Get hyped, it’s a three-day weekend kicking off what should be a long, hot summer. You should probably spend as much of the season as possible at Southside Quarry (4220 South Park Rd.) sunning and sipping.
Jason Stanford, who owns the Quarry, is excited for Southside’s third summer. “It’s kind of wild how it’s taken off,” he says. Stanford’s day job is in real estate. “That’s my real job. That’s how I found this place. I go to the Jefferson County foreclosure sales and I buy and sell and flip a lot of properties. It [the Quarry] was public auction, and nobody even bid on it…I went out there and saw it, and I had a vision. I thought, ‘we could do awesome things with this.’”
Awesome things…for a good cause. Proceeds from the parties at Southside Quarry (suggestion donation to enter is $10 per person) this year will go to benefit the ALS Association, Active Heroes Inc. and The Wounded Warrior Project. Stanford says the Quarry is not all about fun in the sun, but about doing “a great, positive thing” for the community. He’s been working for months to clean up damage the spring floods (among other things) dealt to the property. “When we had that flood I lost a ton of rock, I lost almost all the boats that were out there, all my docks broke loose.” Heavy rains and flooding have made it necessary to bring in extra rock to maintain the beaches.
It should be an extra-memorable summer for Southside. Stanford’s been contacted by a nationally-produced television show hoping to film an episode at Southside, and a future summer concert series is a possibility.
Saturday, May 23, will be the first party of the 2015 season at Southside Quarry. There will be food available for purchase from Mike’s Kentucky Kitchen. Stanford wants to fill the quarry with floats this weekend and take pictures of the fun with drones – a “raft-in.”
As with all good things, there are rules. You must be 21 to enter Southside Quarry and an ID is required. Be sure to bring a personal flotation device: rafts, life jackets, pool noodles. Keep in mind that the quarry is pretty deep so technically you’ll be floating, not swimming. There are cliffs and rocks to jump from but you’ll have to do so at your own risk: every guest must sign a waiver before entering.
You’re allowed to bring your own food and beverages (coolers are welcome!) but no glass – and for goodness sake, pick up after yourself. The Quarry is reliably rolling on the weekends from around 10 a.m. until dark - if it doesn't rain. Southside Quarry is private property, and you should like the Southside Quarry on Facebook or follow them on Twitter or be there with a friend that does – think of it as your invitation to the best party in town.
