Here is some stuff to do or plan on doing: It's the weekend

- Councilman Rick Blackwell is once again inviting residents of District 12 to “Coffee with Your Councilman” on Saturday, May 21st. The event will take place at Sister Beans, 5225 New Cut Road and begins at 10:00am.

- REO Speedwagon is coming to the Iroquois Amphitheater in June. Get ready to mullet-watch. [CJ]

-  The Louisville Visual Arts Association, in conjunction with Grasshoppers Distribution and the Louisville Independent Business Alliance, will host the third annual Buy Local First Fair Sunday, May 22, 2011, from 2-6 pm at 3005 River Road. Click HERE for more information.

- “Spin-A-Yarn” Storytelling Festival,  May 21, 2011 from 11:30 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.at The Little Loom House, 328 Kenwood Hill Road.

The first 200 visitors to the Spin-A-Yarn Storytelling Festival will receive a free Little Loom House t-shirt.General Admission is $2.00 per person. Seniors 65 and older will be admitted for $1.00, and children six and under are free. All proceeds benefit The Little Loom House. There will be free parking behind DeSales High School at 425 West Kenwood Drive and free TARC Trolley transportation between DeSales and The Little Loom House. More info:(502) 367-4792, email: lesliemclements@yahoo.com or www.littleloomhouse.org

District 25 Open Office event set for tonight

The first District 25 Open Office will be held Thrusday, May 19 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Southwest Regional Metro Council Office at 7219 Dixie Highway.

District 25 residents are invited to meet with the Councilman, one-on-one, to discuss their concerns and share ideas.

Staff will be on hand to process constituents concerns and provide information.

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are recommended and can be scheduled by calling (502) 937-6143 or by e-mailing Nicole Candler.

Forest Fest 2011 - Saturday May 21

Bee Lick Creek, Jefferson Memorial Forest

The beauty of Jefferson Memorial Forest will serve as the backdrop for a fantastic day of Bluegrass music when the eighth annual Forest Fest Bluegrass Music Festival kicks off this Saturday, May 21st .

Headlined by The Grascals, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music's 2011 Instrumental Band of the Year, Forest Fest also features an array of topnotch local and regional artists. Arts and crafts booths, food and kids activities make this a perfect day of fun for everyone. Admission is free. Parking is $5 a carload. Click HERE to sign up for the Jefferson Memorial Forest's newsletter.

Forest Fest Band Schedule (with WFPK Radio’s Berk Bryant as emcee)

11:00 – 11:50 - Relic
12:00 – 12:50 - High Rollers
1:00 – 1:50 - Bluegrass 101
2:00 – 2:50 - The Grascals
3:00 - 3:50 - Relic
4:00 – 4:50 - High Rollers
5:00 – 5:50 - Bluegrass 101
6:00 – 6:50 - The Grascals

Forest Fest Schedule of Activities

10:30 - Booths open to the public
Horine Environmental Education Center open until 2 p.m.
Forest Nature booth opens for children
11:00 - Music Begins
Noon - Children’s activities until 5:00
1:30 - The Forest Scavenger hunt for families and children begins
4:00 - Announce the winners of the Scavenger Hunt and Award prizes
7:00 - Festival Concludes

Community Event: Gutermuth "Cardinal Carnival" set for May 26

The Gutermuth Elementary "Cardinal Carnival" will be held May 26, 2011 from 5pm to 9pm at the school, 1500 Sanders Lane. Make plans to attend now. This is a popular event! Here's the information:

PLEASE NOTE: Event is open to public beginning at 5pm. Cars for the car show should arrive by 4:30pm in order to park in center circle. Metro undercover officers will be on site.This is a SAFE, FAMILY EVENT ZERO TOLERANCE! NO ALCOHOL or FOUL LANGUAGE.

All events are from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Unlimited bouncies and inflatables - $10.00

Open Class Car Show featuring cars from Louisville Street Rods as well as the Derby City Mustang Club.

Airbrushing by Cloverleaf's very own residents. Back by popular demand. prices vary but are extremely reasonable

Train Rides - 2nd time Winner People's Choice
$2.00 a ride

Music by DJ Sweet Daddy

Professional Photos - We can Photograph your ride! - Printed on KODAK ULTRA Premium Studio GLOSS PAPER! Prices as low as $5.00 for a 4x6. Complete package 8x10,5x7,4x6, and 9 wallets including disc - shipped to your home within 5 days USPS priority $24.95.

Food - hot food served fresh. We strive to keep our prices reasonable.

Several Vendors - everything you can imagine - too many to list.

EVENT HIGHLIGHT!
7:00 p.m. - LIVE BASKET AUCTION -
must register for number before start of auction. CASH ONLY! We will have several nice gift baskets for auction including some collectibles.

100% of proceeds help fund our interactive fitness gaming center. As seen recently in the SOUTHWEST NEIGHBORHOOD section in the Courier-Journal.

This great neighborhood event is being sponsored by Councilwoman Marianne Butler, District 15.

Post Office in Valley Station under the gun again as losses deepen

Once again, rumors are swirling about the future of the Valley Station Post Office.

In 2009, the location survived a round of cuts by the Postal Service after the "cost effectiveness" of merging the PRP and Valley offices was considered. The USPS was also presented with a petition signed by thousands of residents in an organized effort by postal employee Brenda Silveria to save the location from closure.

Sadly, Ms. Silveria passed away last year shortly after the announcement was made that USPS was keeping the office open.

But now, after a $2.2 billion dollar loss in the second quarter for FY 2011 and a steep decline in mail volume, the Postal Service is once again considering merging the southwest Louisville offices. Rumors say Valley mail carriers will report to the PRP location for duty on July 5, 2011.

More info as it comes available.

The Valley Station Post Office was established in 1962