Featured Events for May 2009

In this new era of “green” environmentalism, even BYOB has taken on a new meaning. This month, the Louisville Nature Center (LNC) will host a native plant sale along with their second BYOB ... Build Your Own Birdhouse, that is. In April, individuals and groups built and decorated birdhouses that they then donated to the LNC. Now, on Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the birdhouses will be sold in a silent auction with all proceeds to benefit the LNC. Early visitors to the plant sale will be able to vote for their favorite birdhouse in three categories – Most Creative, Most Attractive and Most Bird-Friendly – with prizes offered to the winners in each category. 

Of course, there will be plenty to interest our non-avian friends as well. In addition to an abundance of native plants for sale on Saturday, the LNC also offers a native wildflower garden and pond, butterfly gardens, 

hiking trails through the Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve, a one-of-a-kind bird blind, wildlife exhibits and the Beargrass Creek watershed exhibit. The Louisville Nature Center is located at 3745 Illinois Avenue, near the Louisville Zoo. For more information, visit www.louisvillenaturecenter.org, or call (502) 458-1328.

Plant too many tomatoes this spring? Not enough begonias? The Bonnycastle Homestead Association will host a plant swap at the Deer Park Baptist Church, located at 1733 Bardstown Road, on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to noon. 

Bring the plants you’ve divided during your spring gardening and trade them for new varieties. Or take home some new plants for your garden with a small donation to the Bonnycastle Homestead Association. The swap will take place in front of the church just across the street from the Bardstown Road Farmers’ Market. 

To kick off National Women’s Health Week, the Louisville Metro Office for Women and the Norton Cancer Institute are partnering to provide mammography screenings, clinical breast exams and Pap smears to eligible women. Jackie Hayes of WAVE 3 TV will help launch the event at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 11, at the Urban Government Center, 810 Barret Avenue. 

The event will provide women with an opportunity to access information and services from the Norton Cancer Institute’s Preventative Services, Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness’ Women’s Services, the Colon Cancer Prevention Program, Planned Parenthood’s Health Services and more. There will be informational sessions on the half hour starting at 10:30 a.m. by the Kentucky Cancer Program, Kentucky Women’s Health Registry, UK Cooperative Extension and the Kentucky Commission on Women. 

Female entrepreneurs’ health-related services will also be featured, with demonstrations and information provided by Carpenter Chiropractic, Yoga on Baxter, Classical Acupuncture, Pure Balance Health and others.

Each day of National Women’s Health Week, the Norton Cancer Institute Mobile Prevention Center will be at a different location from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to provide mammograms, clinical breast exams and Pap smears for women ages 40 and older. Activities will vary at each site, so please check the calendar at www.louisvilleky.gov/OFW for full details.

 

The Phoenix Hill Farmers’ Market opens Tuesday, May 12, and will be open every Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. through the end of October. The market is located at 829 E. Market Street, in the parking lot of the Felice Winery complex. 

This growing season brings new vendors, as well as the usual favorites, offering in-season produce, cut flowers, plants, meats, eggs, baked goods and more. There will also be live music by local musicians at each market, this month featuring Sensible Shoes on May 12, Down to Earth on May 19, and Spring Festival on May 26. For more information, call Cindy Brown Kinloch at (502) 583-7133. 

The Deer Park Neighborhood Association (DPNA) will hold its annual membership meeting on Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m., at Bardstown Road Presbyterian Church, 1722 Bardstown Road. Dues-paying members may vote in board member elections. On the agenda will be remarks from District 8 Councilman Tom Owen and LMPD 5th Division Officer Marc Hall. Attendees will also hear committee reports and other DPNA business. The meeting will take place in the lower level of the church, facing Bardstown Road.  

The Deer Park neighborhood perimeters are Eastern Pkwy., Bardstown Rd., Douglass Blvd. and Newburg Rd.

 

Looking for an opportunity to reconnect with your neighbors and find out what your local businesses have to offer? The shops along Bardstown Road near Speed Avenue are supporting a community night on the third Saturday of each month. Called “B @ Speed Community Night” – this month taking place on Saturday, May 16 – the event features a treasure hunt focusing on local topics in the Highlands, and attendees may enter a drawing for free gifts from participating stores. Merchants will also offer community night specials and events. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the gift drawing taking place at 8:30 p.m. at Lexie’s Trading Post.

Pick up your treasure hunt map at Lexie’s Trading Post, 1745 Bardstown Road, or call (502) 409-8448 for more information.

There’s a book on my coffee table titled “The Journey is the Destination,” and I think the creators of our celebrated Bardstown Bound share the same notion. For to be “Bardstown Bound” is less about the destination and more about the lazy stroll down sidewalks on an airy spring evening, the chance to run into old friends and new neighbors, and the joy of being bound for nothing less than a carefree evening in the Highlands.

Six years ago, a dozen merchants and a couple of eateries on Bardstown Road kept their doors open late and invited residents to become “Bardstown Bound.” With the support of the Highland Commerce Guild, HighlandsofLouisville.com and Bluegrass Brewing Company, the event has grown to include over 40 stores and restaurants and has established itself as another great Highlands tradition.

Festivities begin around 5 p.m. on Friday, May 22, and over a dozen participating restaurants and pubs will make certain the party continues long into the night. Local musicians have been added to the mix since the first Bardstown Bound and a handful of groups will be performing on the sidewalks, including those at Q’Doba’s ever-popular Party on the Patio. 

 

Merchants will feature special sidewalk sales and restaurants will offer samples and drink specials to toast another Bardstown Bound Bubbly Hour. With points of interest stretching from Douglass Loop to Baxter Avenue and Lexington Road, trolleys will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to help ensure you don’t miss a moment of fun.  

Proceeds from the evening benefit Gilda’s Club, at 633 Baxter Avenue. Since opening its red doors in Louisville in 2007, Gilda’s Club has provided a place where children and adults with cancer can come together with their families and friends to build social and emotional support in their fight against cancer. Free-of-charge and non-profit, Gilda’s Club offers support and networking groups, lectures, workshops and social events in a home-like setting. 

For more information, visit www.bardstownbound.com and www.gildasclublouisville.org.

 

The Cave Hill Heritage Foundation is proud to announce the 2009 guided tour schedule for our local historic treasure and landmark, Cave Hill Cemetery. If you have never been to Cave Hill, now is your opportunity to visit. Three different types of tours will be provided, including historical walking tours, twilight driving tours and geological tours. 

Historical walking tours take place on the following Sunday afternoons, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: May 3, May 24, June 28, September 27 and October 25.

Twilight driving tours, limited to 12 people on a tractor-driven hay wagon, are from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and take place Saturday, May 9, Saturday, June 6, Saturday, September 5, Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, November 1. 

Steve Wiser, AIA, a local architect and historian, will lead the majority of the historical walking and twilight tours. Lee Squires, Superintendent, or J. Michael Higgs, Coordinator, Cave Hill Heritage Foundation, will also lead twilight tours.

Geological tours, which are part walking and part driving, take place on three Saturdays: April 4, June 20, and September 12, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Angelo George, a local consulting geologist, will lead the tours. Among the topics discussed will be geological elements, decorative monuments, selected landscape features, trees and shrubs, and Louisville history.

Cave Hill Cemetery was chartered in 1848 and contains the grave sites of city founder George Rogers Clark, renowned Courier-Journal editor Henry Watterson (the namesake of I-264) and many other noted Louisvillians.

Charges are applicable for the tours, and reservations must be made. Contact the Cave Hill Heritage Foundation office at (502) 451-5630.

 

 

1250 Bardstown Road, Mid City Mall

(502) 574-1672, www.lfpl.org

LFPL’s Summer Reading for children and teens starts May 23. Call (502) 574-1672 for details about activities.

 

DIABETES EDUCATION CLASSES

Tuesdays, May 5, 12, 19 and 26 

Taught by certified educators of Metro Public Health and Wellness, the series includes four classes, taking place from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.. Attendees are encouraged to come to all classes, and to arrive 15 minutes early for first class. Call (502) 574-6663 to register. Class size is limited. 

 

LOCAL AUTHOR APPEARANCES

Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m.

Author Mary Parrish Garry will discuss her new book, “Bringing History Home: A Pictorial Tour of the Highlands Area of Louisville, Kentucky.” More than 20 years of research have gone into this definitive work. With co-author Irma Kaelin Raque, Garry has traced the rich and colorful history of this unique area of Louisville.

 

Wednesday, May 20, 7 p.m.

Hear Louisville author and activist Terry Taylor as he discusses his new book, “A Spirituality for Brokenness: Discovering Your Deepest Self in Difficult Times.” Taylor has written a useful guide based on teachings and practices from many religious traditions.

 

ADULT BOOK DISCUSSION

May 18: “Home” by Julie Andrews

JOB SEARCH CLASS

“Beginning Your Job Search Online,”

every 2nd and 4th Tuesday, 9:15 a.m.; This class is for adults with very limited computer experience and is a brief basic introduction to searching and applying for a job online. It covers computer access, common problems with online applications, helpful job search Web sites and classes available to upgrade skills. Class size is limited and registration is required.  Call (502) 574-1672.

COMPUTER CLASSES

Call (502) 574-1672 for times and dates.

STORY TIMES

Family Story Time, every Tuesday, 7 p.m.; Ages 3-8

Toddler Story Time, every Wednesday, 10:15 a.m.; Ages 2-3

Mother Goose Time, Every Thursday, 10:15 a.m.; Walkers under 2 years 

Do you worry about a loved one who drinks or uses drugs? Do you feel angry or sad because someone you love is drinking? Do you want to know how to talk to your adolescent about substance abuse? Are you worried about your aging parent misusing their prescription medicine? Are you working with someone whose job performance is affected by substance abuse? If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, plan to attend one of the free weekly seminars being offered at Our Lady of Peace.

The series, titled “Living With and Loving Someone When Substance Abuse is a Problem,” takes place every Tuesday night at the psychiatric hospital, located at 2020 Newburg Road. Refreshments are served at 6 p.m. and seminars run from 6:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. Our Lady of Peace professionals provide education on alcohol and drug use, loss and grief, impact on relationships, dual diagnosis, and coping. 

For more information, visit www.oloplouisville.org or call (502) 479-4452.

After several years away, the Louisville Irish Fest is coming home. On Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, the Irish Arts Foundation of Kentucky will return with all things Irish to the Bellarmine University campus at 2001 Newburg Road.

Included in the festivities will be music, dancing, an open-air market, Irish dog breeds and herding exhibitions, a family friendly “wee ones” area and, of course, a host of opportunities to learn about Irish heritage and culture. Headlining the Saturday night music concert will be local Celtic group Needfire. 

For more information or to volunteer, visit www.louisvilleirishfest.com.

BARDSTOWN RD. FARMERS’ MARKET

1722 Bardstown Road; Every Saturday, 8 a.m. till noon, through December; Thursdays, 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., through October; For more information, call Nicholas Posante at (502) 287-8206.

Phoenix HILL FARMERS’ MARKET

829 East Market Street; Every Tuesday, 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., through October; For more information, call Cindy Brown Kinloch at (502) 583-7133.

Debtor’s Anonymous is a 12-step program for those having problems with money and debt. No fees; Meets Sundays, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Deer Park Baptist Church, 1733 Bardstown Road (use rear entrance). For more information, call (502) 899-5325 or visit www.debtorsanonymous.org.

Metro Louisville Depression and Bi-polar Support Alliance

Every Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2000 Douglass Boulevard; Coffee afterward across the street at Heine Brothers’; More information at www.dbsalouisville.org.