Greetings!

I am delighted to share that I have joined the Frazier History Museum as the new Director of Events.

After returning to my Kentucky roots several years ago, I found a true passion in tourism—promoting the Commonwealth and Louisville as premier destinations for exceptional experiences. When the opportunity to work with the outstanding team at the Frazier arose, I was eager to continue championing Kentucky through the lens of a world-class museum that provides an extraordinary setting for fun and engaging events.

At the Frazier, we tell stories and create experiences. Our event spaces offer unique opportunities for a variety of occasions, from elegant weddings and corporate dinners to Thunder Over Louisville watch parties on our stunning Merkley Kendrick Rooftop Garden.

As the holiday season quickly approaches, we’re pleased to announce the launch of our holiday event packages. Guests may reserve part—or the entirety—of the museum, beautifully adorned with festive décor as part of our Lights on Main celebration. Our catering partner, RK Bluegrass, has curated exceptional menu options designed to make the planning process seamless and the celebration unforgettable for businesses, families, and groups of friends alike.

Explore your event spaces and food menus or plan your holiday party here!

In today’s Frazier Weekly, Green River and Bardstown Bourbon appear on Sippin’ with Stephen, Tori announces a special pop-up camp during JCPS’s Gold Day, and Frazier staff attend the dedication of a historical marker in Leslie County. Megan previews fall sports in Kentucky, Sarah plugs the Frazier’s Creepy KY Scavenger Hunt, Jason shines a light on this weekend’s pumpkin and pickle festival, and Rachel pays tribute to the late Manfred Reid.

I am honored to be a part of this Frazier team. I invite you to take a sip and stroll through history!

This Week in the Museum

Sippin’ with Stephen: Green River and Bardstown Bourbon Company

As the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, the Frazier History Museum shares stories of the people, places, and producers of the Kentucky Bourbon industry. To learn more, visit our Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center or tour our Spirit of Kentucky® exhibition.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

This month’s episode of Sippin’ with Stephen highlights both Green River Distilling and Bardstown Bourbon Company’s recently opened tasting experiences on Main Street in Downtown Louisville. My guest is Jon Cecil, who is the Senior Manager of Louisville Visitor Experiences. Jon manages both locations, which are located fifty feet apart on Main Street—but they each offer a distinctly different experience. Jon and I highlight the Fill-Your-Own-Spirits Experience that Green River offers. Click here to learn more about Green River and Bardstown Bourbon Company.

Join Us for “Fall into Camp Frazier” Pop-Up Camp November 3!

Camp Frazier has launched its first pop-up camp of the school year!

Need somewhere for your kiddos to go on the upcoming JCPS Gold Day? No worries! On Monday, November 3, bring your campers to Camp Frazier for a one-day camp this fall season!

Themed around fall, campers will learn about the origin of different seasonal traditions like pumpkin pie, celebrate Aviation History Month, throw their own Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and more! The Frazier’s “Fall into Camp Frazier” pop-up camp will take place November 3. Registration will be pay-by-the-day, and camp will be geared towards kids in grades 1–5. We would love to see you there, so don’t wait and register your camper here today.

Kentucky Historical Marker on Pack Horse Librarians Dedicated in Hyden, Leslie County

Impact.

It’s what everyone hopes to have in some way, right?

A positive impact on others and community.

And after ninety years, the Pack Horse Librarians were celebrated for their impact on raising literacy rates in hard-to-reach Appalachian communities during the Great Depression.

A historical marker was recently unveiled in Hyden, the first outpost for the librarians. They were mostly women and earned about twenty-eight dollars a month to ride horses and mules hundreds of miles to deliver books.

They were also the inspiration for the bookmobiles of today.

Best-selling author Kim Michele Richardson was the featured speaker, known for the novels she’s written about this celebrated and important history of Kentucky. She was the champion of this marker.

I was fortunate enough to introduce her at the program, which also featured Dr. James Seaver with the Kentucky Historical Society, Hyden’s mayor, and two descendants of the Pack Horse Librarians.

Driving into Hyden, I couldn’t help but notice the statue of another woman on horseback impacting this region, Mary Breckinridge, the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service. It provided healthcare services to rural and underserved populations.

I talked to the mayor’s daughter about all this history, all these strong women in that area. She said we see a need and just take care of it, and get things done.

I’ll say.

Impact.

Fall is for Kentucky Sports

There are many things to love about fall in Kentucky: the turning leaves, a crisp breeze, and dinner out on the patio. But another reason to love the season is all the sports!

Both the UK and U of L volleyball teams are ranked in the top five with a good chance of making it to, yet another, national championship match. Consider this: Teams from Kentucky colleges have played in three of the last five NCAA volleyball championships, with UK winning it all in 2020. Maybe it’s something in our water, but I’d argue that makes the Commonwealth a volleyball powerhouse.

The WNBA just wrapped up its season with the Las Vegas Aces winning it all in a clean sweep of the Phoenix Mercury. And guess who came off the bench to score twenty-one points and record three assists and four steals in game one? None other than Louisville Cardinal Dana Evans, who now has two WNBA championships and continues her role as a spark plug during her professional career.

November is right around the corner, and it holds the promise of one fantastic game after another. College football is already in the heat of things with Louisville at 4-1 and Kentucky at 2-3, as of the writing of this article. The big rivalry game is coming up November 29 to see who will win the Governor’s Cup. Shout out to our neighbors to the north, as well: Indiana is having an incredible season, with many predicting they will earn a spot in the college football playoffs.

And, of course, the air is tingling with excitement for this year’s upcoming men’s college basketball season. We won’t have to wait long to see some major matchups. The Battle of the Bluegrass—which typically takes place much later in the year—will occur less than a month from now, on November 11. If preseason rankings are any predictor, it will be an impressive throw down by two talented and well-coached teams. UK is coming into the season ranked ninth with Louisville right behind them at eleventh. I’m excited to see five-star recruit Mikel Brown Jr. and other new players in action for the Cardinals—as well as the return of J’Vonne Hadley, Kasean Pryor, and others from one of my favorite Louisville teams of all time. And, although I bleed red, I’m also a fan of the game and am interested to see what Otega Oweh will accomplish during his senior year and what the new Wildcats will bring to the table.

The women’s basketball teams are keeping up the pace as well. Both UK and U of L women’s basketball are listed as top twenty-five in preseason rankings—and they are not shying away from early challenges. Louisville will face off against last year’s national champions, the UConn Huskies, on November 4 and the two will meet each other at the KFC Yum! Center on November 22.

So many games, so little time. Enjoy!

Boo! Frazier Offering Creepy Kentucky Scavenger Hunt Now Through Mid-November

This spooky season, we are excited to offer our new Creepy Kentucky Scavenger Hunt to ghouls and goblins of all ages.

We invite you to search the galleries on all three floors of the museum to find some of our collection’s most mysterious artifacts. Investigate creepy curiosities such as a Civil War surgeon’s kit, a grave marker from Custer’s Last Stand, and a plaster cast of Daniel Boone’s skull!

You can pick up a copy of the scavenger hunt now through mid-November. Happy hunting . . . and happy haunting!

Museum Shop: Raven Earrings

Add a little nevermore to your look this Halloween! Our raven earrings are the perfect mix of spooky and stylish—ideal for haunting the museum or your next costume party. Snag a pair in the Frazier’s Museum Shop or online before they fly away.

Highlights of 120: Trimble County: The Thing

As we prepare for Halloween, we want to spotlight some of the spooky content featured in our museum. Learn more in the following story, one of hundreds of stories featured in our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

A publicity still from the film *The Thing*, 1982. Credit: Universal Pictures.

From 1962 to 1978, there were multiple reports of a large, hairy, growling beast in Trimble County. Locals started calling it the “Thing.” In one sighting, a resident was hiking with a friend to a known cave. They came across several hogs that had been killed. The hikers heard a growl coming from the cave and threw a rock inside. The Thing made a twenty-foot jump out of the cave and over a steep bluff. In another instance, a group of boys were chased off their camping trip along Corn Creek after seeing the Thing. Two girls later reported seeing a six-foot-tall creature with green eyes while walking a group of dogs. In the mid-1970s, two boys parked their car on a gravel road near the top of Beford Hill when a gray paw reached through the window. All the sightings have similar descriptions of a large, hairy, ape-like creature, but no remains or artifacts of the Thing have ever been found.

Pumpkin and Pickle Festival, Kentucky Folklore Festival Return this Weekend!

The days grow shorter and the shadows longer, as Kentucky prepares for another Halloween season! Never fear . . . there are enough hair-raising haunts and spine-tingling socials across the Commonwealth to thrill and chill creatures of all ages. In this week’s Kentucky festival series article, I highlight two festivals guaranteed to give their guests a ghoulish good time!

And don’t forget: you can learn more about Kentucky’s local traditions in the Frazier’s 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.

Daviess County’s Pumpkin and Pickle Festival (October 25–26, 2025)

Do you like pumpkins? How about pickles? If you answered “yes” to both, then do I have a festival for you! The Fifth Annual Pumpkin and Pickle Festival will be held at the Cottage Farm Stand in Owensboro, Daviess County, otherwise known as the Boo-grass Capital of the World. Formerly the Sunflower and Pickle Festival, organizers soon pivoted to partner pumpkin with pickle, declaring it a perfect pairing! The festival has only grown since, entertaining visitors with its whimsical take on the Halloween season.

As you can guess, food is the highlight of the weekend. Pumpkin rolls, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pies in every size—there are plenty of gourds to feed the zombie hordes! As for pickles? You will be DILL-lighted to know there will be fried pickles, pickle burgers, pickle popcorn, pickle beer, pickle tater tots, and even pickle corn dogs (jumbo pickles stuffed with a hot dog and deep fried!). The only thing haunting you may be the ghost of your diet.

Of course, pumpkins and pickles are not the only reasons to spend that weekend in Owensboro. In addition to twenty food vendors, over 150 arts and crafts vendors will be in attendance. Other activities include: pony rides, a petting zoo, inflatables for the children, local music, a five-acre corn maze, a pick-your-own-pumpkin patch, face painting, pumpkin painting, and, perhaps my favorite, the pickle toss!

Hardin County’s Kentucky Folklore Festival (October 25, 2025)

Another festival which recently experienced a rebrand is the Kentucky Folklore Festival. First held in 2022, the original Battletown Witch Festival was created to honor the memory of local legend and “Granny Magic” practitioner Leah Smock. It was an immediate success—last year bringing in over 10,000 visitors, many dressed as warlocks, witches, and wizards. This year, the festival has renamed itself the Kentucky Folklore Festival, expanding its scope to “embrace all the myths, legends, and cultural oddities that make Kentucky weird, wonderful, and worth celebrating.” And as we all know, our state has all of this in spades.

The festival is also relocating from Brandenburg to Veterans Memorial Park in West Point, Hardin County, allowing organizers to better accommodate increasing attendance. Of course, there will be an abundance of vendor booths and food trucks, along with a beer garden serving everything from local craft beer to mead to hot mulled wine. For the strange and macabre (in which I include myself), there will be tons of activities to ensure a scary good time. This year’s festival will have cryptid experts, paranormal investigations, tarot card and palm readings, live podcasts, cosplay contests, folklore panels, herbalism classes, local artists, dancing witches, spooky storytelling, and many other creepy-crawly experiences. There is even a Sasquatch-calling contest for those looking for a friend. All of this, and so much more, will be waiting for you at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Saturday, October 25, 12–8 p.m. Come be wonderfully weird with the rest of us!

On the Trail with Abby: Copper & Kings in Louisville’s Butchertown Neighborhood

Bourbon tourism is booming—and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® is growing faster than ever! Each week, the Frazier’s Abby Flanders takes readers on a digital stop-by-stop tour of this expanding adventure, spotlighting the distilleries, stories, and expressions behind America’s native spirit. Ready to hit the trail in real life? Start your journey at the Frazier History Museum, the Official Starting Point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®.

Exterior of Copper & Kings Distillery in Louisville.

Since 2014, Copper & Kings has been “unapologetically making Brandy in the middle of Bourbon country.” Located in the Butchertown neighborhood of Louisville, Copper & Kings is the only brandy distillery in the state of Kentucky. That same rebellious energy now fuels their growing Bourbon brand, made in copper pot stills and often finished in their brandy barrels.

The result is a lineup that marries tradition with the unusual. Copper & Kings proudly distills “low and slow” and utilizes Sonic Aging, a process where loud music bellows through their aging cellar. As the bass notes pulse through, the frequency at which the alcohol is in contact with the barrel wall increases, thus enhancing flavor and maturation.

I find that their Bourbon balances classic caramel and vanilla notes with hints of fruit and spice from the brandy influence. Try it! On a visit to Copper & Kings, you’ll be welcomed to their industrial-chic space and a rooftop bar offering one of the best views in Louisville. Cheers!

Bridging the Divide

Remembering Manfred Reid Sr. of the Black Six

I didn’t know about the Black Six until a few years ago when the Frazier opened an exhibition called West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning & Reconciliation.

It featured a courtroom sketch of the Black Six.

Six Black activists and business owners who were wrongfully accused of a plot to destroy property and chemical plants in the West End in 1968. They would later be acquitted, but the damage had been done to their livelihoods, reputations, and so much more.

During our exhibition, I reached out to living members of the Black Six, family members, even their legal team for a program here at the Frazier. What an education.

I had the good fortune of getting to know many of them, including Manfred Reid, who passed away last week.

Reid was in real estate at the time of his arrest, and lost his marriage, his job, and eventually his home.

Despite the injustice against him, he would go on to be an advocate for housing and was the board chair emeritus for the Louisville Metro Housing Authority.

He won many awards for his work and the admiration of so many, including me.

A force for good despite all the bad that happened to him.

Mayor Greg Fischer issued a public apology for the wrongs against the Black Six in 2022 and unveiled a marker of their history outside Metro Hall.

Manfred Reid was there to hear the apology, and there to see the unveiling of the marker.

I’m so glad he was.

I’m so thankful for his wisdom, his courage, and the lessons he leaves to a grateful community.

What a legacy.

Rachel Platt
VP of Mission

Host your Holiday Party, Fall-Themed Pop-Up Camp, Owensboro Pumpkin and Pickle Festival, and More

Steve & Heather French Henry’s Wedding, Your Chance to Win a 14K White Gold Diamond Necklace, Taylor County’s Spurlington Tunnel Witch, and More

Love & Marriage Game Show, Davis Jewelers Drawing, Ada Asenjo on Aflora Exhibition, and More