|
A Monthly Summary of
News and Events in Old Louisville |
|
| Volume 25, Issue 8 |
August 2003 |
2004 Central Park Centennial Celebration….
Big 100
th Birthday Party Planned for the ParkOld Louisville’s Central Park may be a youngster compared with New York’s Central Park, which turned 150 this year, but big plans are afoot to celebrate the park’s centennial next year.
The weekend of June 4-6, 2004, will be the kick-off for the festivities. A gala dinner-dance under the stars is planned for Friday, June 4. Turn-of- the –Century Days in the Park on Saturday and Sunday, June 5-6, will turn the clock back to 1904 complete with brass band concerts, a carousel, period bicycles and costumes, plus cotton candy, ice cream, popcorn and hotdogs.
Other events planned for the year include a classic car show, tennis tournament, a 5K centennial run, and an historical exhibit in the Old Louisville Information Center.
Members of the Old Louisville Information Central Park Centennial Committee are busy planning these events and more, but they need help from as many neighbors and block associations as possible to pull off a first –rate celebration. Become part of the fun and excitement; attend the next meeting on Monday, August 18, 2003, at 6 PM in the Old Louisville Information Center.
Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Approves Sign Compromise
The Old Louisville Neighborhood Council (OLNC) approved a plan to remove 87 of the 129 no-parking signs installed for the St. James Court Art Show last year on Third, Fourth, Sixth, Park, Hill Streets, and St. James Court. This number will include all of the signs mounted on Victorian light posts and on metal posts. The signs will be removed prior to this year’s show which will be held October 3-5.
After the show, members of the subcommittee of the OLNC Property Improvement Committee, which has been meeting on the issue since early in the year, will consider recommendations regarding the remaining 42 signs.
The signs have been controversial since their installation last year. Some residents see them as visual pollution which mars a historic district; others defend them as a money-saving device which continuously advertises an important and beneficial event for the neighborhood and city.
Project Women Gets Rezoning
On July 17, 2003, the Louisville Metro Planning Commission unanimously approved the rezoning of property located at 420 West Lee Street and 1705 South 5
th Street from M-2, Industrial, to OR-2, Office/Residential.The Commission also approved a general, conceptual development plan which will allow the rezoning applicant, Project Women, to develop 24 residential units and administrative offices to assist homeless, single-parent women who are enrolled in college and working toward a baccalaureate degree.
Binding elements on the rezoned property include proof of consultation with the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council in the formulation of the detailed development plan for the project. A detailed plan must be approved by the Commission prior to
the issuance of building permits.The Old Louisville Neighborhood Council Zoning and Land Use Committee (ZALU) supported the rezoning request based on the general plan, the binding elements, and discussions with Project Women personnel.
Members of ZALU were especially concerned about adequate parking for the development especially since UofL students monopolize the on-street parking in the area. Project Women had originally proposed 30 residential units and parking waivers. 32 on-site parking spaces and 10 on-street spaces meet the parking requirements for the 24 residential units approved by the Commission. If Project Women pursues development of six additional residential units at a future date, the parking issue will be revisited.
For more information contact the Old Louisville Information Center.
First Sunday Concerts
in
Central Park
3PM-5PM
August 3: Pauly and Matt Zarb
September 7: Brass Band
October 5: Splatch
Bring a lawn chair!
Mayflower Apartments under Renovation
Business First reports that the historic Mayflower Apartments building, 425 West Ormsby, is undergoing a $200,000 interior and exterior renovation. Built in 1926, the building was purchased by Dr. Su Kang, a dentist, for $2.2 million in February. Renovation began in March and is 75% complete.
For more information, read the article in the July 11, 2003, issue of Business First at the Old Louisville Information Center or at louisville.bizjournals.com.
Letter to the Editor ....
Dear Old Louisville Friends and Neighbors,
The Tenth Annual Hidden Treasures Garden Tour, July 12
– 13, set a new attendance record with over a thousand attendees. It truly was gratifying to see so many tourists leisurely walking through our cherished neighborhood enjoying our annual garden tour. This incredible event could not have been possible without the help of so many wonderful people.Thanks first and foremost to the homeowners who opened their lovely private gardens for all to enjoy: Jerie Britton; Sue and John Eichenberger; Franklin & Hance, P.S.C.; Christine and Bill Monin; Susan Ohlmann and Tracey Thompson; Kerrick Ross; Steve Stanton; Carol Tully and Jean Walker; Herb and Gayle Warren; and Glenn McGregor and Mark Wright. Their gracious hospitality was priceless.
Thanks also to these sponsors for support as well: Kevin Kouba, Bearwood Gardens, Inc.; Central Park Café; Conrad-Caldwell House Museum; DuPont Mansion Bed and Breakfast; EJ Printing; Mark England, Realtor; The Garden Wall; Gumby’s Specialty Catering; Kling Center; David Norton; Magnolia Bar; Mary Martin, Realtor; Lee Jones, Oak Street Hardware; Old Louisville Information Center; The Plant Kingdom; Lois Tash, Realtor; Third Avenue Café; and Treyton Oak Towers. All are sincerely appreciated.
Thanks especially to all the friends and neighbors who volunteered their time and lent their expertise in various capacities to make this event yet another positive showcase of Old Louisville.
One of the goals of our Garden Tour is to showcase the efforts and talents of homeowners and their dedication to fine landscaping by featuring gardens of high caliber and originality. The whole neighborhood benefits from quality urban landscapes in the form of reduced air and noise pollution, lower summer temperatures, and higher property values. Proceeds of the Garden Tour will help enhance and preserve our treasured neighborhood.
Watch for more information here in the Old Louisville Journal about next year’s Garden Tour when the theme will, of course, be the Central Park Centennial. It already promises to be even more exciting.
Once again, thanks to all who had a part in the tremendous success of the 2003 Old Louisville Hidden Treasures Garden Tour.
Sincerely yours,
C. Timothy Bottorff, Chair
Hidden Treasures Garden TourJuly 21, 2003
Jerry Birschbach, Chair
Second St. Neighborhood Association
127 West Ormsby Ave.
Louisville, Kentucky 40203Dear Jerry:
I am writing on behalf of the West Saint Catherine NA (WSCNA) to thank you, and the members of the Second St. NA, so very much for the contribution to the lighting fund for our period lights on West Saint Catherine Street. I, as well as the members of the WSCNA, appreciate the generosity of spirit and the sense of community you’ve exhibited in your consideration of our cause. Indeed, it’s such generosity that proves to me the veracity of the claim that one of the best kept secrets in Louisville today is the sense of community that’s alive and well in the urban districts.
Your contribution is so important, as period lighting serves many purposes. When our homes were constructed, it is true that the lighting on our street was very similar to what is there now; however, aesthetics is not our only concern. As any of our residents and neighbors, as well as the many visitors to our area, will attest, when these lights are lit there is a much increased and appreciated perception of security and safety as a result of the period lighting. West Saint Catherine is a much lighter and safer street with the advent of period lighting—a definite positive when it comes to promoting our common vision of making the City the place to live, work and play.
Thank you in again for your kind and generous contribution.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Williams
Chair of the West Saint
Catherine Neighborhood Association
CC: Councilman George Unseld
West Saint Catherine Plans Haunting New Event
All of us have heard the stories. Misplaced items, doors left open, pets startled by something we just don’t see. Strange noises in the house at night that might be more than our standard explanation that "something is settling".
Some of us—the truly haunted ones—have seen apparitions at the top of the stairs.
Ours is the most ghostly neighborhood in the city. At least it seems so when we gather late at night, after a party or a glass of wine. We’ve all been there when one of us—usually around midnight but certainly well after dark—sets out on a story that begins, "I don’t know what it was, but…."
What is your story? Is there a resident ghost in your Old Louisville house? Something inexplicable that borders on the eerie? Do you have a history attached to this uncanny occupant, or is the presence more mysterious? Is the ghost friendly? Menacing? Even funny?
The West St. Catherine Neighborhood Association is planning an exciting fund-raising event for this fall, and in order to do what we have in mind, we need your help. If you have a ghost story you’d like to tell, or if you know of people in the neighborhood who keeps hauling out supernatural tales about their houses, please contact Jon Huffman (
huffcull@msn.com) or Michael Williams (williemelmoth@aol.com). You don’t have to tell us the story right off—just give us an idea of what’s going on within your haunted walls, and we’ll take it from there.
25th Anniversary of the Old Louisville Journal:
Reprinted from the August 1984 Old Louisville Newsletter
"PIECES" of Old Louisville, literally…
Everyone is invited to view a recent creative and collective venture of several Old Louisville residents! Approximately 50 persons gathered, loaded with odds and ends from renovating efforts, in the backyard of Mae Salyers on St. James Court and went to work. The results? Three sculptured panels of the "stuff" that Old Louisville's made of! And a fourth sculpture is on the way.
Everyone had a lot of fun and so can you. The "pieces" will be displayed (propped-up?) in the Information Center during the month of August for your viewing enjoyment. And guess what??!! _ you can buy one of these for your very own! Make an offer we can't refuse (shouldn't be too hard) and you will contribute to the ongoing operation of the neighborhood via the Center…
From left:
Artists-at-work
Carol Matlock,
Susan Steinberger, and Ken Boatright
fascinated garden tour visitors in the
backyard of the
DuPont Mansion.
Where you are joy blossoms...
The recently organized OLD LOUISVILLE GARDENERS will meet on Wednesday, August 13th at 7pm in the Information Center.
July's meeting with nationally accredited hosta and daylily judge, Mrs. Hilda Dunaway, was fun and educational...and we all went home with bundles of rare hostas. We missed you!
In August, our very own greatly admired and inspired DOT WADE will hold a workshop on "Floral Arrangements for Table Decorations". If you have a special container/flowers/flower frog, etc. that you wish to bring and work on you may do so. We know this will be an entertaining evening.
Wasn't the Old Louisville Secret Garden Tour fabulous!!!Missy Murphy
Award-winning Play Scheduled for September
Civil War buffs and theatre lovers alike will want to mark their calendars for the premiere production of General Orders No. 11 by Old Louisville playwright Nancy Gall-Clayton, September 17-21 at the Jewish Community Center under the direction of John R. Leffert.
General Orders No. 11 is the official name of an order issued by General Ulysses S. Grant in 1862, banning all Jews from his military district on 24 hours notice. The play follows one of the 30 Jewish families who fled upriver from Paducah to Cincinnati, not knowing if they would ever see their homes again.
Nancy learned about the order from her husband, Jan Morris. "It's the only thing I remember from Sunday school," he told her. At first, she didn't believe him, but her research quickly confirmed the little known fact about an American hero. General Orders No. 11 won last year's Streisand Festival of New Jewish Plays and has been selected for readings in La Jolla, Cincinnati, and Horse Cave.
Only five performances are scheduled. For tickets or additional information, call CenterStage at the Jewish Community Center (502) 459-0660, ext. 0 or visit www.jccoflouisville.org.
Cook’s Corner
Peggy Cummin’s Summer Magic: PESTO!
When I think of canning and preserving summer produce for the winter it takes me back to my grandmother’s kitchen with the pressure cooker that looked like something out of an A-bomb test lab, mason jars that had to be washed and shined to brilliance, and piles of whatever summer bounty Grandmother had managed to amass. It also meant a sweltering kitchen and maybe even a bad case of the hives (We kids didn’t like the canned tomatoes so we would eat as many of them as possible to save them from being "ruined" and almost always one of us would break out from "hyper-tomatoism.")
As an adult I’ve never been a "canner," but by the time January hits I wistfully think back to the tastes of summer. Even though we can get strawberries from Mexico and asparagus from Chile, nothing rivals the in-season tastes of local produce. In the last several seasons I have found a way to keep one of my favorite summertime tastes with me all year round by making and freezing pesto.
Pesto is just an Italian word for paste, but most of us think of it as a spreadable concoction mainly comprised of basil. It is simple to make and I love it fresh on sandwiches, in hors d’oeuvres, and sometimes right off the spoon. But it also freezes very well and, when stored in convenient increments, can be available all year long to toss into spaghetti sauce, chili, or to make creamy pesto salad dressing to name only few uses.
Making pesto is easy and in no way resembles the rocket science that I always felt my grandmother was engaging in with her Bikini Atoll devices. You can vary the recipe to use a little less oil, more cheese, different nuts, experiment with add-ins or whatever sounds good to you. I would caution you that if you’re going to experiment and freeze your test specimens, write a note to yourself on the container so that February’s cooking is fully informed of that day in August when you thought, "hmm, mandarin oranges!"
Here is the recipe for basic pesto:
4 cups basil leaves (remove tough, woody stems)
1 cup good parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil (I like the extra virgin for this)
1 cup pine nuts (walnuts or pecans are good too)
6-8 cloves of garlic (you can really ratchet up this part of the recipe)
I start by spreading a large bath towel on the kitchen table. After I rinse the basil leaves I spread them out on the towel and roll it up and squeeze it back and forth to really dry the leaves. I go through the batch and de-stem (you can leave the smaller, more tender stems on). After this I measure out four cups (fairly packed into the measuring cup), and place in the food processor. The other ingredients get dropped in on top. Process until fairly smooth but don’t go overboard. It’s better if the paste has a few chunks to give it home-made character (Like the lumps in Mom’s mashed potatoes.)
Most of the time I’m making pesto batches from which some will be used fairly soon and stored in tightly sealed containers in the refrigerator, but at least half will be frozen for much later consumption. For this second use I have purchased several cheap plastic ice cube trays. I freeze the pesto in theses trays and pop out the cubes when they’re well-frozen and place a couple of dozen each in clear-plastic freezer bags. I should date the bags (sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t; hey, I’m not the FDA!). I have stored pesto other ways but I find the clear plastic bags work best because the last thing you want to find in an opaque container in your freezer this winter in an un-remembered green substance. Also I’m always looking at the pesto when I open the freezer which continually reminds me to make use of it (at my age I need all the reminding help I can get.) Finally, a great big freezer bag of pesto cubes makes a great and very personalized Xmas gift.
I used to grow all my own basil but, because my back yard is so shady, I found I was paying more and more money for beer to drown the slugs during the growing season. I now buy most of my basil from local farmers at the various farmers’ markets. If they’re selling it by the stem tell them you want enough to make a batch of pesto, and they’ll usually cut you a deal.
Here’s a simple summer recipe for a great canapé or light supper:
Slice a baguette or other good bread and place on a cookie sheet lightly coated with olive oil. Spread a teaspoon or so of pesto on each slice. Place a slice of tomato on top of this. Top with mozzarella (If you buy the good buffalo mozzarella it’s really tasty!). Place in a 400 degree oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes until the bread is brown on the bottom. You can turn on the broiler at the end to brown the cheese but I find that it just makes it all melt off. These are great tidbits hot from the oven but they’re also good at room temperature.
Don’t Mess With Missy!
Actually, thank heavens for Missy Murphy. She took matters and her pruning loppers into her own hands, obtained permission from Metro Louisville Arborist Alan Bishop, and pruned the street trees on the Sixth Street side of Central Park. They now present a pleasing canopy on the western boundary of the park.
Missy recently moved to Old Louisville from Fort Worth, Texas. She was designated a Master Gardner by the Texas County Extension Service after completing horticulture courses taught by professors from Texas A&M and fulfilling volunteer work requirements. She has organized the Old Louisville Gardeners and invites everyone to the next meeting on Wednesday, August 13, at 7 PM in the Old Louisville Information Center.
Old Louisville Neighborhood Associations
Association Chairperson Number
1300 S. Third Street Chuck Anderson 636-3396
Belgravia Court Hank Triplett 636-2925
Central Park West Penny Johnson 636-1675
Conerstone Area Ron Loughry 583-2984
Fourth Street Dot Wade 635-7885
Garvin Gate Norma Laufer 637-3266
Ouerbacker’s Arts & Crafts Jeff Schooler
OLB&PA Gary Kleier 634-1006
Old Louisville Shalom Com. Peter Barnes-Davies 634-9694
St. James Court Louise Shawkat 637-3606
Second Street Jerry Birschbach 635-0220
Third Street Mary Martin 637-4000
Toonerville Ken Cordle 637-4514
Treyton Oaks Jane LaPin 587-1028
West St. Catherine Street Rhonda Williams 584-9231
Tim Bottorff, Chair of the garden tour, and Carolyn Martinson,
Ticket Sales and Volunteer Coordinator for the tour, welcomed
visitors to the tour at the entrance of St. James Court.
Flamenco Extravaganza set for
7:30 pm, Saturday, October 11, 2003Esteban, the international acclaimed flamenco guitarist, is bringing his passionate Latin music to Louisville on Saturday, October 11, 2003, at 7:30PM. Esteban and his five piece band will be performing in the newly remodeled auditorium in the Spectrum Building, formerly the Old Male High School.
Tickets are priced from $10 to $30 and are available on line at:
http://www.OldLouisvilleChamber.com or by calling 212-7500.The concert is presented by The Old Louisville Chamber of Commerce, with proceeds going to the Old Louisville Community Development Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalization of the Oak Street Business Corridor.
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in classical guitar and English literature, Esteban pursed his dream of studying with the legendary Andres Segovia. Upon completion of classes in Santigo de Compostela, Segovia invited Esteban to continue his studies with him, at his home in Spain. After studying for five years with Segovia, Esteban, with the master’s endorsement, set out on a career that has seen him rise to the top of CD and video sales worldwide. Esteban and his band have released over 20 albums, and his latest CD beat out Britney Spears on the records charts.
Dinner will be available before the concert at the Garden Room Cafe at the Spectrum Building. Call for reservations.
A sculpture by Dana Andriaot graces the garden of Kerrick Ross.
Third Street spells out the Benefits of the
Saint James Court Art ShowThe South Third Street section of the St James Court Art Show is located along the south side of Magnolia Street and south along the 1400 block of Third Street. The Third Street Neighborhood Association manages this section of the show and all of the proceeds are used for projects and funding in the Old Louisville neighborhoods.
The Art Show has allowed the association to provide funding for the following projects as well as other smaller projects:
T
o light up Third Street! The major goal for many years has been to install and maintain period street lighting along Third Street as well as some side streets.H
elp other neighborhood groups…donations to Conrad/Caldwell House, Shakespeare in the Park, neighborhood clean-up projects.I
mprovements that include the Hill Street Greens In a joint project with the city, Fourth Street Neighborhood Association and former alderman Greg Handy, the association planted the linear park at Third and Hill Streets. The park maintenance and annual planting is funded by the association.R
emind us of our heritage……. With our newest project to provide house plaques for properties on Third Street which note the street number, build date and national historic district. The association follows the lead of other associations with this project.D
ecorate the light poles along Third Street for the winter holiday season as well as provide lawn flags for the Fourth of July.S
eptember Dog Show in Central Park A new event to bring neighbors to the park with their dogs for an all inclusive dog show with prizes and events. This event is currently being planned by Mary Martin. Please contact her at 637-4000 if you have any experience or would like to assist in this project.Third Street Neighborhood Association denim shirt sale was established to show pride in our Old Louisville neighborhood. These shirts use a stitched logo of a neighbor’s building and the wording "Old Louisville" to promote our neighborhood.
Whether it is funding or volunteer time, members of the Third Street Neighborhood Association like members of the other associations are interested, involved and invested in Old Louisville.
Third Street Art Show Committee
The Old Louisville Journal is published monthly by the Old Louisville Information Center, Inc. (OLIC), a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated in 1984, for the purpose of receiving tax deductible contributions. OLIC is affiliated with the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council (OLNC), a 501 (c) (4) non-profit association incorporated in 1976 to serve as the recognized voice of the Old Louisville Neighborhood.
Submit Journal contributions to the Editor:
Old Louisville Information Center
1340 S. Fourth St., Louisville, KY 40208.
Phone: (502) 635-5244
E-mail: olnc@bellsouth.net
Advertising rates available upon request.
Please submit “Letters to the Editor” to the above address.
The 15th of each month is deadline for submission of all ads and articles.
Archived Issues of the Old Louisville Journal on-line:
2008 January February March April May June July August September October
2007 January February March April May June July August September October November December
2006 January February March April May June July August September October November December
2005 January February March April May June July August September October November December
2004 January February March April May June July August September October November December
2003 January February March April May June July August September October November December
2002 January February March May June July August September October December
2001 January February March April May July August October November December
2000 October 2000
Old Louisville Guide Home Page
Old Louisville National Historic DistrictHome, Newsletter, News/Press Releases, Old Louisville Business Directory, History, Historic Pictures, Vintage Post Card Views, Spring, Autumn, TerraServer Images, Maps, Calendar of Events, Walking Tours, Architectural Styles, Architect's Corner, St James Court, Belgravia Court, St. James Art Show, Museums, Libraries, Literature, Churches, Bed and Breakfast Inns, Restaurants-Taverns, Recipes, Visitors' Page, Resources, Old Louisville Places, Our Lost Landmarks, Old Louisville, the Way it Was, Louisville Links, Feedback
information@oldlouisville.com
(there are now over 1300 web pages on OldLouisville.com)
Click here for a comprehensive search of all 2800+ web pages on this server