01.22.2024

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Today’s Forecast

41º | Partly cloudy | 3% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:55 a.m. | Sunset 5:33 p.m.

Forgotten, but not quite gone

3 Louisville landmarks that live on in storage

A large fountain spews water into the Ohio River in front of the Louisville skyline.

Barry Bingham Sr., and his wife Mary put millions of dollars into the Louisville Falls Fountain, which was decommissioned in 1998. | Photo by William Alden III via Wikimedia Commons

Louisville is home to incredible landmarks, like the world’s oldest ornamental water tower and a really big vampire bat. While these attractions can be easily visited any time, there are few former landmarks that are no longer in the public eye, literally.

Louisville Falls Fountain

In 1988, the 375-foot-tall Louisville Falls Fountain launched into the Ohio River with the intention of being the tallest floating fountain in the world, but its days on the river were short-lived.

The fountain floated near the Belle of Louisville + spewed 15,000+ gallons of water per minute in the shape of a fleur-de-lis. But, after a tumultuous 10 years, the $2.6 million water feature was sold to a local port captain for $15,750. It was hauled to McBride’s Fleet, a tow boat service in New Albany, IN, where it was laid to rust.

As of 2022, the Falls Fountain was still tied to a barge at McBride’s fleet. See it on this satellite image.

A larger-than-life ornamental clock designed to look like a horse racing track. — Also known as the Derby Clock, we consider this former whimsical attraction LOU’s version of the Clockwork Chorus in “Shrek.”
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Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Louisville Clock

Debuted at Theater Square in 1976, the Louisville Clock featured iconic landmarks + Louisvillians — like the Belle of Louisville + King Louis XVI — running in a Derby race. At 12 p.m. each day, the 40-ft ornamental timepiece would spring into action with characters “racing” around the track.

It was removed in 1993 and sat in storage at the Kentucky Derby Museum. In 2005, the clock was restored, but in 2015, it was dismantled again and moved to a storage facility in Portland where it remains today.

Neon sign ready "ear X-tacy" hanging from the ceiling inside a museum. — The former ear X-tacy store sign is kept at the Frazier History Museum.
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Photo by LOUtoday

ear X-tacy sign

One of Louisville’s most missed businesses, this legendary music store was founded in 1985 + was the cornerstone of “keeping Louisville weird” for 26 years. We know you’ve seen the bumper stickers.

In 2010, Rolling Stone called it “arguably Louisville’s second-greatest tourist attraction after the Kentucky Derby.” While ear X-tacy called it quits in 2011, the landmark neon sign is kept in the Frazier History Museum’s “Cool Kentucky” exhibit.

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Events

Monday, Jan. 22

Total Solar Eclipse Presentation | Monday, Jan. 22 | 7 p.m. | TEN20 Craft Brewery, 1020 E. Washington St., Louisville | Free | Learn how to observe the upcoming April solar eclipse with Dr. Lutz Haberzettl from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University of Louisville.

Tuesday, Jan. 23

Louisville Local Business Expo | Tuesday, Jan. 23 | 1-4 p.m. | Mellwood Art Center, 1860 Mellwood Ave., Louisville | Free | Network + check out Louisville business vendors who provide services and products to other businesses.

Wednesday, Jan. 24

2024 Discover Boating® Louisville Boat, RV & Sportshow | Wednesday, Jan. 24-Sunday, Jan. 28 | Times vary | Kentucky Exposition Center, 937 Phillips Ln., Louisville | $12-$14 | Dream of warmer weather during this five-day exposition showcasing outdoor adventure gear and accessories.

Thursday, Jan. 25

The Hidden 1980s Series: Pop Culture in the Reagan Era | Thursday, Jan. 25 | 6-7 p.m. | The Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3rd St., Louisville | $0-$18 | Hear from historian Daniel Gifford about how some of the 1980s biggest hit movies + TV shows impacted the Reagan era.
Choreographers’ Showcase | Thursday, Jan. 25-Sunday, Jan. 28 + Friday, Feb. 2-Sunday, Feb. 4 | Times vary | Louisville Ballet Studios, 315 E. Main St., Louisville | $39.20 | Get an up-close and personal experience of six world premiere works — created and performed by the dancers of Louisville Ballet at our downtown studios.*

Friday, Jan. 26

Always Loretta: The Ultimate Loretta Lynn Tribute | Friday, Jan. 26 | 8 p.m | Louisville Palace, 625 S. 4th St., Louisville | $26-$78 | Take a musical journey through this Kentuckian’s country music history.
JD Shelburne LIVE at Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience | Friday, Jan. 26 | 7-9 p.m. | Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, 1311 Gilkey Run Rd., Bardstown | $25 | Join the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience and country music trailblazer JD Shelburne and his electric trio for an evening of music and bourbon, celebrating the start of 2024.*

Saturday, Jan. 27

Louisville Pig & Swig | Saturday, Jan. 27 | 1-6 p.m. | Fourth Street Live!, 411 S. Fourth St., Louisville | $12-$60 | Sample BBQ, bourbon, and craft beer at participating venues, like Guy Fieri’s Smokehouse + PBR Louisville during this 21+ tasting event.

Sunday, Jan. 28

Outlook Soup Swap | Sunday, Jan. 28 | 3 p.m. | The Outlook Inn, 916 Baxter Ave., Louisville | Free | Stop by this Highlands bar ahead of time to sign up to participate, then whip up your best soup recipe to swap and sample.

Events calendar here

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Network

🤝 Get more connected to the city you call home this year

The leadership development program offers Louisvillians the opportunity to build a professional network and make a more positive impact in the community. | Photo provided by Leadership Louisville Center

Calling all Louisville professionals: Registration is now open for the spring sessions of Focus Louisville, happening March 21-23 or June 20-22. Established by Leadership Louisville Center, the two-and-a-half-day experience provides an opportunity for Louisvillians to engage with Louisville’s top leaders and find paths + opportunities to get involved in making our community stronger.

“As a transplant to Louisville, I was looking for ways to learn more about the city and open new doors,” attendee John Anderson of EOS Worldwide said. “Focus Louisville provided all that and then some.”

Interested? Register for an upcoming session and save $100 with the code LOUToday100.

Secure your spot

News Notes

Community

Louisvillians are invited to give feedback on the designs for the forthcoming Fern Creek library tonight from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Fern Creek High School. The branch closed in 2019, and a new 18,000-sqft library is expected to open in 2025 next to the high school.

History

Hop on the bus, Gus, and discover the history of Louisville’s West End on Saturday, Feb. 17. Local historian Donovan C. Taylor will lead the bus tour through nine neighborhoods, making stops at landmarks + historical sites. Tickets are $35.

Film

The 26th annual Louisville Jewish Film Festival kicks off next month, and you can enter to win a pair of tickets through Friday, Jan. 26. The fest begins on Saturday, Feb. 3, and will feature 17 film screenings + special events, including a Willy Wonka-themed opening reception dedicated to Gene Wilder.

Drink

Raspberry limeade is the latest Elixir Kombucha flavor. Made in collaboration with Heine Brothers Coffee, the sweet and sour concept was devised after Elixir moved next door to Heine Brothers’ Portland headquarters — the same place where Katie and Mandey learned how to be baristas that one time…

Correction

Last week, we told you about Vital Motion, a personal training and fitness center that’s holding a ribbon cutting on Friday, Jan. 26. We said it was located in St. Matthews, when it’s actually in Clifton (at 225 N. Clifton Ave.) That’s our bad, LOU.

Travel

Travel and Outdoors

Enroll in TSA PreCheck ahead of spring travel

Cut down your travel time with TSA PreCheck. | Photo via Pexels

Planning a spring getaway? Don’t forget to add TSA PreCheck enrollment to your pre-vacay to-do list.

The government program provides an expedited security lane at 200+ airports for travelers that pass a security screening — which includes a short application and a 10-minute in-person enrollment appointment — and are given a Known Traveler Number. Bonus: The screening is good for five years and costs $78.

The main benefit of enrolling? Save time when traveling. Recent data found that 96% of TSA PreCheck passengers spent less than five minutes at airport security checkpoints.

To apply, find out if you are eligible, then fill out an application and schedule an appointment at a nearby enrollment center. Most people will know if their application has been approved within three to five days.

Psst — don’t forget to grab these airport essentials before your trip: a memory foam travel pillow, this smart luggage carry-on set, and an AirFly wireless headphones transmitter.

The Buy

The Buy 1.22.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

The perfect sauce to celebrate National Hot Sauce Day today: Sobremesa’s Citrus Habanero Hot Sauce. This small-batch mole and salsa company combined ripe citrus with spicy habanero to make a bright, fiery sauce that tingles the taste buds.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Katie

From the editor

Earlier this week, the Lexington Convention and Visitors Bureau beamed a message into space inviting extraterrestrials to visit the Horse Capital of the World using an infrared laser, which will take ~40 years to reach its destination to the TRAPPIST-1 solar system.

LEX might have beat us in this tourism space race, but Derby City has been a destination for otherworldly travelers since the 1990s when Louisville police helicopter pilots encountered glowing orbs traveling at high speeds above the city and engaged in a chase.

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