Event to discuss effect of '37 flood on Southwest Louisville

On Thursday, October 7 at 7:00 PM, Rick Bell, author of "The Great Flood of 1937," will present a slide show and talk at Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing about the impact this devastating event had on southwest Louisville. Did you know that 30 of the 33 miles of Dixie Highway from Louisville to Muldraugh Hill were under water? This event is FREE, but reservations are recommended. For more information on this program, call 502/935–6809.

Special thanks to my friend Steve Magruder at Louisville History & Issues for this info.

Here's what's going on in Southwest Louisville this weekend

  Louisville Street Rods present Cruizin’ Iroquois Park at the Iroquois Amphitheater

Saturday, September 24th  8a.m. – 5p.m.

Sunday, September 26th – 8a.m. – *4p.m.

*Awards at 3p.m.

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BEECHMONT HARVEST FESTIVAL

Saturday, September 25th, 8a.m. – 12noon

Produce and Fall Decorations
Pumpkin Painting
Pumpkin Ice Cream

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Valley High School Youth Service Center Yard Sale

September 25th, 8am-12 noon in the school parking lot

You can reserve a spot for $15

Participants are to bring their own items and tables.

Donations will be accepted. Call to register: 502-485-6780

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“Riverside Before the Farnsleys and the Moremens”

Sunday, September 26th 2pm

Riverside, the Farnsley-Moremen Landing

7410 Moorman Road

Presented by local historian David Baker

Learn about the early history of the Riverside property- including the story of Ebenezer Christopher- owner of the land before the Farnsley-Moremen House was built.

A “Southwest Treasures” program presented in partnership with the Southwest Regional Library

Rand rolls in, out of Southwest Louisville

The Rand Paul for U.S. Senate campaign rolled into Southwest Louisville Government Center tonight, and as quickly as it began it was over.  What was billed as a two hour event lasted just over half an hour, as the good doctor bailed for the exits after speaking about 12 minutes. I have in my hand a written estimate of the attendance.  It says:

"84 people seated, 70 standing, 154 total.

Faithfully submitted,

Ron Mexico"

Rand Paul, U.S. Senate Candidate

There is one fact clearly missing from my friend's excellent reporting. 100 of said total were Louisville union members that showed up to ask questions. The crowd from organized labor, most wearing t-shirts emblazoned with union logos, certainly took organizers of the event by surprise. When Rand arrived to mingle, the union insignias stunned his eyeballs and nearly ruined his mind.

The speakers, in order of appearance:

- Rachel Ford - Tea Party Organizer (and amateur pollster)
- Chris Thieneman -Former mayoral candidate
- Dan Seum - State Senator with 27 years on the government dole
- Rand Paul

It seemed to me that the speeches given were altered a little due to the overwhelming labor presence. Ford and Seum both touted their "union family backgrounds" during their short presentations. What began as the "Betrayal of Union Values Tour" ended with a whimper as Paul claimed a prior engagement with family and sped away. When the room emptied into the parking lot, there were chants of "Run, Rand, Run", much to the chagrin of the remaining Paul supporters, most of which were too disgusted or too aloof to realize they were attending a Rand Paul rally at a government center.

The best contradiction of the evening came when Paul commended Sen. Seum for his eons in public service, then only minutes later restated his firm belief that term limits must be imposed upon politicians.

I'm looking forward to the next meeting.  Hopefully, Dr. Paul will clear his schedule.

DeSales High Candidate Forum - SW Candidates

The Iroquois Neighborhood Association is the oldest such group in Louisville. Maybe that's why they know how to draw a crowd.  Last night the association hosted a candidate forum at DeSales High School that featured many incumbents and several challengers. I have written an account of the most interesting candidates on my new blog that is being featured at Insider Louisville.

In addition to those candidates, here are some thoughts on additional races in Southwest Louisville:

- Mike Nemes, candidate for State Representative 38th District, spoke about bringing opportunities back to the South End. Nemes said although he "squandered" most of his opportunities in life, he still sees the need to have said opportunities for future generations. Nemes also lamented on the "forgotten" feeling South End residents feel when they think of government, but it is my opinion citizens are upset with local officials, not state ones. Nemes talked about Iroquois Park being neglected and the "eyesore" status of Colonial Gardens, even though Iroquois is under local control and has received investments totaling $9 million over the last several years.

Nemes is running against incumbent Tim Firkins. Rep. Firkins was present and gave an uplifting talk about his time in the state legislature. Firkins says the state needs to urgently address tax reform, but in an "enlightened way".  He said education was his first priority. Firkins ended with a quote from Robert Kennedy, saying "Politics is an honorable profession", an pledged to do all he could to promote progress in his district.

- Wade Hurt is the Republican candidate for State Representative in the 37th District. Hurt opened with his credentials as a certified concealed-carry instructor and former vice-president of South Louisville Community Ministries. If elected, he promises to create jobs, eliminate "wasteful spending" in Frankfort and "make state government more efficient and effective". These things all sound great, but there was no discussion on exactly HOW these things would be accomplished. Hurt supports expanded gaming in the state.

Jeff Donohue is the Democratic candidate for State Representative in the 37th District. The seat is being vacated by the retirement of Ron Weston. Donohue is a lifelong resident of the district and a former union representative and negotiator that spent his minutes before the crowd explaining the complicated ritual of contract talks at Ford Motor Company. It wasn't apparent what his message was, but if he develops one and delivers the way he did last night, he could win big. Time is short.

Bad Craziness Updates

- Jefferson Circuit Judge Fred Cowan threw out a phony lawsuit against MSD filed by a couple of sue-happy guys in Southwest Louisville that are preoccupied with sewage "invisible taxes". [CJ]

- The latest email from Councilman Doug Hawkins features a counterfeit poll that states he is leading his re-election race by 36%.  The sham poll was conducted by one of his "endorsers" during two (2) holiday weekend periods and is not based on science or reality. [Hawkins Email]

- Governor Beshear takes credit for "Secretariat" movie. Horseshit alert! [Insider Louisville]

Southwest Festival Turns 25

25th Southwest Community Festival

Louisville (September 20, 2010)- The Southwest Community Festival is one of the biggest community events in Louisville, drawing over 25,000 people to this one day event and this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. The festival will be held at Sun Valley Park on Saturday, October 9th, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at 6505 Bethany Lane in Valley Station.
Several events which lead up to the festival include, the Kentucky Telco Balloon Glow on Monday, October 4th at 6 pm in the Meijer parking lot. On October 7th at 6 pm Farnsley Middle School will hold its annual Spelling Bee at 6 pm.

The 25th Southwest Community Festival kicks off in the morning with a pancake breakfast at the Sun Valley Community Center from 8 to 11 am. The breakfast will also include sausage biscuits and biscuits/gravy and the proceeds go to Southwest Community Ministries.
FREE festival events include: a car and motorcycle show from River City Street Rods, Inc.; corn hole tournament sponsored by the Boy Scouts; Kids City with free games and inflatables from Valley View Church; Medieval Re-Enactments presented by SCA; arts, crafts & food booths, Toddler Town, and a Senior Tent with bingo and drawings. Louisville’s own Monarchs will provide the rock ‘n roll entertainment as they have been doing since 1961. The Monarchs will be onstage at 12:30, 1:45 and 3:00 pm. Free shuttles will be provided to the car show and festival events by Highview Baptist Church and South Jefferson Christian Church. For more information about The 2010 Southwest Community Festival, call 502-368-1196 or visit the website at southwestfestival.org
SERVICE ANIMALS ONLY

Kentucky Telco Southwest Community Festival Balloon Glow
Monday, October 4, 2010, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.,
Meijer’s parking lot, 9905 Dixie Hwy. Sponsored by Kentucky Telco

Spelling Bee
Thursday, October 7, 2010, 6:00 PM, Farnsley Middle School, 3400 Lees Lane

Pancake Breakfast
Morning of Festival, October 9, 2010, 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM, Sun Valley Community Center, 6505 Bethany Lane. Proceeds Benefit Southwest Community Ministries
25th Southwest Community Festival
Saturday, October 9, 9 AM to 5 PM, Sun Valley Park, 6505 Bethany Lane


For Press & Media: Please contact Trevor Hemingway at 994-6263 or trevor@thelocalweekly.net to arrange for coverage of the festival or more information.

Monday Business & Jobs Update

- The End of An Era: Products at the Louisville Assembly Plant are meeting the end of their production cycle. The last Mercury Mountaineer will be built September 28th, the last Sport Trac on October 29, and the end of the truck-based Ford Explorer is scheduled for December 16th, 2010. These were good products that made a good living for employees. Good luck to those still working at LAP, and best wishes for a new product soon.

- FedEx, after announcing quarterly profits have doubled, says it will be permanently laying off 1700 workers and closing 100 facilities across the country. [Business First]

-  From The Local Weekly: The former H&S Hardware store on Dixie Highway is being renovated for a new tenant.  Advance Auto Parts will soon occupy the building.  The auto parts chain replaces the dirty "Peddler's Mall" that recently closed.

This Week's Southwest Events

- Mayor Jerry Abramson's second-to-last Community Conversation is going to be held Monday, September 20th at Iroquois High School on Taylor Blvd. The event starts at 6:30 p.m.

- A candidate forum will be held Tuesday, September 21st at DeSales High School on Kenwood Drive. From the CJ article:

Among those who’ve confirmed they’ll attend: 3rd District U.S. Rep. candidate Todd Lally; Louisville mayoral candidates Greg Fischer and Hal Heiner; 37th District state representative candidates Wade Hurt and Jeff Donohue; 38th District state representative candidates Tim Firkins and Mike Nemes; 21st District Metro Council candidate Dan Johnson; Jefferson County Property Valuation Administrator candidate Tony Lindauer; Jefferson County Attorney candidate Mike O’Connell; and Jefferson County Clerk candidate Bobbie Holsclaw.

Hear the candidates present their campaign overview. A question and answer session will follow. Refreshments will be available.

- Iroquois Amphitheater presents "Free Movie Night" on Monday, September 20th featuring ‘The Jerk’ starring Steve Martin (R). Movie starts at 8p.m.