UPDATED: Let us hope this is not our destiny. But it probably is.

The first video is a classic in local television commercial stupidity. Straight out of Alabama:



If that was not enough for you, check out this next entry. Straight out of Valley Station. The ultimate in embarrassing idiocy. May the Lord have mercy on us.

District 12 sponsors annual "Back to School Pool Party"

As a way to kick off a new school year, Councilman Rick Blackwell is hosting District 12’s Sixth Annual Back to School Pool Party on Friday, August 26th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Southwest YMCA.

“With a new school year just beginning, our pool party has been one way to let kids and their parents have some fun as we say good bye to summer,” says Blackwell.

The Southwest YMCA will open its doors for free swimming and there will be free pizza, drinks, swimming, bouncies, cookies and mad science. Drinks will be donated by Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market and cookies from Kellogg’s Snacks Louisville.

The Southwest YMCA is located at 2800 Fordhaven Road.

“While we want everyone to have some fun and enjoy themselves, this will also be a good time to find out about the many programs the YMCA has to offer for children and adults in the area,” says Blackwell.

For more information about District 12’s Annual Back to School Pool Party, contact Councilman Blackwell’s office at 574-1112. To learn more about the Southwest YMCA, call 502-933-9622.

Midweek headlines for SW Louisville

Photo by Mark Lynch

- There are now pictures of last night's "District 12 Dialogue" posted on our Facebook fan page. Special thanks to Mark Lynch of Valley Station for taking the photos.

- The animated classic “Toy Story 3” will be this week’s feature film for the District 5 Friday Night Outdoor Family Film Festival at Shawnee Park. The series will wrap up this year’s run with “Jumping the Broom” on Friday, August 26th

The film series provides free movies on Friday nights throughout the month of August.

“I am pleased with the turn out we have seen from the community with our films and we think these two features will be great fun for young and old alike,” says Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5) who is sponsoring the series.

Admission is free. The movies will be shown at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex beginning at dusk. The ball fields are located at Southwestern Parkway and West Market Street.

“You can bring a lawn chair or a blanket and then sit back in a nice surrounding and have some fun,” says Hamilton. “This is a chance to enjoy the last bit of summer.”

- The CJ has a nice story about actor and Valley High School alum Conrad Bachmann. Read it HERE.

- American Synthetic Rubber Corporation (ASRC) in Rubbertown has applied for a permit that would allow the company to eliminate use of the chemical toluene in their manufacturing process. The company is proposing to replace toluene with a combination of two less hazardous chemicals.

The proposed permit and all related documents can be found HERE.

The public is encouraged to learn about this permit application and is urged to send comments.Comment letters will be accepted until 5 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, 850 Barret Ave., Louisville, Ky., 40204.

District 25 "Treasure Finders" needed

Do you have Southwest Louisville connections? You might find yourself to be a great Treasure Finder.

Councilman David Yates (D-25) has partnered with Kentucky State Treasurer Todd Hollenbach to recover an estimated $3.7 million in unclaimed property that’s owed to District 25 residents, and we need volunteer Treasure Finders to help us on Thursday, August 18 from 1 until 4 p.m. at the Pleasure Ridge Park Fire Headquarters at 9500 Stonestreet Rd.

Volunteer Treasurer Finders will call District 25 residents who have been identified as having $100 or more in unclaimed property and provide details on how the property can be claimed.

Please e-mail Nicole Candler at Nicole.Candler@louisvilleky.gov if you’d like to volunteer. Training, phone and other information will be provided. You may also learn more about this program at http://treasury.ky.gov/Treasure+Finders.htm.

Sunday hours return for Louisville Free Public Libraries

- Sunday library hours are back! The Louiville Free Public Library has brought back Sunday hours for all participating branches. The Main Library, Bon Air, Iroquois, Okolona, St. Matthews, and Southwest branches will re-open Sundays from 1 - 5 p.m. The Shawnee Library will also be open Sundays after renovations are completed. [The Local Weekly]

- Redistricting Update: The August "District 12 Dialogue" will be held on Tuesday, August 16th beginning at 7:00pm. This month it will be at the Southwest Government Center, 7219 Dixie Highway. Councilman Blackwell says, “I will be happy to discuss what we are looking at and the guidelines we must follow in order to comply with federal law. This is the first time we will review the boundary lines for the 26 Metro Council districts since merged government began operating.”

There will also be representatives of Louisville Metro Police, the Division of Licensing and Permits and MSD to answer questions about programs. A representative of Congressman John Yarmuth's office will also be in attendance. For more information about the August District 12 Dialogue, contact Councilman Blackwell’s office at 574-1112.

- District 21's Dan Johnson asks, "GOT STORM DEBRIS?" Metro Government’s Solid Waste Management Services will pick up tree limbs and other storm remnants from trees/bushes as follows:

Call MetroCall 311 to report storm debris being placed out for collection.

Debris should be placed at regular weekly set out point for yard waste. If the amount of debris is beyond the yard waste collection guidelines Solid Waste crews will get to it in time. Solid Waste crews will pickup systematically through MetroCall reports.

Right-of-Ways (ROWs) blocked by the storm’s damage will be a priority. Right-of-ways should not be blocked when setting out your storm debris!

Please be patient with the collection of debris (and all other yard waste) that is set out for pickup and please share this information with your family, friends, and neighbors.

New Cut Road/Taylor Boulevard Corridor Design Workshop Sept. 10

A message from the Auburndale Neighborhood Group:

New Cut Road/Taylor Boulevard Corridor Design Workshop - Sept. 10

See The Possible!

We invite you to join us.

Together, we can build a brighter future for the residents and businesses along the New Cut Road/Taylor Boulevard Corridor. Council members Welch (D-13), Butler (D-15), Johnson (D-21), and Yates (D-25) represent the area along the Corridor. They firmly believe that people who get involved in civic work and strive to be good neighbors can move mountains. That’s why we made the commitment to help sponsor a Community Design Workshop — a public meeting that invites everybody to be a part of making our neighborhood a better place to live.

The Design Workshop welcomes and encourages every citizen to participate in this visual depiction of your ideas. We want you to help choose community priorities and then work together to make grassroots change that creates the future we all want.

The New Cut Road/Taylor Boulevard Corridor Design Workshop will be fun and collaborative. The workshop will be held Saturday, September 10th at 9 a.m. Lynnhurst United Church of Christ at 4401 Taylor Boulevard. Refreshments will be provided by Metro Council members.

Let’s put our heads together for a better future!

Valley High School Renovation Update

Photo by Mark Lynch for The Valley Report

Progress is being made as the planned renovation and improvements at Valley High School continue. Demolition of current buildings is complete and the project has entered the construction phase.

The plan calls for $26 million in improvements to accommodate the Health and Medical Career Magnet program. There will be a new 3,200 seat arena with a walking track constructed on the site.  The arena will be made available to students of Valley High School and other area schools as well as community use. It will be quite an asset to the school and the entire southwest area.

The plan also includes several high-profile and much needed improvements to the science labs.

There will also be other improvements concerning the general appearance and maintenance of the school.

Valley High School has a long standing tradition in Southwest Louisville and is something the community is proud of and pleased to support. Check back for updates as the renovation progresses.

Any questions? Feel free to call Metro Councilman Bob Henderson (D-14) at 502-574-1114.

2011 Southwest Community Festival, October 8th

It's already mid-August, and before we know it we will be smack-dab in the middle of fall. So it is surely time to start talking about our annual Southwest Festival.

The 2011 Festival is being held October 8th at Sun Valley Park and promises to be the best one yet. This event grows each year and has become one of the largest, most exciting community festivals in the metro area.Yearly events include the car/bike show, arts and crafts booths, "Kids City", "Toddler Town", senior's tent, a spelling bee, the balloon glow, a golf scramble and the greatest pancake breakfast in town.

This year's 26th annual installment of the Southwest Community Festival, with your help, shall be the biggest and will showcase what Southwest Louisville has to offer. It is a celebration of our unique culture, our common bonds and our diversity.

To help sponsor the event or to reserve a booth click here.

To help spread the word among family and friends, RSVP to the event through facebook by clicking here.

The schedule for the 2011 Southwest Festival and all related information can be found at the organization's website, www.southwestfestival.org