Best of Louisville at Play
This celebration will be complete with food, drinks, and entertainment honoring those who keep our city rich and original. We will be hosting a “Spin the Bottle” raffle for spirits and wine, a dueling bartender contest featuring Copper & Kings brandy and the city’s top bartenders, a silent auction, free wine tastings and many interactive vendors. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Kentucky-Southeast Indiana Chapter and Louisville Magazine annually present the Best of Louisville. The event has been among Louisville’s most anticipated and well-attended community celebrations. Each year we invite past and present winners of Louisville Magazine’s Best of Louisville Award to showcase their products and services in a festive atmosphere.
July 31, 6 – 10 p.m.
Play Theater and Nightclub
1101 E Washington Street
General admission is $50
The John Butler Trio at Iroquois Amphitheater
The John Butler Trio is an Australian roots and jam band led by guitarist and vocalist John Butler. They formed in Fremantle in 1998 with Jason McGann on drums and Gavin Shoesmith on bass. By 2009, the trio was Butler with Nicky Bomba on drums and percussion, and Byron Luiters on bass. The band's second studio album, Three (2001) reached the top 30 in the Australian album charts and achieved platinum sales. The band's subsequent studio albums: Sunrise Over Sea (2004); Grand National (2007); and April Uprising (2010) all debuted at the number one position on the Australian album charts, with all three albums reaching platinum sales status. Their sixth studio album, Flesh & Blood was released in February 2014.
July 31, 8 – 11:55 p.m.
Iroquois Amphitheater
1080 Amphitheater Road
$30
Shakespeare in the Park Presents Love's Labour's Lost
Shakespeare in the Park presents Love's Labour's Lost as part of their 2014 Summer Season. The show only runs four nights, July 31 through August 3, with a preview night July 30. The pre-show entertainment begins at 7:30 p.m., and the play begins promptly at 8 p.m. Stop by Central Park in Old Louisville for a taste of Shakespeare to satisfy your hunger for the arts.
July 31, 8 – 11 p.m.
C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheater, Central Park, Old Louisville
1340 S 4th St
Free
Brian Olive Band at the New Vintage
Multi-instrumentalist Brian Olive is back with a new EP “Move.” “Move” features four new tracks that showcase Olive’s firm grasp on soul, psych and garage genres showcasing clever lyrics, down-and-dirty rhythms and just enough insanity to make you want to shake it all out. Olive has shown an uncanny knack for capturing the best of some very fine and incredibly diverse musicians in the last few years. His prowess as producer and artist is easily charted and his continued success in coming years is sure to be exciting.
July 31, 9 – 11:55 p.m.
The New Vintage
2126 S Preston St
$5/ticket
45th Annual Street Rod Nationals
The Kentucky Expo Center will be hosting the 45th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals Plus, one of the world’s largest automotive participation events. Between 10,000 and 11,000 street rods, customs, muscle cars and special interest vehicles. No other event in the world attracts the number and quality of specialty cars. The show will be in Louisville from July 31st to August 3rd, with different attractions each day. If you're a street rod enthusiast or if you know someone who is, be sure to come by the Expo Center while the show is in town.
July 31, August 1, 2, and 3rd, 8 – 3 p.m.
Kentucky Exposition Center
937 Phillips Ln
$15 per adult; $6 per child
AnimeCon at the Louisville Free Public Library
Get ready for an infusion of Asian culture and Japanese-style animation: AnimeCon returns to the Main Library on August 1! Teens ages 12-19 are invited to register for this free, day-long celebration. This year’s event will feature a mix of old favorites and new additions, including:
· A performance by the Cardinal K-Pop Dance Team
· Crescent Moon Dancers performing traditional dances from Uzbekistan · Annual Ramen Noodle Eating contest
· Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament
· Zen Garden
· Cosplay contest
AnimeCon is part of the Louisville Free Public Library's annual Teen Summer Reading Program, encouraging teens to read for fun during the summer. Summer Reading and AnimeCon are made possible through funding from The Library Foundation.
August 1, 9:30 – 4 p.m.
Louisville Free Public Library - Main Library
301 York St
Free, but registration required
Quilt Extravaganza at Berea Community School
Displays of quilts by men, baby quilts, the Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern, and a vendors market are features of the 10th Berea Quilt Extravaganza August 1 and 2 at the Community School, 1 Pirate Way, in Berea. Challenge displays include Jabez Retreat quilts, featuring specific material and “Quiltography”, a display of quilt blocks inspired by photographs, from members of the Kentucky Heritage Quilt Society. Activities include a talk on the history of feed sacks as material, a guided walking tour of significant quilts in the show, and demonstrations of hand-quilting, quilt binding, paper piecing, tee-shirt quilts, and embellishment techniques. The theme for the show is “Mother Earth.” Plenty of free parking is available at the school and throughout the town. There is also a free shuttle service available.
August 1, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Berea Community School
1 Pirates Parkway
$5 at the door
Daughters of Greatness: Marta Miranda
Throughout the year, the “Daughters of Greatness” breakfast series invites prominent women engaged in social philanthropy, activism and pursuits of justice to share their stories with the Louisville community. Marta has over 35 years of experience in organizational and clinical social work practice. Her career focus is identification, prevention, treatment, and eradication of sexual assault and intimate partner abuse. Her clinical expertise is in mental health and substance abuse and she maintained a private clinical and consulting practice for 25 years. Marta has taught, published and consulted on the intersections of gender, race, class and sexuality. Before becoming the president and CEO of The Center for Women and Families, she was an associate professor of Social Work at Eastern Kentucky University where she also served as the Director of Women and Gender Studies and the Dean of Multicultural Student Affairs. She has been an advocate, activist and community organizer for over 30 years, working for social and economic justice.
August 2, 8:30 – 10 a.m.
Muhammad Ali Center
144 N. Sixth Street
$20 for Ali Center Members, $25 for non-Members, $15 for students, and $200 for a table of 10
Bark Brunch At The Cafe
Join us on Saturday, August 2nd from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. at The Cafe, with the Southern Indiana Animal Rescue, and Duffy’s Dog Training Center! Bring the WHOLE family, including your 4 legged family members, for brunch! The first 25 people to come in will get a special doggie bag with a special Max doggie bandana and more!
August 2, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m.
The Cafe
712 Brent Street
No parking fee, no entry fee
Little Sisters of the Poor Auxiliary Dessert and Card Party
Little Sisters of the Poor Auxiliary would like to invite you to join us at Holy Family Saffin Center for a Dessert and Card party. There will be homemade desserts, a cake wheel, and raffles. Bring your group to enjoy an afternoon of shopping and playing!
August 2, 1 – 4 p.m.
Holy Family Church Saffin Center
3926 Poplar Level Road
$4
Dance Till You Drop! Belly Dance Performance at White House Centre
Come dressed in your favorite Belly Dance Garb, bring your favorite music, BD prop & dish or drink to share and join the dance party! A portion of the evening will include belly dance performances followed by open dancing with live music from Mohamaad and his keyboard. Light munchies and drinks will be served.
August 2, 6:30 – 11:30 p.m.
The White House Centre
225 Pearl Street
$7
New Speakeasy Tour at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, located along downtown’s historic “Whiskey Row,” is now offering a Speakeasy Tour celebrating the last days of the Prohibition era in Louisville. The new tour featured at the visitor’s center, an official stop on the world famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail, transports guests back in time to the early 1930’s when the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol was illegal. Upon guessing the secret entry password correctly, guests will gain access to the Speakeasy through a faux safe door in the wall, an area of the facility not currently included on the standard Evan Williams Bourbon Experience tour. While inside, tour guests will take a seat at a large, cherry, state-of-the-art bar and learn about the city’s rich Bourbon heritage and tradition from accomplished local historian and author, Rick Bell. Speakeasy Tour guests of legal drinking age will also partake in a variety of educational Bourbon tastings, including Evan Williams Bottled-In-Bond, Larceny, and Evan Williams 23-Year-Old Bourbon, all of which are available for purchase in the retail shop on the second floor of the visitor’s center.
August 3, 1 - 5:30 p.m.
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
528 West Main Street
$12 per person
Impressions: Art of the Race at the Kentucky Derby Museum
This new exhibit series features Louisville-based visual artists commissioned by the museum to interpret the history and heritage of the Kentucky Derby. Exhibiting artists include printmakers Nick Baute and Robert Ronk of Hound Dog Press, multi-media artist Susanna Crum, and painter and illustrator Douglas Miller.
August 3, 10 – 6 p.m.
Kentucky Derby Museum
704 Central Avenue
Free
Sunday Brunch at Tumbleweed at the Big Four Bridge
Tumbleweed at the Big Four Bridge is now serving Sunday brunch! Start your Sunday in a bold way with Tex Mex favorites like mini-chimis, zesty hash browns and made-to-order omelets stuffed with fresh veggies. Choose from a variety of entrees the whole family will love, all while enjoying the best view of downtown along the Ohio River. You can make your brunch even more festive by trying one of our specially priced mimosas, margaritas and bloody ‘ritas.
August 3, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill & Margarita Bar
1201 River Rd.
Adults $15.99 (Includes non-alcoholic beverage)
Kids 4 – 12 $3 (With each adult purchase)
Kids 3 and under eat FREE!
photo provided by the Shakespeare in the Park Facebook page