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Still here after all these years đŸ„ƒ

National Bourbon Heritage Month in Louisville, KY
Five aluminum rings painted to look like wood represent a bourbon barrel.
“The Barrel” at the intersection of Fourth and Main Streets represents the heart of the bourbon district + is a stop on the Walking Whiskey Tour. | Photo by LOUtoday
We’re half-way through National Bourbon Heritage Month, which was established in 2007 by the U.S. Senate, and major bourbon-centric events are kicking off this weekend between the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown and Bourbon & Beyond, which actually starts today.

We want to keep spirits high, so here are a few LOUtoday barrel picks to keep celebrations of America’s only designated native spirit going.

đŸ„ƒ Experience
Set sail on the Belle of Louisville during its Port of Lou Sunset Cruise on Fri., Sept. 16. Enjoy bourbon tastings + a speakeasy-style cocktail experience during this two-hour trip down the Ohio River. Tickets are $29.50 and the steamboat leaves the dock at 9 p.m.

đŸ„ƒ Drink
Last year, we teamed up with LEXtoday City Editors Aaron and Molly to create a bourbon cocktail for an internal competition with our parent company 6AM City. While we didn’t take home the gold, we did land second place for our Kentucky Sweater Weather drink made with Old Forester and a frozen Ale-8 apple cider ball.

đŸ„ƒ Shop
The Speed Art Museum’s Art of Bourbon, dubbed Kentucky’s premier bourbon auction, will take place online and in-person on Thurs., Sept. 22. Tickets to the in-person event are $300 and include dinner + cocktails. See last year’s auction catalog.

Speaking of auctions, Buffalo Trace Distillery is currently auctioning 50 hand-painted, 1.75-liter bottles of its bourbon — each one representing a different US state — by local artist Bri Bowers. Bidding for each bottle starts at $75 and ends on Thurs., Sept. 22. The Kentucky bottle, which features red boxing gloves, Churchill Downs’ spires + a golden rod (our state flower), is already up to $2,200.

Also, through the end of September, the Louisville Visitors Center is offering 25% off on bourbon-themed merchandise. While you’re there, sign up to take a free Whiskey Walking Tour.

đŸ„ƒ Stay
If you’re looking to almost literally sleep inside a glass of bourbon, the NuLu Downtown Bourbon Loft is your ticket to boozy dreams. Voted one of the top 40 places to stay on the Bourbon Trail by Bourbon Review Magazine, this Airbnb features custom bourbon barrel furnishings from the bar to the nightstands.
Channel your inner Angel's Envy and share these picks with three friends.

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Thursday
  • Bourbon & Beyond | Thurs., Sept. 15 - Sun., Sept. 18 | 12 p.m. | Highlands Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Exposition Center| $100+ | See top artists like Jack White, Pearl Jam + Chris Stapleton at this four-day music festival. 🎾
  • Homebrewing 101 | Thurs., Sept. 15 | 7-8 p.m. | Brewgrass Homebrew Supply, 2227 S. Preston St.| Free | Learn how to make your own beer with Brewgrass Homebrew Supply owner John Ronayne + enjoy a complimentary beer and a 20% off coupon for the store.
Friday
  • After Hours at the Speed | Fri., Sept. 16 | 5-10 p.m. | Speed Art Museum | $20 | Make a Helen LaFrance-inspired “Memory Jar” + explore the museum and hear presentations from artists. đŸ–Œïž
  • Germantown Oktoberfest 2022 | Fri., Sep. 16 | 4-10 p.m. | Germantown Mill Lofts, 946 Goss Ave. | Free to attend | Drink liters of beer from Monnik and Sam Adams + enjoy stein hoisting, relay races, barrel rolling, and live music. đŸ»
Saturday
  • Schnitzelburg Fall Walk ’22 | Sat., Sept. 17 | 4-12 a.m. | The Merryweather, 1101 Lydia St. | Free to attend | Relish in this beautiful neighborhood with live music, food by POCO + drinks from The Merryweather. 🍁
  • 2022 Urban-O (Scavenger Hunt) | Sat., Sept. 17 | 7:30 a.m.-12 p.m. | Slugger Field | $7+ | Learn things you didn’t know about Derby City during this three-hour downtown scavenger hunt.
Sunday
  • Vinyl Swap | Sun., Sept. 18 | 1-4 p.m. | Hi-Wire Brewing, 642 Baxter Ave. | Free to attend | Buy, sell, or trade records with other vinyl enthusiasts + participants get $1 off draft beer.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

For tickets to local and regional events, check out our 6AM Tickets resale marketplace.*
MAKE SEPTEMBER PLANS

Weather
  • 85Âș | Sunny | 9% chance of rain
Announced
  • New York Times bestselling author Andy Weir is coming to the Main Library on Tues., Oct. 18. Andy, whose sci-fi novel “The Martian” was adapted into the 2015 Ridley Scott film of the same name, will join popular sci-fi author John Scalzi for a conversation. Tickets are $21. 🛾
  • Also on the docket for the Main Library in October is GRAMMY-nominated country music artist Margo Price. She’ll be joining musician + Kentucky-native S. G. Goodman to talk about her new memoir “Maybe We’ll Make It” on Tues., Oct. 18. Reserve your free seat.
Sports
  • Hoop there it is. The UofL men’s basketball schedule for the 2022-2023 season has been released. The Cards will play 19 home games at the KFC Yum! Center, which includes seven conference games, two exhibitions, and 10 league contests. 🏀 (WAVE)
Traffic
  • Interstate 71 South between the Watterson Expressway (I-264) + Gene Snyder Freeway (I-265) will be closed for 10 days to allow crews to resurface the asphalt road. The closure begins on Fri., Sept. 16 at 7 a.m. and ends on Mon., Sept. 26. Find an alternate route. 🚧
Outdoors
  • The world’s longest cave just got even longer. Six additional miles of passages have been confirmed inside Mammoth Cave bringing the total mileage to 426 — that’s the length of a trip to Chicago and back. The cave is located ~95 miles south of Louisville in Mammoth Cave National Park near Cave City. (WDRB)
Louisvillian
  • Jennifer Lawrence has long left Louisville, but she hasn’t forgotten her roots or how to pronounce it. Hear Academy Award winning actress say “Louisville” (the correct way) in her “73 Questions” Vogue interview.
Try This
  • Celebrate the future Japanese Garden on Sat., Sept. 17 during the Waterfront Botanical Gardens’ reGeneration Fair. From 1-4 p.m. you can learn Japan Town activities like how to use chopsticks, make origami + create paper cherry blossoms and calligraphy. 🌾
  • Looking for your 15 minutes of brunch fame? This Sun., Sept. 18, Germantown eatery North of Bourbon is looking to fill the restaurant while a major cable network films for an upcoming show — which is under wraps until it airs. The doors open early at 10 a.m.
Drink
  • Pregame Coffee, which recently moved to Frankfort Avenue, is hosting a fall coffee cocktail tasting on Fri., Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 and include a sampling of four drinks + a full serving of your favorite sample. Email to reserve your spot — space is limited to 10 tasters. ☕
Feel Good
  • Refugee students at JCPS’ Newcomer Academy got to spend the afternoon with Racing Louisville Football Club player Nadia Nadim, who fled Afghanistan as a child in the 1990s. Nadia shared her experiences adjusting to life in the US + how she became an international soccer star and medical doctor. (WFPL)
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Disco balls y’all

Disco ball history in Louisville, KY
A 2,300 pound, 11 foot wide disco ball sits in the middle of Louisville's Fourth Street Live! corridor.
Kentucky’s Largest Disco Ball, Y’all at its debut on Fourth Street Live! | Photo by World’s Largest Disco Ball, Y’all
Most Louisvillians know or have at least heard through the grapevine that Derby City is one of the world’s largest producers of disco balls. Omega National Products on Baxter Avenue has been spinning out the sparkling, mirrored globes for 50+ years and in the 1970s disco era, made about 90% of them.

But production isn’t the only claim to disco ball fame Louisville has to offer. In April 2016, Kentucky’s Largest Disco Ball — a whopping 11-foot-wide, 2,300-pounder — made its debut at Fourth Street Live!

Today, our local business community embraces our disco ball heritage just as much as bourbon and baseball bats. Here are a few to spark your inner John Travolta hustle:
Bonus: The title of Louisville author David Dominé’s most recent true crime novel “A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City” pays homage to our disco ball history.
THE WRAP
Today’s issue was written by Senior City Editor Katie.

Editor’s pick: “Pumpkin spice” is now officially in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It joins 369 words being added to the big book this month — including “side hustle,” “metaverse,” and “supply chain.”

Now that it’s codified, go ahead and jump on the spiced gourd wagon by trying a pumpkin latte and pumpkin spice muffin from Brew and Sip Coffee Bar.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Volunteer at 20+ places in Derby City.
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Editorial: Sarah Shadburne, Katie Molck, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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