if you know me and know that I am not exactly a social butterfly), and I manage the GOBoard Twitter feed. You'll be hearing a lot from me about the GOBoard's activities. We're pushing hard to recruit new members this season. If you're young (we don't really have a cut-off age, but 45 or younger is the unofficial "young" -- woo hoo!) and you support Actors Theatre, we'd love to have you!

Remember when we all thought Tom Cruise was weird when he bleached his hair blonde to play The Vampire Lestat? Remember when that was the weirdest thing he did?

I loved Anne Rice's vampire books. And I'm not kidding all that much when I say that those books were one of the reasons I ended up in New Orleans for nine years. They were dark and sexy and arty and the literary companion of my musical diet of the Cure and the Smiths.

Those books made New Orleans seem so damned exotic, and the best part about New Orleans is that it lives up to every promise of grand beauty and sultriness that has been conjured by authors-- usually it exceeds these expectations.

As did the "real-life" vampires who roamed the streets at night in New Orleans. Some were just your standard Goths, but some were all-in living the lifestyle.

Don't think about that too much.

Anyway, to celebrate Actors Theatre's production of DRACULA, the Actors Theatre GO Board is throwing a Vampire Ball in the Victor Jory Theatre on September 29 at 9pm (or after the show).

Tickets are $30 or $20 with a ticket stub from any showing of DRACULA. Come dressed in costume, come dressed as a vampire. We have food and drinks from some awesome sponsors, and this promises to be a fantastic time. Get your Hallowe'en on a little early.

You can buy tickets at the box office or call 502-584-1205. If you're already a GO Board member, don't forget to ask for your discount. If

PSA: Don't Be a Thunder-Lover-Shamer

I am not a Thunder Over Louisville fan. I "get" Thunder-lovers. Occasionally, the sight of expertly-flown fighter jets dancing in the skies over the city makes me go all Lee Greenwood inside. How can it not? It's an art. It's a talent. It's dangerous and beautiful. And how can you not admire the brave patriots who fly those planes?

But the air show makes me squidgy. So much money goes into all that. And fuel and other resources. And the celebration of instruments of war and destruction?... I'm not really cool with that. And certainly, I can't help but ache for those Louisvillagers who have at one point in their lives lived somewhere where the sound of a fighter jet overhead was not the sound of celebration or martial artistry but the sound of immanent peril.

Lord knows, as someone who was one of the first groups of people to return to New Orleans after the mandatory evacuation, post-Katrina, I was-- for years-- wigged out by the sound of low-flying helicopters. I still kind of am.

And fireworks at close range have always made me edgy.

I'm not a Thunder-hater, but I'm not a Thunder Over Louisville fan, either. I could absolutely do without it.

But you know what I like LEAST about Thunder? All the Thunder-Lover-Shamers.

It's the day before Thunder Over Louisville, and this is about the time when the Thunder-Lover-Shamers start rearing their ugly heads. They pop up on Twitter or Facebook. They emerge among your co-workers. They start troll-posting on the CJ website.

Their primary goal: to make people who genuinely enjoy Thunder feel terrible about their love for this event.

Listen, it's totally fine with me if you hate Thunder. As I said, I'm mostly in your camp. But it's not okay to, once a year, express your hatred of Thunder by deriding and shaming those people who truly love it. If you have serious moral objections to Thunder Over Louisville, then you should be working ALL YEAR LONG to somehow ban and/or improve what happens during this Derby season opener.

I don't know if it's the same people, but Thunder-Lover-Shamers are the same beasts as Awards-Show-Lover-Shamers or Football-Lover-Shamers. The people who tweet during the Emmys: "I don't know who Julie Bowen is or what she is wearing... Thank God! Curled up with the latest Jonathan Safran Foer and my cat."

Love what you want to love, and let other people get their giggles from whatever it is that tickles their toes. Thunder-Lover-Shaming makes you sound like a jerk.

In the immortal words of Bill & Ted, "Be Excellent To Each Other."

Party on, dudes.

And want to watch the finale of Thunder 2009 from my back yard? Check this out (bonus, for those of you who don't know me, you get to hear the dulcet tone of my voice). Thunder from my back yard

WHO'S IN TOWN? Handbell Ringers April 12-15

When I saw that the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers Area V Spring Festival-- aka "Bellebration"-- was coming to Louisville next weekend, my little head went kablooey! What the...? Who ARE these people? How can there be such a thing? I was delighted... "delighted"doesn't even begin to cover it. I am endlessly fascinated with people who are devoted to obscure things.

I immediately hit their website and read up on their many competitions, scholarships, youth initiatives. And the idea for this new series-- WHO'S IN TOWN?-- was born. Because if the handbell ringers had come and gone and I was none the wiser... I would have been bummed out.

And honestly, who knows how obscure the handbells really are? This season on the Zooey Deschanel show "The New Girl" an entire episode centered around a handbell competition. Maybe Zooey can do for the handbells what other Manic Pixie Dream Girls have gone for the ukulele.

I fired off an email to the Handbell Ringers to see if I could find out more about the upcoming Bellebration, and I got this fantastic response from Area 5 Secretary, Wendy Ransom.  

LOU: What goes on during Bellebration? Can you give us a brief overview of the event? 

WENDY: Bellebration is a handbell festival hosted by Area 5 of Handbell Musicians of America (There are 12 areas that make up the national organization).  Area 5 covers a five state area-Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and West Virginia. Handbell choirs from all over the 5 states will gather in Louisville for a 2 day event featuring a combination of massed rehearsals and hands-on classes on various handbell techniques. Approximately 400 musicians are expected.

The event has two levels of handbell musicians. Tins who perform generally easier music and Coppers who perform more complex or difficult music. Each group has 2 unique pieces they perform on their own and then 3 pieces for the entire massed choir. The groups rotate through divisional rehearsal, massed rehearsal and then time in classes. Classes include topics such as, basic ringing technique, high bell technique including four in hand, bass bell technique, musicality, handbells in worship, and others. (note- bells range in size from approximately 2" in diameter weighing less than a pound to approximately 11" in diameter and weighing 11lbs. Different sizes have different techniques.)

Why did you choose Louisville? 

We aim to rotate the annual festivals around the 5 state area to make them accessible to members. We host 2 each spring and aim to host them in areas in opposite locations. Our other festival this year was held in Akron, Ohio on March 16 & 17. It is also a bit about price and what any given city has to offer in a convention center. The event is short. It begins on Friday at 4 and is over by 6pm on Saturday. Having dining options in the vicinity of a convention center is important due to the need for 400 people to get out, eat, and get back to the event in a relatively short amount of time. It is also nice to have an entertaining city for those who opt to stay over Saturday night and return home on Sunday.

Aside from your Bellebration events, what are you most looking forward to doing while you're in town? 

It has been a number of years since we hosted our event in Lousiville so we are looking forward to heading to a different city and a generally bigger one than our usual venues.

Are there any events associated with Bellebration that the public can attend? 

Yes our closing concert is open to the public. It is at 5:30pm on Saturday the 14th at the Kentucky International Convention Center. The concert will run approximately one hour. Seating is general seating and our concerts are usually well attended.

You can learn more about the guild at http://handbellmusicians.org/ and more specifically about Area 5  http://area5.handbellmusicians.org/

Teach Your Children Well

I don't have any rugrats of my own, but I teach them every day. And while many of my high school kiddos are pictures of grace and gentility, there are always a few, you know, who could've used a little more social instruction.

Hell, I'm hardly a picture of a modern Emily Post myself.

But, you can bet that if I had a wee one, this event at the Oak Room would be on my radar.

A class in basic table manners with a 3-course kid-friendly dinner at the Oak Room. Only $25-- which seems like a steal to me. Wish they didn't restrict it to 7-12 year olds.

March 23 from 6-8pm. Contact Jennifer Biesel at 502-585-9292 or jennifer.biesel@ihrco.com.

Young Survivors Benefit and Silent Auction 2/17

Once again, dear blog readers, you've come through with some fantastic donations for the Young Breast Cancer Survivors Benefit and Silent Auction (hoo, that's a mouthful).

This year, donations from Friends of Loueyville have included:

• 4 baskets of romance novels from Shiloh Walker and friends
• two sets of handmade pushpins from Sweeter Lemon
• A portrait session for up to 5 from Shutterboo 
• two pairs of earrings from the Daily Earring
• 4 tickets to Walden's Shakespeare Festival

There's still time to donate (although just barely...)!  Shoot me an email if you're interested.

In the meantime, mark your calendars: this fantastic event (really, so much fun every year) takes place THIS Friday, 2/17 at the Frazier Museum from 630p-10p. Admission (including food) is just $10. 

I hope you'll join me!  I'll be the one wrangling the team of 26 teen volunteers!  (Love my kids!)

Kentucky Homefront Fundraiser: Sunday Funday

I don't normally just cut and paste press releases, but this is already late notice, and I want to get it on the interwebs before people clock out of work for the weekend. You know how I loves me some jug bands... this is jug bands AND wine. On a Sunday.  Perfect.  Here's the press release:

Please join us this Sunday, January 29th, from 4-8pm for the 11th Anniversary fundraiser for the Kentucky Homefront Radio Show!  

Kentucky Homefront is a show featuring Kentucky's finest acoustic folk, traditional, blues, country, and bluegrass musicians, and its best storytellers. Their front porch broadcasts that air each Wednesday on WFPK at 8PM are reminiscent of radio variety programs of a bygone era. Hosted by the talented and inimitable singer/songwriter John Gage, Kentucky Homefront is recorded on the 2nd Saturday of every month (except January and July). 

You can expect a rollickin’ good time as River Bend will provide a limited menu, a full bar and is donating 15% of their proceeds to Kentucky Homefront! Also, a new guitar will be raffled off and there will be three 50/50 raffles. There will also be a “Keep the Front Porch Light Burning Bright” booth where you can buy season tickets at a discounted price.

Here is the entertainment schedule:
4:00PM - Songwriters in the Round with John Gage, Turley Richards and Mickey Clark
5:00 PM - Hog Operation
6:00PM - Mickey Clark & The Blue Northern
7:00PM - The Juggernaut Jug Band
Please join us for a great night! 

$10 suggested donation. 

River Bend Winery

120 S 10th Street

Louisvillle

Diego Garcia: Not Just An Atoll (Z'bar on Sat)

I don't blog all that much about music because here in Louisville we're lucky to have a lot of great music bloggers who get the job done.  But occasionally I get a press release from a musician's PR firm that kind of excites me.

This Saturday, Diego Garcia, formerly the frontman of the band Elefant, will be playing at Zanzabar. His PR people let me stream his solo album, and I was totally charmed. From the press release:

Diego Garcia has become one of 2011’s breakout new stars, with NPR calling his debut album ‘Laura’ “one of the top 25 albums of the year (so far).” The album has had an impressive response from radio, hitting #1 atWXPN in Philadelphia and #4 at tastemaker station KCRW in Los Angeles. With lush string arrangements and Spanish guitar, Diego Garcia’s poignant single “You Were Never There,” was recently featured as Starbucks ‘Pick of the Week’ (with 750,000 download cards distributed nationally). Prior to his successful solo career, Diego Garcia originally made his mark on the music scene as front man for the popular indie band Elefant.

Zanzabar is probably my favorite local venue, so I'm really excited for this show.  Below you will find a link to a free download of his song "Stay." We've been hearing Garcia a lot on WFPK; this is a fantastic time to see him in person.  Tickets are $12.  And with the kind of buzz he's been receiving, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that it sells out.  Maybe you ought to get your tickets in advance, huh?  You can do that here.

Doors at 8p; show at 9p. I'll see you there!

(Keeping my fingers crossed that I might have a ticket giveaway coming your way soon.  And maybe an interview in which I ask totally absurd questions.  In the meantime, check out Louisville.com's article by Allison Ray.)

Raise a Joyful Voice

I am unabashedly a summer person, but these perfect fall days are kind of messing with that.  My favorite temperature is 82 degrees, but there's part of me that thinks I could really be okay with the upper-60's if they were always accompanied by the staggering beauty of the changing leaves and the autumnal light.  It is just so damned pretty out there, isn't it?  And when it's this beautiful outside, I feel compelled to seek out things of beauty.

So, beautiful music in a beautiful space?  Yes, I would like some of that please...

The Choral Arts Society of Louisville's November concert is coming up this Sunday, November 6 at 5pm at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church (639 S. Shelby Street).

According to their website, the pieces that will be featured are:

- "Funeral Ode for Queen Mary" -- Purcell
- "Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing"
- "Magnificat" -- Bach

Tickets are $20, but there are discounts for seniors and students.

Genealogy at Farmington Historic Home

The family legend is that some of my people came over on the boat AFTER the Mayflower. I don't know if there's any truth to that, but it sure plays into the idea that my people have been "missing the boat" for a dang long time. 

I have a big enough family that I've always kind of trusted that someone in the family has been doing the genealogy thing for us. Genealogy research is totally up my alley-- in fact, it's so up my alley that I've never wanted to dip my toes into that pond. I know once I start, it would be something I could get obsessed with.  

Next weekend at Farmington Historic Home, Deborah Andrew will be teaching Genealogy 101 from 10a-12p. So, if you've ever thought of dipping your toes into that pond, now's your chance.  According to an email from Ms. Andrew, the event sells out fast, and you need to get your $10 tickets in advance. Call 502-452-9920 to reserve your tickets. 

"Commuter" Rates offered for Breakout Novel Intensive

A couple of days ago, I blogged about the exciting Breakout Novel Intensive with Donald Maass that is coming to Louisville September 19-25.  After I posted, I emailed the lovely Lorin Oberweger, program director, and asked her: "What if Louisville folks are interested in attending the event but would rather stay at their own homes?"

Her (wise) response was:

I do offer a limited number of commuter spots... [but] It's such an all-day kind of affair that I hate for people to miss out on anything, and on opportunities to socialize with Don, staff, and other students... I think people, even locals, should come and let themselves "retreat" a bit and get away from family and pets and bills, etc.

Good advice for sure.  But, locals, she's offering $400 off the workshop if you'd rather commute.

My experience with these kinds of intensive retreats is that the socializing and networking does, indeed, extend way beyond the normal workshop hours.  And while I have no doubt you'll come away from the workshop with loads of new insight into your writing, sometimes it's those personal connections you make during those off-hours that matter most.  Those extra hours are why I now count Roommate and Lorin as two of my dearest friends.

4th of July: Best Going Away Party Ever!

If you follow me on Twitter (@loueyville), you probably know that I will be vacating the city for a month next weekend. I'm attending a Super Awesome Adult Literary Nerd camp in Nevada and Connecticut and then spending a week visiting with all the New England Lous.

I spent this past week visiting with my lovely Louisville friends, catching up and saying goodbye for the time being.

Just a side note: I know I say this often, but it bears repeating for the social media doubters out there (if you're reading this blog, I'm probably preaching to the choir.)...  between Waterfront Wednesday, a lunch date with eight amazing women, a splendid Shabbat dinner, and a trip to the Le Grange quarry, I probably met up with two dozen people this week.  You know how many I met through this blog or Twitter? 100%. Man, I love you people.

Anyway, my social calendar for the next week before I leave is surprisingly empty, and it's just as well.  There's lots of prep for this trip, and I have a ton of projects on my summer to-do list that are incomplete or have been ignored.

But it's Fourth of July weekend, and I'm telling you, I feel like the Waterfront Park folks are throwing a Going Away party especially for me.  July 4th's free show on the Waterfront features three amazing bands: The Funky METERS, De La Soul, and Fitz & the Tantrums. If you were to ask me what kind of music I like, I could pretty much sum it up by pointing to this line-up.

The METERS are a New Orleans institution.  They've been around since the late 60's, off and on.  And they feature members of the most iconic musical families in New Orleans: Art Neville, Joseph Batiste, George Porter Jr.  If you're a fan of HBO's TREME (and if you're not, you should be... amazing), you need to be at this show.

De La Soul was a band that was in constant rotation on my CD player in college.  They're hip-hop light with smart lyrics and a fantastic groove.  And Fitz & the Tantrums' song "Money Grabber" is easily one of my top five favorite recent songs.

This is a line-up that was created for me.  This is my kind of music, people, and I am so terrifically excited (I could take or leave the fireworks, frankly).

The gates open at 5pm.  No outside food or beverages, except sealed water bottles.  You can also bring a 32oz or smaller refillable water bottle (but it must be empty).  Y'all should have a late lunch/early dinner before heading down, although there will be vendors.  Chairs, blankets, umbrellas = all okay.

Don't forget that the Bats are also in town, so parking near Waterfront Park is going to be a real bugger.  Check out your local TARC busses.  Some routes are canceled for the holiday.  There will be a bike valet available, so if you know how to ride a bike (alas, I do not), that's going to be your best bet.

So thank you, Waterfront Park folks, for throwing me the best Going Away Party!  I am counting the hours, and I will dance my pants off.

PS: Louisville is really loving me this year.  Not only is this a great Going Away party, but August's Waterfront Wednesday concert is on my birthday.  Save the date!

Louisvillager wins Miss Congeniality USA

Congrats to Kia Hampton, already an award-winning singer and performer, for winning Miss Congeniality in this year's Miss USA Pageant.

Check out Kia's ReverbNation page, where you can listen to some of her music and view her bio.  Miss Kentucky USA 2011 has already won the Kentucky and Indiana Idol contest in 2006 and been featured on BET's Welcome to Dreamland television program in 2009.  (And while this isn't mentioned in her bio, it's worth noting that according to pictures/videos on the site, she also recorded a special Christmas commercial for, of course, KIA car dealers.)

Louisvillagers have been doing well with the beauty pageant circuit lately.  Alexandria Mills won Miss World last year.  And let's face it, if you can't be Miss USA, then you want to be Miss Congeniality, right?  Congrats, Kia!

Donations Needed for Breast Cancer Fundraiser Auction

Friends and dear readers,

If you read this blog with any regularity, you know that I'm a happy, healthy breast cancer survivor.  Likewise, if you read this blog, you'll know that I've gone on something of a "pink diet" (or really, "pink fast") in the past year or so.  When I was newly diagnosed and in treatment, I felt compelled to show up at every "pink" event, to walk in every "pink" walk, and to avail myself of all the fantastic free services offered in our city to cancer patients and survivors. But I always ended up getting crazy weepy at those events, listening to other breast cancer survivors tell their stories.  I'm also the kind of person who is deeply uncomfortable with the idea of being called "heroic" just because I survived cancer-- and a lot of survivor rhetoric lapses into that (the doctors were heroic; my friends and family were at times heroic; I just muddled through the best that I could).  Because I'm so shy, support groups and organizations made me snap over to social anxiety overload as soon as I walked into the door.

But when I was first diagnosed-- like the very day that I was diagnosed-- Norton Hospital put me in touch with Megan Schanie of the Young Survivors Group.  And she took me out to lunch and told me what to expect from surgery, chemo, fake boobs, the works.  And for the course of my treatment, the Young Survivors group was a fabulous source of support to me (right down to Megan's mother-in-law who fed me and took me to treatments when my own mom or Roommate couldn't be around).

And the Annual Young Survivors Auction is one "pink event" that I feel passionately about supporting.  First of all, it's a damned good time, and most years I come away with really good deals on silent auction goods.  Secondly, it supports a cause that truly helped me and truly helps a lot of young women.

So if you're a business owner or your make stuff or you have services you can offer to this group, I humbly ask that you donate something to the silent auction to be held at the Frazier Museum on February 25.  It doesn't matter how small your donation is.  Goods, services, gift certificates, experiences...  And I'll make it as easy on you as possible; I'm happy to come to you at your convenience and pick up the item.  These donations are tax deductible and a Young Survivors rep will provide you acknowledgment in writing of your donation.  Email me at lou [at] loueyville.com if you are interested or if you have any questions.

And for the rest of you, mark your calendars:  February 25 at the Frazier.  A good time and a great cause.

Thanks.  Y'all rock.
xo
Lou

Ho Ho Holiday Stuff! Happy Snow Day!

Happy snow day, y'all!  Been sitting in a coffee shop for the better part of the day, and it's so adorable seeing moms and dads coming in with little ones off of school... playing cards and board games, having long post-snowman-building hot cocoas.

But, I still have more of the Scrooge than the Spirit in me right now.  This despite watching a marathon of Christmas specials in my pjs last night:  Muppets Christmas Carol, Shrek the Halls, the Family Guy Christmas (ugh), and something involving a baby reindeer who was abandoned by his asshole Santa-pulling reindeer dad, ends abandoning his own mother, and by the end decides that his "real" dad is a flying squirrel.  You can't make this shit up, kids.  

Anyway, I'm working on filling my ho ho ho gas tank.  Tonight I'm headed out to see Kalightoscope at the Galt House.  The Galt House et al have been hyping this holiday event since last Christmas, and I'm pretty jazzed to see what it ends up looking like. If somehow you've missed the major advertising push behind this, Kalightoscope is, according to the website:

... a landscape of larger-than-life, lighted holiday sculptures inspired by ancient Chinese art. Made of sheer, painted fabrics, each towering sculpture is enhanced by light, color and an imaginative setting. Some even reach 24 feet high!

Santa’s Midnight Flight over the World, Toyland and the breathtaking Nativity are just some of the twelve areas designed to awe and delight. Holiday music, aromas and little surprises make it an unforgettable experience for anybody. And it's all inside a temperature controlled, 16,000 square foot pavilion.

There's also a dinner show and special overnight Galt House packages available.  At the very least, the Galt House bar is always a spectacle during the holidays with the real candy gingerbread house that's bigger than my first NYC apartment and the beautiful Santa display.

This is my fifth holiday season in Louisville.  I find that so hard to believe.  But what's even more hard to believe is that there are so many local holiday traditions that I am just now getting around to.  This Halloween was my first Dracula at Actors Theater.  And while last year, I did see A Christmas Story, this was the first year that I went to see the more traditional A Christmas Carol.  Despite the fact that I spent the Christmas season of 2008 living a block away from Slugger Field, this was the first year that I went to the Festival of Trees.

A Christmas Carol is totally worth working into your schedule in the next couple of weeks.  After seeing the show, I immediately tweeted that, corny though it sounds, watching the play made me feel all warm and Christmasy.  (It didn't last: no fault of Actors Theatre).  There's a lovely trailer for the play at Actors' Theatre's YouTube page; watch it, and you'll want to go.  Unfortunately, I left my Playbill at home otherwise I'd cite particular performances, but the most stunning change (so I've heard...  as I said, first time for me) was the casting of an aerialist to play the Ghost of Christmas Past.  Beautiful.  Oh and hey, somehow Actors landed Stephen Colbert to play Cratchitt.  (I kid.  But seriously.  I did a double take.)

This week is going to be a crazy one.  Somehow I need (perhaps "want" is a better word) to work in seeing Barefoot in the Park at Actors and The Looking Glass Wars at Alley Theater.  Tonight is Kalightoscope.  Tomorrow is Let them Tweet Cake.  And I'd really like to get a Christmas tree in time to enjoy a little of its piney goodness before I leave.  Oh and shopping and shipping and packing and...

Ho ho ho!  Stay warm, Louisville!

What Do Sydney & Louisville Have In Common?

Sometimes press releases are like time machines.  I just got the greatest press release in my emails box, and it's full of all kinds of good news for the city and for various events and festivals. Awards. Kudos. Laurels. Pats on many backs.

But the events described in the press release haven't ACTUALLY happened yet.  They happen tomorrow.  At 1:30p.  In the Lobby of the Whale.  With Uncle Mayor Jerry.  

Oh, I can't keep this good news in.  Because you know how much Mama loves her some festivals, right?  I'll publish more details on the news tomorrow after the awards/kudos/laurels/pats have already been handed out.  (WHAT IF THESE PEOPLE CHANGE THEIR MINDS?  You don't want to jinx this, Louisville).

What do Sydney & Louisville have in common?  We're the only two recipients of the designation of "World Festival & Event City" in the "over 1 million" category.  That's pretty damned world class, kids.  Sydney and little ol' LOU?  So says the International Festival and Event Association. Earlier this month we got ourselves one of the ugliest buildings and now this... 

It's been a good month to be a Louisvillager.  So say we all.  

(If You Can Afford To) Buy Nothing Day

Two weeks from tonight is Black Friday: the day that every big box retailer under the sun offers huge discounts; the day many folks haul their turkey-stuffed bellies out of bed at the crack of dawn or earlier for doorbuster sales; the day that-- inevitably-- some poor soul gets trampled underfoot of a $5-crockpot-crazed Walmart crowd.

As reliable as Black Friday is, so are the emails, blog posts, posters, and websites reminding us it is also Buy Nothing Day.

And the part of me that abhors abject consumerism, Walmart, and the idea that people actually get mauled-- sometimes to death-- on their way to grab an XBox for their kid really wants to throw my support behind Buy Nothing Day.  In fact, for years I did buy in.  Spent the day after Thanksgiving nursing an over-full tummy and just generally chilling out.

But then came the year that I decided to buy Big Mama Lou a dvd player for Christmas.  And Radio Shack had a sale... a really good sale... like 50% even its best sale prices.

See here's the thing-- and I know I'm hardly the first person to voice this opinion-- the idea of Buy Nothing Day is a good one, but it comes from a place of privilege.   I totally support you if you decide to abstain from Black Friday and subscribe to the Buy Nothing Day ideal, but I don't endorse it.  And I likely won't embrace it myself.

Most of you know that my Meatspace Workplace job is teaching.  And I'm sure ALL of you know that educators (noble profession, helping the chirren, paving the road to our collective futures... blah blah blah) get shit for pay.  (I won't even honor that statement by adding my usual asterisk-- "sh*t"doesn't do it justice.)  But many, many millions of folk out there make do with significantly less than my salary, and often have children, spouses, and extended families to support.

And the hard truth is: stuff is cheap on Black Friday.  Plain and simple.  And I know many people who do the bulk of their Christmas/Holiday shopping on Black Friday for that reason.  I'm related to many of those people.  And heck, some years I am those people.

If you want to buy your mama a dvd player for Christmas and can get one on Black Friday for $29, you shouldn't be made to feel morally and spiritually and culturally inferior for saving $20 the day after Thanksgiving.

Now, I'm not the least bit adverse to the idea that we've turned these winter holidays into crazy fraking STUFF-GIVING shells of the spiritual occasions that they are SUPPOSED to be.  Amen.  I hear ya.  And I'm with ya.  But I do know that if I am the lone relative to show up at the Lou Family Christmas sans gifts, I will not be thought of as the "Lou who gave the family the gift of her love and presence" but rather as the "Lou who was a stingy bitch this year."

Yes, it would be lovely if there were a culture shift.  But that hasn't happened.

Yes, I solemnly swear that if there ever is a Baby Lou, I will raise him or her differently.

But no, I'm not going to trumpet the Buy Nothing Day cause.  That being said, I will wholeheartedly encourage you to bring a winter coat to the Green Building at 9am on Buy Nothing Day.  From the press release:

The event will be hosted and coordinated by The Green Building and Ted Loebenberg, of Brokers Unlimited Inc Professional Auctioneers.  Ted coordinated several years of successful coat drives in his native Rhode Island, and is now excited to bring the initiative to Louisville.

Anyone wishing to donate a winter coat, or many winter coats, as often churches and community groups collect coats to bring to the event en masse, is encouraged to bring it to The Green Building, 732 East Market Street, on November 26th, 2010 at 9a.  

Anyone who needs a winter coat, or winter coats for their family, is most welcome to come to the event between 10 AM and 2 PM on the 26th and take what coats they need.  

Rally to Keep Fear Alive with Sanity?

It is very possible that Loueyville.com will have its own roving reporter on the ground during the Stewart/Colbert "Rally to Restore Sanity"/ "Keep Fear Alive" event on October 30 in Washington, DC.

And it may very well be that I may hand over my Twitter account to said Roving Reporter so he can tweet to his heart's content from said rally.  A first for Loueyville.com.

Details forthcoming.

But RallyMAO.com is organizing satellite events in all 50 states.  And so far the only one listed for KY is a nebulous one in Lexington (warning: facebook page).

Is this the best we can do?  An aggregate rally for Cincy, Louisville, AND Lexington?

Do better Louisville.  Any news of a more local rally?  Let me know at lou (at) loueyville.com

Crafted In Kentuckiana Brew Fest

The Kentucky Restaurant Association is sponsoring a "Crafted In Kentuckiana" Brew Fest at Kingfish on Saturday from 3p-7p.  And believe me, if I can shake this horrible bout of bronchitis I'm suffering from... well, I can think of no better way to celebrate than with tastes of my favorite local brews.  It's $5 to get in, and then tickets are $1.  Tastes are 1 ticket and most pints are 3.

I noted that the C-J article lists Falls City Beer as among the featured brews, and I'm kind of glad to see that.  I caught a FacebookFeud (is that a real thing or did I just create a neologism?) about whether or not Falls City counts as a "local brew" even though it's "contract brewed."  "Contract brewed" means that the local brewers who created the beer contract the big batches out to a larger brewer.  One who is, in this case, outside of Kentuckiana.  The Falls City rep on FB insisted that while the juice is cooked up elsewhere, the heart of the business remains in LOUKy until they raise enough funds to do the brewing hereabouts.

That's good enough for me.  

Other beers featured:  Alltech's Kentucky Ale, Bluegrass Brewing Co., Browning's, Cumberland Brews, Fall's City Beer, Hofbrauhaus Newport and New Albanian Brewing Co. 

GO! Go go go go: Jug Band Jubilee 2010

After talking to Gabe Bullard, of Awesome Louisvillager fame, tonight about his experience watching Sarah Palin speak at the National Quartet Convention, I was sure I was going to pony up some bucks this Saturday to attend the NQC myself.  I know I wrote a rather... ummm...  less-than-flattering post about the NQC.  But my curiosity was so piqued... I thought I HAD to attend.

I started this blog back in May 2007 because the Creation Museum was opening just outside of Cincy, and I wanted to write about opening day (which, I contend, still ranks as my best blog post to date).  Based on Mr. Bullard's experience, I kind of figured that the NQC would be "Creation Museum Lite." Or not so "lite."

And then I got this email.  And I apologize wholeheartedly to Heather for not asking her permission to reprint it... but it was so good and so timely... I couldn't sit on it long enough to ask her...

She says:

No offense to the lovely people from the National Quartet Convention (especially because some attendees came to the Jug Band Jubilee last year) - HOWEVER - I promise you - in fact I guarantee it, if anyone who attends our fair festival on Saturday doesn't experience something more interesting than an ill-placed, 45 year old sneeze - I will refund every penny you spent on our free event.  :-)

Now you crazy people, she's offering a refund for a FREE event. So don't get your testy knickers in knots.  But wow, how cool?... 

I fully intended on hitting this event last year, but I ended up being sick that weekend.  It's Thursday night, and I feel as fit as a fiddle... So no ironic NQC posts from me.  Instead I will INDEED be attending the Jug Band Jubilee.  

I know Heather is right and that SOMETHING that happens at the Jubilee this year will be more notable than the aforementioned 45 year old sneeze. Go see America's Happiest Music on Saturday!  

Saying I will be there "with jugs on" sounds dirty and totally false in my case.  But GO go go go go!