Wild Turkeys Russell Family Program, Marion Flexner’s Cookbook, 1920s NFL Team the Louisville Brecks, and More
As someone who believes the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives, I am eternally grateful for those relationships on this week of Thanksgiving.
And while I am as excited as anyone to belly up to the table—eating, drinking, and couch napping are just what we do on the last Thursday of November—the people who we love and who love us back are why we do what we do. For me, Thanksgiving, more than any other holiday, is about being together.
As I celebrate the holiday with my wife, our girls, our family, and our friends, it is my hope that you too have someone to hold hands with to share your thanks.
Thank you for choosing us! We appreciate your trust, and we enter this week of Thanksgiving very humbled that you are a part of our Frazier family!
If you have friends in town, you should know that our Lights on Main exhibition is now up and running. There is no better way to kick off the holidays! The museum will be closed Thursday; but we’ll be open with regular hours of operation every other day this week—so come visit!
Wild Turkeys: Russell Family Tasting and Barrel Selection flyer.
We’re also launching a new program this week scheduled for December 18. It’s appropriately named Wild Turkeys: Russell Family Tasting and Barrel Selection. The program will culminate with a tasting and a barrel selection bottle from Wild Turkey’s famed Camp Nelson Rickhouse F. If you know, you know!
Finally, as you prepare for a day or two away, don’t ever forget that good mashed potatoes are one of the great luxuries of life!
Also in this edition, something sweet from Grandma Kennedy for the holidays, how you can lend a helping hand with food, and gearing up for the Governor’s Cup.
Enjoy.
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Mark your Calendar for Lights on Main Opening Party, Free Family Day, and Late Night!
Children pose with the Grinch at the Frazier’s Lights on Main Free Family Day, December 17, 2023.
Our much-anticipated Lights on Main holiday exhibition opens tomorrow! From November 25 to January 4, museum visitors can explore 100 brilliantly decorated Christmas trees installed throughout the museum. (Most of the trees are already decorated, so feel free to visit today!) Plus, December will feature some can’t-miss holiday events:
Thursday, December 4. Lights on Main Opening Night Party, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Complimentary Tastings by Hop Atomica, Kentucky Peerless, O.H. Ingram, and Whiskey Row Bourbon. Bearno’s Sells Pizza. Cash Bar. Live Music by Magnolia Chamber Players. Pose 502 Photobooth. Tree Contest Award Winners Announced. Admission is $12.
Sunday, December 14. Lights on Main Free Family Day Sponsored by Passport by Molina Healthcare, 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Appearances by Santa (10–11:30 a.m.) and the Grinch (12–1:30 p.m.)! Aviation-Themed Crafts. Balloon Stylist Tenesha Marshall Creations. Pose 502 Photobooth. Cupcake Decorating. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa Activities. If able, please bring a non-perishable food item for community partners as part of a holiday food drive. Admission is free!
Thursday, December 18. Lights on Main Late Night Thursday, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Complimentary Tastings by Angel’s Envy, Buzzard’s Roost, and Pursuit Spirits. Bearno’s Sells Pizza. Live Music by Christian Academy of Indiana (CAI) High School Chamber Singers. Additional Music Curated by Louisville Academy of Music. Admission is $12.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
From the Collections: Marion Flexner’s 1949 Cookbook Out of Kentucky Kitchens
Front cover of a first-edition copy of the 1949 cookbook Out of Kentucky Kitchens by Marion Flexner.
Dedication page of a first-edition copy of the 1949 cookbook Out of Kentucky Kitchens by Marion Flexner.
As we prepare for Thanksgiving, we think of many things: gathering with family, football, and laughter. But mostly we think of FOOD! Yes, many of you already have a menu set. Maybe you are hosting and have the turkey ready to start thawing, or perhaps you are joining in elsewhere and have planned the side dish or dessert to bring. No matter where you find yourself in the mix, you are probably already thinking about that one dish that only comes out this time of year.
For some people, it’s the candied yams, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, four-cheese mac and cheese, or apple pie. (Gosh, I love apple pie!) No matter what it is, there is a joy in coming around the table with family for good food.
So, in honor of the holiday, I want to share a new item in our collection: a Kentucky cookbook!
I love a good cookbook, especially if it’s old and filled with recipes I have never heard of. This particular cookbook—Out of Kentucky Kitchens by Marion Flexner—is a first edition with a great preface from Duncan Hines (not the company, but the man himself!).
Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Marion married Dr. John Morris Flexner of Kentucky and came to Louisville. Marion was a published author who wrote several nonfiction books early in her career, but her most popular books were her cookbooks. She published six different cookbooks, perhaps the best-known of which is Out of Kentucky Kitchens. Published in 1949, it was later released and republished in 1989 after her death. Ours is a first-edition copy signed by the author.
So, as you get ready for your Thanksgiving feast, what cookbook will you grab? What family favorite dishes will HAVE to be on your menu? Whatever it may be, this is the Frazier wishing you and your loved ones a happy Thanksgiving!
Tish Boyer
Registrar & Manager of Collections Engagement
Museum Shop: Anderson Houses’ Frontier Soups
Anderson Houses’ Frontier Soup mixes sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop and online.
The Frazier’s Museum Shop now sells several delicious varieties of a handy soup mix—aptly described as “fast-scratch cooking”—that traces its origins to the kitchen of one northern Illinois entrepreneur’s home, some thirty-five years ago.
Small world: I was a neighbor of that northern Illinois entrepreneur, Trisha Anderson! As a teenager, I occasionally babysat her children in their home. On evenings after I had tucked the children into bed, I sat at Mrs. Anderson’s kitchen table, assembling the beans and other natural dry ingredients into her soup mixes, following her careful instructions. In those early days, Mrs. Anderson sold these mixes at local holiday bazaars and small retailers in the Chicagoland area.
I’ve bought and cooked with these soup mixes for years now, and I really love them! Varieties stocked in the Frazier’s Museum Shop and online reflect the blend of Midwestern and Southern cuisine and culture that characterizes Louisville and my beloved adopted home state of Kentucky. These soup mixes are still made with care and quality ingredients. They are all natural with no added salt or artificial anything and can be prepared as vegetarian or vegan. I hope you’ll come check them out!
Kristin Grief
Guest Services Associate
Grandma Kennedy’s Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
South Louisville native Mary Norma Kennedy (middle) pictured with granddaughters Kaitlyn Kennedy (left) and Tori Kennedy (right).
Mary Norma Kennedy’s sweet potato casserole recipe wood-burned onto a cutting board.
Although Christmas is my favorite holiday, I do wish people would wait until after Thanksgiving to start putting up their decorations. Thanksgiving may be a smaller holiday, but I think it deserves just as much appreciation as the ones it is sandwiched between in the calendar. It is a time of fellowship with friends and family, where we reflect on the good we have experienced throughout the year amidst the bad and catch-up with one another around a hot, home-cooked meal. It’s a time to be grateful for those around the table with you—and to remember those that no longer are.
This year, I’ve decided my contribution to Thanksgiving will be a sweet potato casserole, with a recipe from my late Grandmother, Mary Norma Kennedy. I was given a very sweet gift last Christmas, a wood burning of her recipe in her original handwriting into a cutting board. In the spirit of togetherness and being grateful for those around us, I can’t think of another recipe to follow that would be a more perfect embodiment of the Thanksgiving holiday values. The typed-out version of the recipe is below, and I encourage you to explore and recreate family recipes of your own this Thanksgiving!
Recipe for Grandma Kennedy’s Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
½ to ¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
¼ cup butter, melted
Instructions:
Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, and melted butter. Beat until smooth. Put in a greased 2-quart baking dish.
Ingredients (for Topping):
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
½ to 1 cup finely chopped pecans
Instructions (for Topping):
Combine brown sugar, flour, butter, and pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Makes 10 to 12 servings.
Tori Kennedy
Manager of Youth & Family Programs
Williamstown’s Country Christmas, Inez’s Christmas in the Mountains Return in December!
Happy holidays, everyone! If you are looking for some good ol’ fashioned Christmas cheer, the fine folks of Williamstown and Inez have you covered. Whether you are nine or ninety-nine, these festivals will definitely put you in the holiday spirit. So, don your red noses and come celebrate the best kind of Christmas—a Kentucky Christmas!
And don’t forget: you can learn more about Kentucky’s local traditions in the Frazier’s 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.
Reindeer lead Santa’s sleigh at Country Christmas in Williamstown, Kentucky, 2022. Credit: Grant County Tourism.
Map of Kentucky with Grant County highlighted.
Grant County’s Country Christmas (December 6, 2025)
There is something truly magical about Christmas time in the country, miles away from big city lights, the night sky bursting with stars, and crisp, clean air to energize the spirit. For over twenty years, the town of Williamstown has held Country Christmas—an annual festival where everyone can feel at home for the holidays. This year’s festival is scheduled for Saturday, December 6, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., with enough activities scheduled to get any elf off their shelf.
Country Christmas actually kicks off a bit early this year with the free Frosty Fun Run/3K Walk at 4 p.m., followed by a Pancake Supper with Santa and the Brad Brown Magic Show. Need to burn off some calories? Make your way to the Family Fun Zone, featuring inflatables, a sleigh-shaped bouncy house, a carousel, and a Ferris wheel. Or would you rather relax a bit and take in the season? A community choir will sing carols in front of the courthouse, along with a performance by the Hills of Kentucky Cloggers. The Williamstown High School Choir takes the main stage soon after, followed by an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest guaranteed to make your holly jolly.
But, wait . . . there’s more: Christmas stories at the Grant County Public Library, a live nativity, local vendors selling seasonal foods, arts, and crafts, and a Christmas Parade down Main Street with, of course, Saint Nick himself! As you can see, this will be an incredible evening chock-full of Christmas spirit. Hope to see you there!
Dancers perform at Christmas in the Mountains in Inez, Kentucky. Credit: Mountain Citizen.
Map of Kentucky with Martin County highlighted.
Martin County’s Christmas in the Mountains (December 7–13, 2025)
Want to keep the Christmas cheer flowing? The small Appalachian town of Inez has you covered! From December 7 to 13, the Christmas in the Mountains festival enchants locals and visitors alike—kicking off with a free Angel Breakfast, allowing guests to engage in fellowship and reflect on the previous year. That said, the weekend provides most of the highlights.
On Friday, spend some time underneath the stars enjoying a “Walk to Bethlehem” in the Courthouse Square. There will also be a performance of Elf Jr.: The Musical, an adaptation of the holiday classic by the Martin County High School drama department. Looking for some thrills? Kids and the young at heart can head to the carnival, where you can find rides like the Jumping Star, the Hustler, and the Big Swing. Plus, there will be an ice skating rink, where perhaps you finally land that triple axel? Did I mention the train rides, hayrides, and pageants? Count on those as well! And Saturday at noon, families can attend a Christmas in the Mountains Tea Party featuring a “storybook-style celebration in a festive fairytale setting.” All of this (and more!) concludes with the Keeping Christ in Christmas Parade down Main Street, followed by the Snow Glo ATV Lighted Parade. Like I said, there is no Christmas quite like a Kentucky Christmas!
Jason Berkowitz
Engagement Specialist
On the Trail with Abby: Four Roses Distillery in Anderson County
On the Trail with Abby graphic.
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 Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Anderson County, Kentucky.
Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg blends deep Kentucky Bourbon heritage with a romantic origin story that makes the brand quite unforgettable! According to legend, founder Paul Jones Jr. fell in love with a woman named Mary Peabody and sent her a marriage proposal with a simple request: If she accepted, she should appear at the upcoming ball wearing a corsage of four roses. Much to his delight, she arrived with all four pinned to her gown, inspiring the name that would come to symbolize the Bourbon’s elegance and charm.
That sense of story lives on at the distillery today, where visitors step into a stunning 1910 Spanish Mission–style complex filled with history, character, and the sweet scent of Bourbon. Four Roses is known for its unique production method—two mash bills paired with five proprietary yeast strains to create ten distinct Bourbon recipes—giving their bottles a depth and consistency that Bourbon fans admire. As you walk the grounds, explore the rickhouses, or settle into a guided tasting, you get a sense of how the brand has survived Prohibition, thrived overseas, and re-emerged as a beloved Kentucky staple.
Abby Flanders
Administrative Chief of Engagement
Bridging the Divide
How You Can Help Dare to Care Provide Food Assistance to Struggling Families and Individuals
Graphic with information about Dare to Care’s most needed food items.
It’s always the right time to help others, but as we head into the holiday season, the giving season, it’s the perfect time to offer a helping hand. Many food pantries in our area are running low on supplies because demand is up. Quite simply, many of our neighbors are hurting, and hungry. We’re asking folks to bring a non-perishable food item to our Free Family Day on December 14 as one way to help, but you can certainly do something before then. I’ve asked our good friends at Dare to Care to share what they need and how you can help. Our thanks to all of those who work to help those who are hungry in our area.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
At Dare to Care, we are continually inspired by the generosity of our community. Every day, your support makes it possible for us to show up for families, seniors, and children facing hunger across our region. As the need for food assistance continues to grow, we are reminded that none of this work is possible without neighbors like you—people who believe in caring for one another and taking action to strengthen our community.
While food donations make a meaningful difference, the most impactful way to give back right now is by hosting a fund drive or making a financial gift. Because of our partnerships and ability to purchase food in bulk at significantly lower prices, your dollars stretch much further, allowing us to source exactly what is needed, when it’s needed most. For those who prefer to donate food, our most-needed items include peanut butter, canned soup, beans, rice, tuna, and applesauce. These staples help us nourish our community and they often remain in high demand throughout the year.
Food donations can be dropped off at our main warehouse at 5803 Fern Valley Road.
Whether you give through a fund drive, make a financial contribution, or donate food, you are providing more than meals—you are offering comfort, stability, and hope. Thank you for standing with us and ensuring that every family in our community has access to the nutritious food they deserve.
Together, we can build a community where no child, senior, or family has to wonder where their next meal will come from.
Alexus Richardson, MPA
Director of Communications, Dare to Care
Guest Contributor
History All Around Us
A Brief History of Louisville’s NFL Team, the Brecks
The Louisville Brecks football team, 1919. Provided by Mary Pat Sexton.
There’s no doubt many of us will get our fill of turkey and football over the next few days! And on Saturday, the Governor’s Cup is back with the rivalry game at L & N Stadium with a noon kick-off. The University of Louisville won last year against the University of Kentucky, and after the Cards recently beat the Cats in basketball, expect UK to perhaps be hungry for the win! As we talk football, did you realize Louisville had one of the first teams in the NFL? I didn’t know that until I got an email from Mary Pat Sexton, who comes to many of our programs and had a deep connection with the team. Keep reading to learn more about the Louisville Brecks!—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
I love attending programs offered by the Frazier History Museum. I always come away with more knowledge about Louisville history. This was very true after attending attorney Greg King’s presentation on “Joe Guyon: Louisville’s Forgotten Sports Hero” back in September. One point that stood out was how few had heard of Mr. Guyon despite his athletic accomplishments. After the program ended, I leaned over to my husband and said, “I wonder if anyone here knows anything about the Louisville Brecks?”
Many fans get excited about football in the Louisville area: from high school rivalries to cheering on the Louisville Cardinals and overall community support for the recent announcement of the United Football League team, the Louisville Kings, debuting in spring 2026.
However, did you know that in the early 1920s Louisville was home to one of the first teams in the National Football League? The team was called the Louisville Brecks—better known as the Brecks.
My grandfather, Austin Higgins (1887–1976) was a player, a captain, and a coach for the Brecks.
He fought in France during WWI and in 1919 returned home, to his family and the Brecks. He earned the title of being “an ironman center” and, according to the Courier Journal, he “didn’t know what a substitute was and he never backed away from any of the bigger giants.” His playing days ended when he tackled an opponent who was wearing an old-fashioned horse collar, causing a blood clot on his right leg that lasted for ten years.
The majority of players were local and hard-nosed athletes who grew up together and loved to play football. According to a Courier Journal article published in 1922: “The Brecks dated back fifteen years springing from a boys neighborhood team, the Floyds and Brecks, that has kept itself intact probably longer than any independent team in the country.” Football was apparently very popular in Louisville as there were many independent professional and semi-pro teams. Louisville can thank Aaron Hertzman, a local merchant, for sending in a $25 franchise fee in 1921 to the NFL, then known as the American Professional Football Association. The Brecks were one of eight teams added to the league. The commissioner at the time, Joseph Carr, was a fan of adding franchises in cities with strong baseball ties and Louisville did have this with the Louisville Colonels.
According to the articles I have read and the NFL archives, the Brecks (1921–24) were meant to be a travelling team in the NFL in order to keep expenses down for the more established teams. However, most of the Brecks’ games were home games played at Eclipse Park in Louisville. They played here until the park burned down in 1922, at which point they played remaining games at Parkway Field. They lost eight of their nine NFL games. Their final game was against Jim Thorpe’s team (Joe Guyon’s best friend) Oorang (Ohio) Indians, which they lost 12-0 in 1923.
While I am excited about the newly announced UFL team, the Louisville Kings, let’s always remember Louisville’s first professional football team: the Brecks. I know all of the players would appreciate the well-deserved recognition for the many sacrifices they made.
Mary Pat Sexton
Granddaughter of Louisville Brecks Captain Austin Higgins
Guest Contributor
