Louisville Leopard Percussionists Week-Long Summer Camp
The Louisville Leopard Percussionists, a nationally recognized children’s percussion ensemble, is offering a summer camp, July 22-26, for children entering 2nd to 5th grade. Participants will experience the high energy teaching style of award-winning educator Diane Downs as well as a staff made up of professional musicians and Leopard alumni.  

Children will have daily classes in drum set, hand drumming, percussion rudiments and mallet percussion ensemble. No prior musical experience is required.  The camp takes place downtown at 741 S. Third St., across from the library’s main branch. Tuition is $135 and includes a T-shirt ($35 is due with registration; balance is due the first day of camp). For a registration form, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LNC Offers Nature-based Summer Camps
The Louisville Nature Center, 3745 Illinois Ave., will host nature-based camps from June 10 through August 9 for children ages 4 to 15.

Young Explorers camps, for ages 4-6, will run June 10-14 and July 8-12.

Harry Potter camp, for ages 8-12, runs June 17-21, and Bug Hunters camp, also for ages 8-12, runs July 1-3.

Young artists ages 6-12 can enjoy Wild About the Arts, an all-day camp full of art and fun, July 15-19. This camp is a collaboration between LNC and Shine Studio, which offers two additional camps at LNC, July 29-August 2: a Kid’s Camp for ages 6-12, and Nurturing Grace, a camp for girls ages 10-15.

A new camp for rising JCPS 4th and 5th graders, Summer Boost Writing Retreat, will be offered August 5-9.

For details and registration information, visit www.louisvillenaturecenter.org, call (502) 458-1328.

Bellarmine’s Entrance Now Features St. Robert Gate
Visitors to Bellarmine University’s campus can now pass through St. Robert Gate, a new three-and-a-half-story entry arch at the university’s Newburg Road entrance.

The concrete and brick gate, donated by Bellarmine alumni Nick and Gincy Carosi along with Virginia-based architectural precast concrete firm Arban & Carosi, was installed the first week of May. The 200-ton, 45-foot-wide structure, rising 36 feet near the bottom of Bellarmine Boulevard, honors the university’s namesake, St. Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), a Jesuit Cardinal who was canonized in 1930.

“Grand entrance arches are a major feature of the beautiful hill towns in Italy’s Tuscany region, including St. Robert Bellarmine’s home town of Montepulciano,” says Bellarmine President Joseph J. McGowan. “Hospitality, in its deepest sense, is an exceptionally important value at Bellarmine University, as we regularly welcome new ideas, new perspectives and new people. A grand entrance arch is a compelling symbol of such hospitality. I’m so grateful to the Carosis for sharing my passion for this project, and for making St. Robert Gate a reality.”
    
The Carosis met and fell in love at Bellarmine. Nick graduated in 1969, Gincy in 1970. Nick Carosi is president of Arban & Carosi, a company with roots dating back nearly 100 years to a partnership between two Italian sculptors and plaster artisans, one of whom was Nick’s grandfather. The firm’s artisanship appears throughout Washington, D.C., in buildings such as the Library of Congress, U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Union Station, Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art.

Highland Presbyterian Nursery and Weekday School Dedicates Pergola
On Saturday, April 13, the Highland Presbyterian Church Nursery and Weekday School, 2114 Highland Ave., announced itself formally to the community at a dedication of a new pergola on the church patio. Present at the event were families and church members who were excited to celebrate the new pergola, which is part of the school’s outdoor vision plan.   

The directors of the nursery and school addressed the gathering of approximately 150 people. Children and parents played drums and danced in commemoration of the event. An official ribbon-cutting took place and the pergola was lovingly dedicated to Maude Baker, a former longtime director of the Weekday School.

HPC’s Weekday School and Parent’s Day Out programs are merging for the 2013-2014 school year. The new school will offer a creative infant-toddler, preschool and kindergarten program. For more information, call (502) 456-6991 or visit www.hpcweekdayschool.org.  

 

Reading Service for the Blind Seeks Volunteers
Radio Eye, a nonprofit radio reading service for the blind, is searching for volunteers in the Louisville area. Opportunities include delivering radios to new listeners, making presentations at nursing homes and hospitals, and writing newsletter articles. If interested, contact Chelsey VanDyke at (859) 422-6390 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Learn more about Radio Eye at www.radioeye.org.

Free Classes Offered by Public Health and Wellness
The Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness is offering free classes for individuals interested in learning about and managing diabetes. The department is also offering free classes to help people stop smoking.

The classes on diabetes (a series of four) begin Monday, June 3 and takes place at the Fairdale Branch of the Louisville Free Public Library, 10620 W. Manslick Rd.

Attendance at the entire series of classes is encouraged. The June 3 class explains diabetes and discusses proper diet and blood sugar. The June 10 class addresses the problems diabetes can cause, how to measure carbohydrates, and what to do if you are sick. It also teaches about medications. The June 17 class explains how to stay healthy with diabetes, how to read a label, and covers what you need to know about fat and salt. The June 24 class addresses taking care of your feet, coping with diabetes, keeping a healthy weight and staying active. Classes are from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Class size is limited; a reservation is required. Call (502) 574-6663.

The Cooper/Clayton method to stop smoking is a 13-week program that includes weekly support group meetings combined with the use of nicotine replacement products such as patches and gum. All classes, educational materials and nicotine replacement products are free.

Classes take place in June and July. Advance registration is required. Due to high demand, the number of classes has been greatly expanded. For a list of locations, dates and times, visit www.louisvilleky.gov/Health/IWantTo/StopSmokingClasses.htm. To register, call (502) 574-7867 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

General Castleman Statue Watercolor Competition
The Cherokee Triangle Association, in partnership with the Kentucky Watercolor Society, is sponsoring an art competition to commemorate the upcoming 100th anniversary of the General Castleman statue in the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood.  

November 2013 will mark the 100th year that the bronze statue of General Castleman on his horse, Carolina, has presided over Cherokee Parkway. The goal of the CTA is to select a high quality watercolor painting that will serve as a lasting tribute to the Castleman Statue.  

Artists are encouraged to submit entries that best capture the spirit of the iconic statue. The deadline to enter is July 10, 2013. Entries will be judged on creativity and visual impact.

The CTA will present a $1,000 award to the winning artist. A select number of prints made from the winning entry will be available for purchase. For details, visit www.cherokeetriangle.org/resources.

Louisville Group’s International Writing Contest Accepting Entries
Women Who Write, Inc., a Louisville-based writing organization, invites all women writers to enter its annual writing contest. The International Poetry and Short Prose Contest is open to women ages 18 and older. Winners’ works will be published in Calliope, the group’s annual anthology, now entering its 20th year.

Calliope has been the first step in publication for a number of women writers, and Women Who Write members plan to commemorate previous winners in this special 20th edition. Last year, the group’s International Poetry and Short Prose contest attracted entries from five countries.

The entry fee is $12 for each prose submission, and $12 for up to two poems. The contest deadline is June 30, 2013. Winners will be chosen in each category. Prizes are $300 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place. Each winner will receive up to five copies of Calliope. Submission guidelines can be found at www.womenwhowrite.com.

Women Who Write invites all women who are interested in writing to attend the group’s monthly meetings on the first Thursday of each month, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Highlands-Shelby Park Library, in Mid City Mall, 1250 Bardstown Road.

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