| A&E Fall Preview
1. Labor Day |
the Highlights... September 5th - 27th roots and heritage festival Since its origins in 1989 as a small neighborhood street fair, the Roots & Heritage Festival has grown to the status of a major, highly popular cultural event which literally attracts thousands of festival-goers from across the state and beyond. Roots & Heritage Festival events take place throughout the month of September and consist of a wide variety of exciting, culturally enriching activities. The calendar includes art exhibits, literary readings, midnight basketball, a golf tournament, film presentations, children's programming, theater, a comedy night, a health fair and ball, a nationally renowned speaker, and, the highlight of the event, a two-day street festival. The street festival will take place September 5th & 6th on historic Elm Tree Lane and will include musical acts such as Bobby Bluebland, The Manhattan's, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, as well as many others, including several local acts. The festival will wrap up on September 27 with the Gala Charity Ball at the Embassy Suites. For a full list of events, visit www.rootsandheritagefestival.com. kentucky bourbon festival What could be better than being outside on a crisp autumn day, getting fresh air and exercise, relaxing and enjoying life? All of that, plus about a million gallons of bourbon. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival will enter its 12th year in historic Bardstown, KY, the bourbon capital of the world. The festival will take place September 17th - 21st, featuring tons of events, including a bourbon art show, a bourbon cook-off, a bourbon drink contest, a bourbon 5K run, a bourbon horseshoe pitch, bourbon hot air balloons, a bourbon concert with the Kentucky Head Hunters, and a bourbon petting zoo for kids. OK, there won't be any bourbon in the petting zoo, but rest assured there will be more bourbon related events than you could roll a barrel at. For a full list of times and activities, visit www.kybourbonfestival.com or call 800/638-4877 or 502/348-3623. ace weekly best of lex winners party Come see all the winners of the Ace Weekly's Annual Best of Lex Ballot showing off their bling bling and sporting their gift baskets in triumphant fashion as they strut around the floor of The Dame. The party opens to the public at 8pm. Club Dub will provide the musical entertainment.. The Second City Touring Company will be in town for their Variety Live performance at the Lexington Opera House and the cast plans to attend. The Ace Weekly Best of Lexington Issue Premier Party is one of the coolest, sexiest events of the year, and is not to be missed. museum go round Presented by the Lexington Children's Museum, Museum Go Round is an art festival for kids. This year, the LCM is taking their fair to the street-Short Street, right in front of the museum. Kids, under 18 years old, will exhibit and sell their art outside during the event. There will also be music, dancing, and hands-on art & science activities. 11am - 4pm. Free. Info, 859/258-3253 or www.lexingtonchildrensmuseum.com. MIDNIGHT TERROR haunted attraction October is a great month because it is the one month out of the year when people go out of their way to scare the bejesus out of you. With all of the haunted houses, trails, forests, and other structures of fright popping up in the Bluegrass, you'll be hard pressed not to find something that will satisfy your thirst for dread. The Midnight Terror Haunted Attraction is quickly becoming one of the most popular fright sights in Kentucky. Last year, Applebee's Park was decked out with two huge mazes that were each designed for optimum horror at the turn of every corner. This year's event will be bigger and better as added haunts and a totally new design will help elevate this to the premier haunted attraction in Central Kentucky. For more information, visit www.lexingtonlegends.com. big blue madness/homecoming University of Kentucky fans will have a lot to get excited about in October. Friday night, October 11th, UK basketball will tip-off its 101st season with Big Blue Madness. The annual first practice at midnight will be a special event to Cats fans who are eagerly awaiting the upcoming basketball season. The next day is Homecoming for the UK Football Cats. Along with the game against Ohio, there will be all the usual hoopla surrounding the event: a parade, a homecoming gala, a 5K Run, and all kinds of other events. If you bleed blue and white, circle this weekend on your calendar. For more info on all the events, visit www.ukathletics.com. alabama Legendary country band Alabama will perform at Rupp Arena on their farewell tour and are charging some legendary prices. Tickets for front row seats on the floor are $1000.00. This is not a misprint or scalper price; this is the price listed on Rupp Arena's website. If you don't want to sit in the front row, or don't happen to have an extra grand lying around, $37.50 will get you seats in the lower arena corners and end zone, or the upper arena. That is the great thing about Alabama; they never lost touch with the common man. More ticket prices and info, www.rupparena.com. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster, 859/281-6644 or www.ticketmaster.com. keeneland Keeneland's fall meeting begins Friday October 3 and runs through Saturday October 25 with live racing Wednesdays through Sundays. Post time scheduled at 1:15pm. The first three days of the meeting, Fallstars Weekend, features seven graded stakes that serve as stepping stones to the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships held on October 25 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Director of Racing Rogers Beasley and Racing Secretary Ben Huffman have posted purses of $3,718,000 in the condition book for Fallstars weekend, enticing top jockeys and trainers from around the globe to compete in Lexington. Opening day will the 151st running of the United States' oldest stakes race, the Grade 3. Get yourself a bowl of burgoo and a shot of bourbon, and let the races begin! Info, www.keeneland.com. pimp and ho ball Halloween is on a Friday this year, and there's a very good chance that Hell will actually break loose in the streets of Lexington. One of Lexington's naughtiest Halloween parties will be the annual Pimp and Ho Ball at A1A. The P & H Ball will feature several costume contests including sexiest, most original, and best couple, and will crown a King Pimp and Queen Ho at the end of the night. Stuck in the middle of the chaos (or maybe directing it) will be one of Lexington's most pimpdafied bands; The G-Funk All Stars. For information, call 859/231-7263 or visit www.cluba1a.com. RENT One of Broadway's biggest musicals ever, Rent, is coming to Lexington as part of the Lexington Opera House's Variety Live series. Rent is a modern version of the opera La Boheme. Set in New York's East Village, it's an emotionally stirring story of a community of young artists struggling to live and celebrate life. The musical features all different styles of song including dance pop, salsa, R&B, and rock 'n roll. Critically acclaimed, Rent won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book. Tickets to Rent are $38, $43, & $48, and may be purchased online at www.lexingtonoperahouse.com or by calling 859/233-3535. Midwest Entertainment Conference November 13th through the 15th is the fourth annual Midwest Entertainment Industry Conference. Started in 1999 as the Midwest Music Conference, the three day event has grown into a multidimensional conference that encompasses many different aspects of the entertainment industry including music, film, publishing, game development, and more. The conference, which is the nation's only non-profit entertainment industry conference, routinely draws hundreds of bands from all over the country to perform in various Lexington venues and special key-note speakers who will speak on a variety of subjects. This year some of the speakers will include legendary Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, and Led Zeppelin producer Eddie Kramer; three time Grammy-winning and four time AMA-winning producer Andre Fischer; Fantasy and Sci-Fi Art Wizard Larry Elmore; and the Kung Fu master himself, film and television star David Carradine. For more information, a complete schedule of events, or to register for the conference, visit www.midwestentertainmentconference.com, grasshopper. Beastie Ball The Lexington Humane Society's Annual fundraiser, The Beastie Ball, will be held this year at Keeneland on November 22nd. Themeof this year's Beastie Ball is "Welcome to Fur-bulous Las Vegas." There will be food, drink, music, and dancing, but the highlights of the event are the auctions. There are two; one silent, one live, both featuring top quality prizes like sports memorabilia autographed by UK sports figures, trips, and gift baskets from all sorts of local businesses. All proceeds benefit the Lexington Humane Society. The Beastie Ball is well timed with Christmas right around the corner; it could be the perfect opportunity to get a special, unique gift for someone you love-and then write it off your taxes. For more information, visit www.lexingtonhumanesociety.com or call 859/233-0044. Keeneland Arts Fair Coming back for its 4th year, the Keeneland Arts Fair is scheduled to help you with your holiday shopping. Held November 29th & 30th on the picturesque grounds of the Keeneland Race Course, this juried art fair will feature 90 of our area's finest artists and craftspeople. Patrons can expect to see beautifully handcrafted items consisting of pottery, painting, metal works, glassworks, fiber, weaving, photography, baskets and more. Free. Info, 859/288-2900. |
