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A Monthly Summary of
News and Events in Old Louisville |
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Volume 27, Issue 10 |
October 2005 |
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A note from the Editor This will be my seventh show as a neighborhood
resident and it has become a sort of rite of passage for me. Marking
those late September days to THE weekend is often spent chatting
with friends from other parts of the area making plans for them to
“stop by when you’re at the show.” There are also the endless
discussions about the best way to “shop the show” for all of us.
When I begin to hear the tap, tap, tap of the hammers sinking the
tent stakes into the lawn of St. James I realize two things. First,
fall has officially arrived in my neighborhood and second, the
imminent chaos and joy of that special weekend is about to arrive.
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St. James goes Wi-Fi Louise Shawkat the President of the St. James Court Associated noted that “it is important to provide this type of service to the community. We wanted to be first and we wanted to have access prior to the 49th annual St. James Court Art Show.” The St. James Court Art Show which draws over 300,000 people to Old Louisville has been ranked the number one art show in the country for two years in a row. Wi-Fi was established in the neighborhood with the assistance of Kent Thompson, a St. James Court resident and member of the Association, along with Fortress Network Security, the Conrad-Caldwell House, and Dr. Aaron Lucas. Mr. Thompson wanted to thank Beth Niblock, the Chief Information Officer, Metro Louisville for “removing the red-tap in allowing us to rapidly move forward with this project.” He noted though that “unfortunately Metro Louisville had hoped to contribute equipment to make this project possible but was unable to do so. Because of this shortfall we had to rely on vendors and the generosity of St. James residents.” |
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
Recent conversations with neighbors, police and reading the September 2005 Old Louisville Journal have prompted this letter. While page 6 of this issue was largely devoted to the future of SoBro as it relates to low-income housing and halfway houses, I am concerned with these issue as they pertain to all zip codes within the Old Louisville & SoBro neighborhoods. Specifically, how they compare to the balance of zip codes in the Metro area.We seem to receive information on these issues in dribs & drabs and can really make no sense or opinion on these issues because of this. I would hope that the OL Council would be able to supply us, through the Journal, the following:
· categorizes of low-income housing (i.e., section 8)
· number of units in the metro area by zip code
· number of shelters in the metro area and total number housed or served
· number of shelters per zip code with total number housed or served
· number of missions and halfway houses in the metro area by total housed or served
· number of missions and halfway houses per zip code by total housed or servedIt is easy to say this area is overburdened with it’s share of all of the above, but how about the government coughing up the numbers for all to see? With regard to placement of Clarksdale units — ask Metro for the same. How many were there in total? Where, by zip code, are these units be placed in the Metro area now that Clarksdale is being torn down? The Feds dictate scattered site housing. How can we argue that it isn’t if the City or Council aren’t getting us the information? It is a matter of public record and Metro Government needs to make it easily and cohesively accessible. It is no secret that having too much of any of the above will severely impact our neighborhood and property values. We can fight this if we have information. Without it, we are voices with no foundation.
Lastly, there has been an enormous amount of press by the Mayor’s office regarding the development of housing and neighborhood rejuvenation in older neighborhoods in the City. Where does OL place in that endeavor? What are the plans for 4th & Oak area as reported by the City - NOT as reported by the OL Chamber of Commerce? By all accounts, what’s planned by the Mayor’s office is what becomes reality — look at Downtown and 4th Street Live - It could have been us!
Looking for the numbers!
Claudette Rego
Editors Note:
Please look for information regarding your inquiries in the November issue of the OLJ.
Neighborhood Notes
Toonerville Trolley neighborhood Association’s
Fall Project
Toonerville started selling Van Bourgondien bulbs this summer! This first time, the great deals include $5 and $10 packages. There’s also a big box of 50 bulbs for $20 and one with 150 bulbs for only $40! These are the very finest Dutch bulbs available.
As a special reward for your neighborhood, Toonerville is sharing the extra daffodil bulbs we’d normally receive as a “bonus” based on your purchases. We want to help with all of Old Louisville’s beautiful spring!
Color brochures are available at the Old Louisville Information Center and at the Visitors Center at 218 W. Oak. Call 636-0602 or email bigbluehouse@bellsouth.net for more information or to order.
UofL School Of Music
Our neighbors to the south, the University of Louisville, hosts a rich variety of music programs. Beginning with the very first weekend in October and finishing at the end of the month, there quite literally is something for everyone. Perhaps you would like an evening of Chinese Music or maybe an evening of new music by student composers is more to your liking. No matter the choice, the UofL School of Music program is a wonderful choice for all of us. Check their website for more information. A list of upcoming events may be found at www.music.louisville.edu or you may get more information by calling the concert line at 502-852-0524.
Join us for the
October Neighborhood Association Meeting
In the last legislative session a new state tax credit program was passed. The October 25, 2005 Old Louisville Neighborhood Association Meeting will be a special neighborhood meeting about this new program. A representative from the Ky Heritage Council will be present to discuss this new program and how residents of Old Louisville can take advantage of it. More information to follow. We also hope to have Reginald Meeks and/or Denise Harper Angel there for their input. Look for more information in the next issue of the newsletter. The meeting will start at 7 PM.
Chuck Anderson
President
1300 South Third Street Neighborhood Association Sets Challenge to Keep Visitors Center Running Smoothly
Alan Bird, President of the Old Louisville Chamber of Commerce, reports that the recently-opened ‘Visitors Center in Historic Old Louisville’ at 218 West Oak Street has far surpassed expectations for its first few months of operation. “We recently had new signs for the Visitors Center placed on the highway and in the neighborhood,” he says, “and it is remarkable to see how many people are being directed to Old Louisville.” On an average day, as many as 30 to 40 people from various parts of the country arrive at the center, and most of them are eager to check out the sights in America’s Largest Victorian Neighborhood. Much of the credit for the center’s immediate success is due the countless volunteers who have dedicated their time and energy, and also to the creation of an interim-director post that has provided the Visitors Center with an experienced professional in the travel and tourism industry.
Despite the center’s success, however, funding has been slow in coming, and a considerable portion of the operating costs, including the salary for the interim director, has been underwritten by private individuals. Mike Seale, treasurer of 1300 South Third Street Neighborhood Association has announced the organization has donated $2,500 to keep the center running smoothly through October. In addition, 1300 South Third Street Neighborhood Association is issuing a challenge to all individuals, agencies and organizations in Old Louisville to help raise funds to ensure the continued success of the Visitors Center in Old Louisville. For every dollar that is contributed, the 1300 South Third Street Neighborhood Association will match the donation with $.50 – up to an additional $7,500 – resulting in a total contribution of $10,000 on their behalf.
Arnold Calentano and Jane Harris will spearhead the efforts for 1300 South Third Street Neighborhood Association, and they hope they can count on you for support. For more information call 637-2227.
Cook’s Corner
Reviving a previous tradition in the Old Louisville Journal, join me in welcoming back the Cook’s Corner. Here you will find monthly recipes appropriate to the season as well as a little story behind the food...if one exists. Feel free to email us with your favorite recipes and “food memories” and we’ll include them as space allows.
This month, with Fall having arrived and the crisp October air about to join us here in Old Louisville, thoughts turn that always welcome notion of comfort food. Something warm and wonderful...filling and tasteful. One of my favorites at this time of year fills my home with the most delicious fragrance. I can hardly wait for it to “come together” as my grandmother would say. I usually spend a lazy Saturday morning filling my soup pot with the ingredients. I venture out at some point to a neighborhood bakery for the perfect loaf of artisan bread and then I wait...and wait...until I can stand it no longer.
I have many different “Saturday Soup Pots,” as my family calls them, but the current front-runner is Sausage-Corn Chowder. It’s an easy recipe with few ingredients. It’s VERY simple to make...the difficult part is letting it simmer...the longer the better. Feel free to embellish as you wish. At my home, Tabasco is a big player in this soup. We like it with the a little kick! Let me know if you make a great addition to the ingredients. I’m always looking for a new twist.Sausage-Corn Chowder
· 1/2 pound Pork Sausage (whatever “flavor” you like...hot, mild, etc.)
· 1/2 cup chopped onion
· 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
· 2 garlic cloves, minced
· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 3 cups milk
· 3/4 teaspoon salt
· 3/4 teaspoon pepper
· 1 (15-ounce) can cream-style corn
· 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsleyBROWN first 4 ingredients in a large Dutch oven, stirring until sausage crumbles. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add milk and next 6 ingredients; cook chowder over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 60 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish, if desired.
Fill that soup pot and enjoy!
Kentucky Shakespeare Festival Needs Funds
Future developments of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and its summer home, the Douglas C. Ramey Amphitheatre in Central Park, were discussed at the September meeting of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Property Improvement Committee (PIC) meeting.
Kurt Tofteland, Producing Artistic Director of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, mentioned drainage, tree maintenance, vehicular access, stage, concessions and bathroom facilities as major issues which need to be addressed in the currently evolving new Central Park Master Plan.
He proposed that the amphitheater shrink its seating from the current 1500 seats to 500 seats. Smaller weeknight crowds would be better accommodated, larger weekend crowds would have more green space available for lawn blankets, and the amphitheater would have a smaller imprint on the park.
Tofteland supports a new stage structure which would be totally removable in the off-season. PIC and the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council are on record supporting this in the Central Park Master Plan.
Tofteland stated that lack of money is the major obstacle to the realization of these improvements. The summer season in Central Park costs $200,000 out of a total Festival budget of $650,000. However, decreasing donations from The Fund for the Arts and Louisville Metro will result in $32,000 less for the 2006 summer season. He said donations from Old Louisville neighborhood associations are also down. $2,000 was donated in 2005, down from the usual $7,500. If not replaced, the reduced funding may result in only a two-week 2006 season. Also, any hopes of producing more than one play are remote at this time.
Tofteland noted that the Festival draws between 10,000 and 20,000 patrons from from all socio-economic levels and from every zip code in Louisville Metro to Old Louisville and Central Park each summer. It provides a free cultural experience that many could not otherwise afford. Tofteland exhorted those present at the PIC meeting to help the Festival raise the money.
Scaffolding surrounds
Saint Louis Bertrand Church
on South Sixth Street in preparation for a restoration which, depending
on the weather, may not be
completed until December.
Austin’s Inn Place Opens
Austin’s Inn Place, a guest and gathering bed and breakfast, recently opened at 913-915 South First Street.
The structures, built in 1888, feature five king-size and three queen-size guest rooms. Breakfast is offered in three dining rooms. Additional amenities include meeting rooms for social and business gatherings, game room, parlor/reading room, book and DVD library, wireless high-speed access, fax, and a gift shop featuring Kentucky crafted products and art. Off-street, gated parking is available.Mary and Tom Austin, innkeepers, can accommodate groups up to 30 for parties, wedding receptions, business meetings or training sessions. They will manage events and coordinate services for clients.
For further information call 502-585-8855; e-mail: austinsinnplace@bellsouth.net; web site: www.austinsinnplace.com.
Voices from the Past and PresentWouldn’t it be wonderful to experience a brush with literary history? Charles Dickens . . . what if you could meet him? Though he has long left the cobble-stoned streets of England, his words will once again come alive through the voice of his great-great grandson Gerald Charles Dickens. The Old Louisville Information Center and the Cultural Development Foundation have come together to present Louisville’s historic premiere event, “A Christmas Carol.”
In this unique presentation, Gerald Charles Dickens uses 26 different voices, one for each of the characters in this beloved classic, “A Christmas Carol,” published in 1843. His performances are frequently interactive, involving members of the audience. It will be presented much in the same manner that his great-great grandfather would have presented this timeless story to his own family during the holiday season.
Mr. Dickens will give two performances of this holiday classic on Friday, December 2, at The Brown Hotel in the Crystal Ballroom. This will be a limited seating performance and will include a musical prelude. The High Tea Performance is $45. The Evening Performance is at 7 p.m. and includes an elegant four-course dinner. The cost for this performance is $85.
Victorian Ghosts to Haunt the Streets of Old Louisville Again
Neighborhood Association Sponsors Halloween FundraiserRhonda Williams of the West St. Catherine Street Neighborhood Association in Old Louisville has announced that preparations are well underway for the 2nd Annual Victorian Ghost Tour that will take place the weekend before Halloween, on October 28th, 29th and 30th. Given the overwhelming success of last year’s walking tour of haunted hot spots in ‘America’s largest Victorian neighborhood,’ the Victorian Ghost Tour promises to be a yearly draw for ghost enthusiasts and history buffs alike. “It’s a great way to get out and see one of the most important historic preservation districts in the nation,” she says, “and it’s also a great way to discover the haunted history behind one of the country’s spookiest neighborhoods.” In addition, all proceeds from the popular event will go to the restoration and upkeep of period lighting along West St. Catherine Street.
The Victorian Ghost Tour, a roughly two-hour jaunt featuring many locations mentioned in David Dominé’s local bestseller ‘Ghosts of Old Louisville: True Stories of Hauntings in America’s Largest Victorian Neighborhood,’ will take sightseers to such places of supernatural interest as the opulent Conrad-Caldwell House, the stairs of the lovely First Church of Christ, Scientist and the old Jennie Casseday Free Infirmary for Women. Costumed guides and interpreters will also share ghostly stories and legends from the area as they stroll charming gas-lit streets and alleys, and participants will be invited inside several of Old Louisville’s reportedly haunted mansions as well. Dominé himself will lead several of the groups, and the other guides will include talented members of the West St. Catherine Neighborhood Association, such as actor and screenwriter Jon Huffman, professor and writer Michael Williams and U of L art history professor Dr. Karen Britt.
Tours will form at the ticket booth at the rock in front of the Conrad-Caldwell House at 1402 St. James Court on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings before Halloween. The first group will depart at 6:00 p.m., and the last one will depart at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets can be purchased for $20 each; the week of the tour they will cost $25 each. Call 502-635-5244 for more information, or go online at www.oldlouisville.com.
Old Louisville Neighborhood Block Association Chairpersons
| Association | Chairperson | Address | Phone/Contact |
| 1300 S. Third Street | Dale Strange | 1355 S 3rd St. | 635-1710 |
| Belgravia Court | Jessica Flores | 1451 S. 6th St. | 637-6658 sflores@insightbb.com |
| Central Park West | Judy Stallard | 634 Floral Terrace | 636-3113 jumartin@onealsteel.com |
| Cornerstone Area | James Long | 213 E. Kentucky | 773-3538 |
| Fourth Street | Dot Wade | 1445 S. 4th St. | 635-7885 |
| Garvin Gate | Howard Rosenberg | 1202 S. 6th St. | 896-9833 h.rosenberg@insightbb.com |
| OL Chamber of Commerce | Alan Bird | 1234 S 3rd St. | 212-7500 alan@ud.net |
| Ouerbacker Arts & Crafts | Ric Poe | 1379 S. 1st St. | 635-5134 |
| St. James Court | Louise Shawkat | 1433 St. James Ct. #3 | 637-3606 Shawkatl@bellsouth.net |
| Second Street | Bill Neal | 1381 S. 2nd St. | 638-0572 |
| Third Street | Mary Martin | 1466 S. 3rd St. | 637-4000 oldloumary@aol.com |
| Toonerville | Jennifer Hamilton | 1430 S 1st St. | 749-7294 Jenn-jj@bellsouth.net |
| Treyton Oak Towers | Peggy Martin | 211 W. Oak St. #907 | 588-3595 |
| W. St. Catherine | Rhonda Williams | 622 W. St. Catherine St. | 584-9231 williams@dominionhomes.com |
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The Old Louisville Journal is published monthly by the Old Louisville Information Center, Inc. (OLIC), a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated in 1984, for the purpose of receiving tax deductible contributions. OLIC is affiliated with the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council (OLNC), a 501 (c) (4) non-profit association incorporated in 1976 to serve as the recognized voice of the Old Louisville Neighborhood.
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