Saint James Tops the Rankings at #5

Sunshine Artist, a national art show and festival magazine, has named the Saint James Court Art Show the nation's fifth best show in its annual "2003 Best" list.

Concert In Central Park October 5, 2003, 2-4 PM Featuring Splatch Don't miss the final concert of the season!

In citing the show, the magazine printed the following in its September, 2003, issue:

"The Original Saint James Court Show started 47 years ago as a "clothesline" event to raise money for improvements in an old downtown residential neighborhood full of antebellum homes facing tree-lined courtyards. Within a few short years, it grew into a massive art and craft event, spreading blocks through the inner city. Adjacent neighborhoods invited artists to set up booths along their streets, and the event became a conglomeration of competing shows. In 1994, the neighborhood associations created a consortium to oversee the festival, comprised of six groups - the five organizations named above and the West End Baptist Church. Today, the consortium's full-time staff and director coordinate the broader aspects of the show (city and food services, for example), while the various sponsoring groups still select exhibitors for their own areas of the show."

"Individually, all five sections of the Saint James show have made our Top 200 lists in various categories in the past, including last year. This year, like their consortium, we decided to group the shows - as the public does. Ask most Louisvillians, and they have no idea that Saint James represents the combined efforts of a half dozen different committees. The public perceives it as one big event, and approximately 300,000 people take it all in, spending more than $3 million each October. Taken together, it is an extraordinary event, drawing fine artists and crafters from all over the country."

"It is also a perennial favorite of our subscribers, whose combined votes have elevated it to its highest ranking ever. As one of our fine-artist contributing writers recently put it, `There is no show that is more fun to do, with more gracious hospitality."

---

Show me the money......

Accounting Consultant Featured at OLNC General Meeting

Austin Cooper, an accounting consultant for the Old Louisville Information Center and Neighborhood Council, will be the featured speaker at the third quarterly general meeting of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council to be held on Thursday, October 23, 2003, at 7PM in the Information Center.

Her presentation will cover the basics of the financial responsibilities of non-profit organizations, especially neighborhood associations. Proper record-keeping, government reports, and payroll will be among the topics discussed.
This meeting should be especially valuable for current and future neighborhood association treasurers and other officers. Questions will be entertained and the entire presentation will last no more than one hour.

---

An Old Louisville Tradition:

47th St. James Court Art Show Scheduled October 3-5

Over 700 artist from over 40 states and Canada plus thousands of shoppers and visitors will converge on Old Louisville for the 47th annual St. James Court Art Show on October 3, 4, and 5.

Exhibits and sales of fine arts and crafts in mediums such as clay, glass, sculpture, jewelry and more will add to the fun and excitement. Many and varied food venues, including the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Food Booth at the St James fountain, are also a part of the show.

The show and St James Court have a long and storied past which includes neighbors past and present and little-known but interesting facts:

• Saint James Court, the originating site of the art show, was originally part of the 45-acre plot of land where the Southern Exposition was held between 1883 and 1887.
• Deed restrictions required all houses on St. James Court to be constructed of either brick or stone; the only exception exists at 1418 St. James Court where the wooden playhouse of the DuPont family's children was moved to its present location in 1905 from the land the family sold to the city, which was developed into Central Park.
• The art show was the brainchild of Malcolm Bird, who was its chair for 14 years. Ann Higbie, Mae Salyers, Oscar Stremmel, and Jim Perry were also volunteer leaders of the art show in its earlier days.
• The first art show was held the first weekend of October, 1957. It was called the St James Clothesline Art Show that year as the artwork of 15 artists was hung on a clothesline between two trees on the court.
• The first show netted $150; the total sales for art is now $3 million.
• In 1958, Minnie Bryan and Ann Higbie suggested food sales as a way to raise money; Francis Morgan's homemade chocolate/assorted candies, Marguerite Gifford's pickled watermelon rind, and Jack Kersey's chutney, bananas flambé, cupcakes and cookies were part of the bill of fare.
• The Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Food Booth began operations in 1979.
• The St. James Fountain was originally cast in iron by the Mott Foundry in Brooklyn. Held up by pipes since the 1950s, it was dismantled and recast in bronze in 1972. The iron grill fencing surrounding the fountain's pool was salvaged from the old Strand Theatre's balcony when the building was demolished.
• Belgravia Court joined the art show in 1966. South Fourth Street, the South Third Street Association, the 1300 Third Street Association and the West End Baptist Church became part of the show in 1978, 1982, 1994 and 1994, respectively.
• The St. James Court Association Art Scholarships were established in 1977; South Fourth Street Association gives awards in honor of Ann Higbie, David Salyers, and watercolorist, Betty Cory.
• The art show became a three-day event in 1981.
• St. James is the second longest-running art show in the country.
• The art show has never included the word, fair, in its name.

 

---

I-65 Renovations, Light Rail
Top Agenda for October Property Improvement Committee Meeting

Officials from the Kentucky Department of Highways will discuss proposed major renovations to I-65 between Hill Street and Crittenden Drive at the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Property Improvement Committee meeting on October 9, at 7 PM in the Old Louisville Information Center.

These renovations include the construction of new entrances into the University of Louisville.

Officials from the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) will also be on hand to further discuss the proposed route for light rail and to explore how the I-65 renovations might facilitate the contraction of the route.

All are invited to attend.

---

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor:

The opposition of Old Louisville to light rail is shocking. It betrays a terrible ignorance about what makes great walkable, intimate neighborhoods like Old Louisville.

The reason they don't make great neighborhoods like Old Louisville anymore is largely because we have abandoned mass transit and walking in favor of the automobile. Automobiles lead to sprawl, strip shopping centers, convenience stores and ugly roads lined with parking. The neighborhoods are off to the side, with no mixed use, little or no walking, and are boring single use areas. Places like Old Louisville that continue to exist are artifacts requiring heroic efforts to keep them growing and alive and unmarred by auto sprawl.

To return light rail to Louisville and Old Louisville in particular will make possible reinvigorating the entire corridor with walkable areas and new or revitalized mixed use. It will reinvigorate Old Louisville and its environs in a positive way, increase property values and enhance the quality of life. And it may ultimately permit residents to reduce from 3 to 2, or 2 to 1, the number of cars they have to support, a huge cost savings for a household. It will also provide mobility to the disabled, the aged and children that they would not otherwise have.

I hope your group will rethink this mindless NIMBY'ism, most unworthy of the heroes of your neighborhood who have preserved this special place. If any transportation system introduces "noise and dirt" into Old Louisville, it is not the sleek, nearly silent, electrically powered LRT vehicles, but any auto or truck carrying roadway that enters or passes near Old Louisville.

Mark Perrault, President
The Norfolk Preservation Alliance
Norfolk, Virginia

Editor's note: Mr. Perrault indicates he has visited Louisville and has walked around much of Old Louisville. He states the The Norfolk Preservation Alliance strongly supports the planned 8-mile Norfolk light rail starter line.

---

Every Dog has its Day

...and nearly 50 dogs from throughout Metro Louisville did at the First Annual (maybe) Spoof Dog Show in Central Park on September 13.

Planned and coordinated by Mary Martin, an Old Louisville Information Center Board member, the event featured doggie croquet and lawn bowling, photo shoots, a dog training demonstration, and goodies and treats for canines and their owners.

Every dog was a winner in the judging; categories were created on the spot and could be suggested by the owners to fit their pooch's qualifications. Old donated bowling and other sports trophies were awarded to each winner.

P.S. All the dogs were good winners; there were no dog fights! 

 

---

Old Louisville Community Directory

Old Louisville Chamber of Commerce reports that the Old Louisville Community Directory will be ready just before the St. James Court Art Show.

The 36-page, full-color directory will list and feature attractions, accommodations, arts and culture, dining and entertainment, education, homes, and neighborhood and civic services in Old Louisville. 60,000 copies will be distributed to publicize the neighborhood and attract visitors, tourists, and customers.

Plans are being made to send a directory to all members of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council.
The Chamber has a CD full of pictures from around the community that were taken to help produce the directory. The Chamber is planning to use these photographs to develop a self-running slide show.

---

Asia: Insights and Perspectives
An Asian Affairs Lecture by Nicholas Kristof

Pulitzer Prize winning author and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof will present a lecture, "Asia Rising," on Tuesday, October 7, at 6:00 p.m. in Floyd Theatre at the Student Activities Center on the University of Louisville Belknap Campus. The lecture re-institutes the international affairs series "Asia: Insights and Perspectives," begun by Crane House in 2001. It is free to Crane House members and students with a valid ID, and $20 for the public. The C. E. & S. Foundation is sponsoring the program and the University of Louisville Department of Political Science and the College of Arts and Sciences are providing additional support.

Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, who also had a career as a Times correspondent, jointly won a Pulitzer Prize for their coverage of the Tiananmen Square democracy movement in China. They are the only married couple to have won a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, and they also won the 1990 George Polk Award for foreign reporting, and the a1990 Overseas Press Club award for international reporting. They are the authors of "China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power" and "Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia."

On October 7, Kristof will discuss the overarching topic addressed in his latest book, "Thunder from the East" - the power shift towards Asia and its potential to rise and wrest economic, diplomatic, and military power from the West. The lecture will include discussion of Asia's strengths in education and what the U.S. can learn from them, and the character of perseverance and pragmatism that resonates throughout the region. Social, cultural and environmental shortcomings that could hold back the rise of the continent will also be discussed.

Mr. Kristof joined The New York Times in October 1984, initially covering economics. After that, he served successively as a business correspondent based in Los Angeles, Hong Kong bureau chief, Beijing bureau chief and Tokyo bureau chief.
Crane House membership starts at $25 for students and teachers, $35 for individuals and $50 for family membership. For details, please call 635-2240.

---

Guitarist Esteban in Concert on October 11

The Old Louisville Chamber of Commerce will present Esteban, the internationally acclaimed flamenco guitarist, in concert on Saturday, October 11, at 7:30 pm in the Spectrum Auditorium at the old Male High School.

Tickets are priced from $10 to $30 and are available on line at www.OldLouisvilleChamber.com or by calling 502-212-7500.

"An Affair to Remember", a special premier party for Esteban, will be held on Friday, October 10, at 8pm. The black tie affair will be limited to 50 Esteban fans; Tickets are available at $150.00 each.

Both events will benefit the Old Louisville Community Development Corporation for the revitalization of the Oak Street Business Corridor.

 

---

Holiday House Tour Tickets Available at Art Show

The Old Louisville Information Center will be open duirng the Art Show and will sell advance tickets for the Old Louisville Holiday House Tour, which will be held on December 6 and 7.
This year's tour will spotlight eight stately mansions on Third Street, once known as millionaire's row. A Taste of Old Louisville featuring some of the neighborhood's finest eateries and a Holiday Gift Boutique at Treyton Oak Towers will be part of the tour's festivities.
Tickets prices are $15.00 in advance and $20.00 the days of the tour.

 

---

Many Thanks to the Volunteers at the 7th and Magnolia Clean-up

The Old Louisville Neighborhood Council thanks all those who participated in the clean-up at 7th and Magnolia on September 3, 2003.

Thanks to: Rhonda Williams, Sandra Needy, Barb Collen and Jon Huffman from the West St. Catherine Street Neighborhood Association; Rose Coleman, Oma Coleman, Marjorie Fink, and Herb Fink from the Third Street Association; Chuck Anderson from the 1300 S. Third Street Association; Jerry Birschbach, Marshall Moore, Virginia McCandless, Ginny Keen, JoAnn Lockhart, Zane Lockhart, Jan Morris, and Tom Duffy from the Second Street Neighborhood Association; Gayle Ballard, Patrick Hornback, Larry Gettleman, and Herb Warren from the Fourth Street Neighborhood Association; David Norton from Magnolia Avenue; John Sistarenik from the Garvin Gate Association; Bob Bajandas, James Brown, and Billy Broadof from the Central Park West Neighborhood Association; Dick Urby from Belgravia Court Neighborhood Association; Mike Allen from Toonerville Neighborhood Association; LaDonna Garrett, Joe Crowdus, Keata Tyson, Julius Victor, James Walker, Tio Harris, Rinaldo Billups, Harmon Gray, Joe Smyzer, Shauntae Bartee, Tran Jackson, Jeffrey Young, Hannibal Butler, Johnnie Hardy, C. Bobo, and Larry Young from Dismas House: Sergeant Doug Sweeney, Officer Tara Long, Officer William LaFlore, and Officer Mark Wampler from the Metro Louisville Police Department; Col. George Clausen, Quincy Sweatt, Winston Lansdan, Michael Devore, Hugh Smith, Greg Mathews, Jeramine Jones from Metro Louisville Dept. of Facilities Management Open Spaces; Ed Dahl, Larry Ward, Richmond Booner, Albert Brutly, Robert Smith, Milton Tennison, Tina Gilbert, and William Campbell from Metro Louisville Dept. of Solid Waste Management Services; Angela Otter from Brightside; Mark Steurer, Pat Seifert, Robert McConnell, Bill Ross, Jeffrey Chesher, and Michael Gregory from Louisville Metro Electrical Maintenance; Jacky Gardiner-Sparrow and Johnny White from Metro Parks; Alan Bishop and Joe Clayton and staff from Metro Arborist.

Thanks to the following for providing funds, goods and services for the clean-up: Rudolph Davidson, Secretary, Cabinet for Public Works and Services; Bill Herron, Assistant Director, Metro Parks; Cynthia Knapek, Director, Metro Brightside; George Unseld, Sixth District Metro Councilman; Donna Sanders, Sixth District Metro Council Legislative Assistant; David Norton, Magnolia Bar and Grill; Col. George Clausen, Director, Metro Department of Open Spaces; Major Larry Watkins, Fifth District, MLPD; Keith Hackett, Director, Metro Louisville Solid Waste Management Services.

Earth laughs in flowers - Emerson

The October meeting of the OLD LOUISVILLE GARDENERS will be held on Wednesday, October 8th at 7pm in the Old Louisville Information Center. This is open to everyone and we'd love to see you there!

In September, we had a very informative lesson on "Learning to Love your Roses & Soil Conditioning" by Mr. Monty Justice (of Monty's Joy Juice fame). We learned alot of great tips for spectular roses so keep an eye out for new and improved gardens in the Old Louisville area. We were so pleased to have visitors from Indiana also - thanks for coming!

On Oct. 8th, Peggy Thieneman will be our speaker. Peggy is one of the owners of Thieneman's Nursery here in Louisville and a fount of knowledge. Her topic will be "PERENNIAL GARDENS IN THE FALL". She will cover planting, dividing, choosing the right ones for sun or shade. Please come and bring a friend.

Many of us will be dividing perennials and would love to trade/share with you also.

Let's make our city proud and make Old Louisville "sparkle" before the St. James Art Show. Please mow and weed property facing streets - plant mums ($1.29 at Home Depot right now!), sweep your curbs. If you need help please call me and I'll try to round up some volunteeers.

See you October 8th.

Missy Murphy 637-3456

Editor's note: Missy Murphy has landscaped and replanted the Mrytle Street entrance to Central Park. Funding was provided by the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council. Earlier this summer, Joan Stewart and Debbie Powers planted flowers at the Fourth and Magnolia entrance. Norma and Bob Laufer, president and treasurer, respectively, of the Garvin Gate Association, planted the Park and Sixth Street entrance, with funds supplied by Garvin Gate.

Caught Red-Handed:
A sign in a front yard on South 6th Street issues a warning
-- probably to thieves too.

Old Louisville Information Center
1340 South Fourth Street - in Central Park
Louisville, Kentucky 40208
phone: 502.635.5244
fax: 502.635.5245
e-mail: olnc@bellsouth.net
hours: Tuesday - Friday 1pm - 5pm
Saturdays - 10am - 4pm
Sundays - 11:30am - 3:30pm
Monday: closed

---

Old Louisville Neighborhood Associations

          Association Chairperson Number

• 1300 S. Third Street Chuck Anderson 636-3396

• Belgravia Court Hank Triplett 636-2925

• Central Park West Penny Johnson 636-1675

• Conerstone Area Ron Loughry 583-2984

• Fourth Street Dot Wade 635-7885

• Garvin Gate Norma Laufer 637-3266

• Ouerbacker’s Arts & Crafts Jeff Schooler

• OLB&PA Gary Kleier 634-1006

• Old Louisville Shalom Com. Peter Barnes-Davies 634-9694

• St. James Court Louise Shawkat 637-3606

• Second Street Jerry Birschbach 635-0220

• Third Street Mary Martin 637-4000

• Toonerville Ken Cordle 637-4514

• Treyton Oaks Jane LaPin 587-1028

• West St. Catherine Street Rhonda Williams 584-9231

---

Click here for October's Meeting's Calendar

---

Please visit our Sponsor's Page!

 

Submit Journal contributions to the Editor:
Old Louisville Information Center
1340 S. Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40208.
Phone: (502) 635-5244
E-mail: olnc@bellsouth.net
Advertising rates available upon request.
Please submit “Letters to the Editor” to the above address.
The 15th of each month is deadline for submission of all ads and articles.

top

Archived Issues of the Old Louisville Journal on-line:

• 2008  January February March April 

• 2007  January February March April May June July August September October November December

• 2006  January February March April May June July August September October November December

• 2005  January February March April May June July August September October November December

• 2004  January February March April May June July August September October November December

• 2003  January February March April May June July August September October November December

• 2002  January  February  March  May  June  July  August September October December

• 2001  January  February  March  April  May  July  August  October  November  December

• 2000  October 2000

       >> Current newsletter

 

Old Louisville Guide Home Page Old Louisville National Historic District Home, Newsletter, News/Press Releases, Old Louisville Business Directory, History, Historic Pictures, Vintage Post Card Views,  Spring, Autumn, TerraServer Images, Maps, Calendar of Events, Walking Tours, Architectural Styles, Architect's Corner, St James Court, Belgravia Court, St. James Art Show,  Museums, Libraries, Literature, Churches, Bed and Breakfast Inns, Restaurants-Taverns, Recipes, Visitors' Page, Resources, Old Louisville Places, Our Lost Landmarks, Old Louisville, the Way it Was, Louisville Links, Feedback information@oldlouisville.com Search WWW Search oldlouisville.com (there are now over 1300 web pages on OldLouisville.com) Click here for a comprehensive search of all 2800+ web pages on this server

 

Old Louisville National Historic Preservation District
America's Victorian Treasure