I love decorating for the holidays, but what I love even more is watching the Frazier transform into a Christmas tree wonderland. With more than 80 illuminated trees spread across all three floors decorated by local businesses, the museum takes on a whole new look—and delivers a healthy dose of holiday spirit with Lights on Main.
This is our fifth year partnering with I Would Rather Be Reading to bring Lights on Main to the Frazier Kentucky History Museum. It’s become a holiday tradition with a purpose: Proceeds from the exhibition benefit both organizations and support our community.
And this week, the decorating begins with finishing touches done by November 20 to show off to the public through the holidays.
Each week in our newsletter, we’ll fill you in on special programming like our Lights on Main Late Night Thursdays on December 3 and December 17. A discounted $12 dollar admission ticket will get you tastings from select distilleries and breweries, last-minute shopping at our Cool Kentucky Shop, and fun holiday music. You can purchase tickets now and learn more about each night.
And don’t forget to mark your calendar for our Lights on Main Free Family Day on December 13 from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thanks to Amazon the event is free and will feature a visit from Santa, the Grinch, and a day packed with activities for the whole family. Click here for the lineup!
It really is the most wonderful time of the year. We hope you’ll spend some of your time with us at what has now become our annual tradition of Lights on Main.
Be part of our family.
Also in this edition of Frazier Weekly, commemorating Veterans Day with a historic monument and quilts, get an early jump on your holiday shopping with some cool ideas, host your holiday party at the Frazier, and one woman’s journey to give her grandmother a voice.
Mindy Johnson
VP of Operation
Frazier Kentucky History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Cool Kentucky Shop: Holiday Goodies on WDRB
Holiday merchandise sold in the Frazier’s Cool Kentucky Shop.
We hope you catch our very own Suzanne Siegel on WDRB in the 9 o’clock hour this morning! She’s going to share some unique finds from the Cool Kentucky Shop that can bring a little history and a lot of Kentucky spirit to your holidays.
From the fabulous disco ball earrings made right here in Louisville by Not Picasso to the iconic Y’all shirt—and let’s not forget Rosie!—there’s something for everyone on your list.
Find these and even more one-of-a-kind gifts at the Frazier’s Cool Kentucky Shop!
Frazier’s All-Inclusive Holiday Packages Feature Lights on Main
The Frazier’s Great Hall decorated for a holiday party.
Iiiiiittttt’s tiiiimmmmeee . . . to party where the world meets Kentucky!!
With the holidays quickly approaching, let us help you celebrate friends, colleagues, strangers, and elves with a private Frazier event. Our all-inclusive packages make entertaining a snap! First, choose an unusual event space like our Speakeasy. Second, add a menu option priced per person. Third, sit back and enjoy your holiday libation while knowing your guests are having a great time!
Packages consist of the venue space, catering for the evening, and bar services all in one booking. What else is included you may ask? Screen usage within the chosen space, Bluetooth speaker and wired microphone, parking, staffing, linens, signage, and the choice between the Frazier Scavenger Hunt Experience and a Polaroid Camera Station.
As a bonus: no decorating needed! Holiday parties held between November 23 and January 4, 2027, will be completely immersed in our Lights on Main exhibition. We have partnered with I Would Rather Be Reading to host over 80 Christmas trees throughout our galleries that are sponsored and decorated by your favorite Kentucky businesses. There’s no better holiday party than one within the festive forest of uniquely decorated Christmas trees.
Learn more on our website or email me at swilcox@fraziermuseum.org to book a site visit!
Packages are available from Thanksgiving Day until January 31.
Samantha Wilcox
Event Sales Manager
From the Collections: America’s Oldest Civil War Monument, 1861
Objects conservator Betsy Allaire conducts her semi-yearly inspection of the Bloedner Monument at the Frazier, October 23, 2026.
For Veterans Day, we want to talk about the Bloedner Monument. Have you seen it? We talk about it frequently as it’s a point of pride at the Frazier! It honors the fallen soldiers of the 32nd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, who fought at the Battle of Rowlett’s Station near Munfordville, Hart County, Kentucky, on December 17, 1861. To honor his fellow soldiers, Private Christian Friedrich August Bloedner designed and constructed this monument from soft limestone. The regiment was comprised entirely of immigrant German-American soldiers and the inscription on this monument is, therefore, in German. It is the oldest surviving memorial to the Civil War and it’s here—in our museum!
The monument was in Cave Hill National Cemetery for more than 140 years and deteriorating rapidly due to the freeze-thaw action we see during our winter months. It was deemed too significant and fragile to remain outdoors. So in 2008, a major project began to save the monument and bring it indoors. Quite a few museums were interested in housing it after the conservation efforts, but the Frazier was deemed the perfect fit. It was delivered to the Frazier on August 18, 2010. It is now on display in our permanent exhibition The Commonwealth. Part of our contract with the US Department of Veterans Affairs requires yearly inspections. Two weeks ago, we had a conservator come in to assess the condition of, and dust off, the Bloedner Monument. She reports it’s looking good!
While the deterioration from its time in Cave Hill led to significant loss of detail and rendered the inscription nearly illegible, it is still a powerful monument to fallen soldiers. And like most monuments, it reminds us to think of, and thank, soldiers who have fought for our rights and freedoms over the past 250 years.
Marcy Werner
Collections Manager & Registrar
Frazier’s Mick Sullivan Featured on KET’s Inside Louisville
KET’s Kelsey Starks interviews the Frazier’s Mick Sullivan on Inside Louisville. Credit: KET.
We have a lot of great neighbors on Main Street, and KET is one of our favorites. Recently, I took a quick walk to join Kelsey Starks for her program Inside Louisville. We had a chance to talk about all sorts of exciting things, including my recent performance at New York City’s Lincoln Center. We also talked about some important Kentucky stories that I share on a daily basis with field trip groups, like the time Lily May Ledford led an all-woman band in a performance for King George VI’s historic visit with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. There is also a bit of discussion about a fun new book that I have in the works. Very exciting stuff!
Also on this same episode is a visit to another friendly Main Street neighbor of ours, the Sons of the American Revolution. The segment debuted this past Sunday and is now available at ket.org/program/inside-louisville.
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
KET Announces Renee Shaw as Next Executive Director and CEO
Renee Shaw. Credit: KET.
Those of us who have worked with Renee Shaw wish her the best of luck in her new role as Executive Director and CEO at KET.
KET is an important partner and the Frazier is excited to grow it with Renee at the helm.
I have been lucky enough to work with Renee on past programs at the Frazier, and with everything she does she brings dedication, integrity, and mad skillsets. I am a fan!
Shaw spent nearly three decades at KET as a journalist, producer, and host.
She succeeds Shae Hopkins who announced her retirement earlier this year and sadly recently passed away.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
On the Trail with Abby: Old Forester in Downtown Louisville
Bourbon tourism is booming—and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® is growing faster than ever! Each week, the Frazier’s Abby Stanton 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 Kentucky History Museum, home of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center.
Exterior of Old Forester in downtown Louisville.
I always smile when I see a bright blue Old Forester truck rolling through downtown, loaded up with Bourbon barrels that are sure to delight! To call this one a classic is still an understatement. On the trail this week, we hit Old Forester Distilling Co. in Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky.
Old Forester is the longest-running Bourbon brand in the United States, having maintained consistent Bourbon production since 1870. Even during Prohibition? Yes! They were one of only six distilleries with a federal license to distill and distribute Bourbon for medicinal purposes.
You can never go wrong with their core lineup: the classic Old Forester 86, Signature 100, Single Barrel, or even the ready to drink Mint Julep. As America’s First Bottled Bourbon™, Old Forrester is a Bourbon lover’s must-stop on the Trail®. As they say, Old Forester never gets old!
Abby Stanton
Administrative Chief of Engagement
Bridging the Divide
Kentucky Opera’s Song Week to Honor Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell
A Voice: Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell flyer. Credit: Kentucky Opera.
It is a story I have written about before in Frazier Weekly, and now it will be amplified in a concert in partnership with the Kentucky Opera on November 19. A Voice: Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell will take place at Redeemer Lutheran Church, and although it is free, it does require an RSVP. Her granddaughter Dr. Renee Campbell has worked tirelessly to give her a voice, and justice. We asked Dr. Campbell to write about how you, too, can bear witness to her grandmother’s life.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
When Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell entered Lakeland Asylum, now Central State Hospital, in 1935, and died there in 1940, she was a Black woman in need of care. She should have been treated with dignity, listened to, and protected. Instead, the people entrusted with her well-being failed her. Her condition went unattended, her needs were overlooked, and she died of what is documented in her medical file as “professional medical neglect in the early stages of her illness,” inside of the very institution that was meant to help her and others experiencing mental illness.
Our family calls what happened to her murder—not because a court gave it that name, but because to us, professional medical neglect had taken a life that could have been saved. Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell’s death was not simply a tragedy. It was a betrayal of responsibility, compounded by how Black women’s pain has too often been dismissed or ignored, and a racist Jim Crowe system in the 1930s and 1940s.
Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell’s story does not belong only to the institution that failed her. She left offsprings, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, men and women who have healthy successful families, strong work ethics, built lives as professionals such as social workers, university vice-presidents of development, served their country, given the position of Chief in an African village, photographers, professional musical theater artist, singing, dancing, acting and writing producing music, musical theater teachers, college students studying abroad, City Councilmen, college students working towards becoming physicians, business development professionals, and great-grandchildren enrolled in private pre-school programs, playing musical instruments, learning ballet, and math and young robotics scholars.
Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell’s descendants show that her legacy extends beyond the circumstances of her death. Their achievements do not erase what happened. Alongside their grief and anger, the family insists that she be given “A Voice” and that her life be remembered honestly.
Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell was more than a patient in a file, or a name on a record. She was a mother, a grandmother, and a sister—a person with a history, a family, and a future her descendants continue to carry forward. The institution failed to protect her, but it could not determine the meaning of her life.
Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell’s children and grandchildren’s success is not a justification for her suffering. It is part of her legacy—and a reminder that even after profound injustice and mistreatment a family endures, it can be resilient and thrive. That same family can stand firmly that these stories of their family members are not forgotten.
The Kentucky Opera, under the Direction of Ben Robinson, produced Song Week, an immersive celebration of the art of song, bringing audiences into intimate spaces where music, storytelling, and history intersect. Song Week explores how songs carry memories across generations and gives voice to stories that continue to resonate long after people who lived them are gone. Song Week centers on the powerful theme of stories told from beyond the grave. Through three remarkable narratives, artists and audiences will hear voices from the past that continue to shape our understanding of art, justice, and memory. Song Week will honor Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell, whose life was tragically cut short within Kentucky’s troubled mental health system. Through music and reflection, the program will invite audiences to confront difficult histories while affirming the dignity and humanity of those whose stories were silenced. The event will be held at Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 7 p.m., at Redeemer Lutheran Church, at 3640 River Park Drive in Louisville, Kentucky. Admission is free and RSVP is required.
Dr. Renee Maltinaa Ann Campbell
Granddaughter of Mrs. Ada Doss Campbell
Guest Contributor
History All Around Us
One Nation, One Mission: Penny Sheridan on Valor Quilters Kentucky
Valor Quilters Kentucky.
It’s a group I recently learned about and wanted to share their mission with you. It’s called Valor Quilters Kentucky and members have a unique and beautiful way of thanking veterans for their service. As we count down to Veterans Day on Wednesday, please keep reading to learn more about how they honor those who have served.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
“Please accept this Quilt of Valor as a sincere thank you for your service and sacrifice serving our nation.” These are the words spoken to each veteran as he or she receives a quilt made by a Valor Quilters Kentucky member at our Quilts of Valor ceremonies. We members of Valor Quilters Kentucky are only fifteen volunteers of the nearly 12,000 nationwide who make and award quilts to honor our veterans as we show our appreciation for their service to our country. We conduct meetings at Sew and Vacuum Authority on Westport Road, our sponsor, and hold two ceremonies each year.
Veterans are nominated through the QOVF.org website, usually by friends or family members. The criteria is that they received an honorable discharge and have been touched by war. “Touched by war” has been determined to be a broad term. Our purpose is to honor, not discriminate. Our veterans have served in every era since WWII. Recently, many have been Vietnam vets who never received the appreciation and recognition they deserved as they returned home.
Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream, literally a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq. According to Catherine: “The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was: Quilts = Healing. The model appeared simple: have a volunteer team who would donate their time and materials to make a quilt. One person would piece the top and another would quilt it. I saw the name for this special quilt: it was Quilt of Valor, a QOV.”
There have now been more than 450,000 quilts awarded nationwide. On November 2, 2026, Valor Quilters Kentucky members read military biographies of ten veterans and presented them with a quilt and a certificate at the Marine House in Louisville. Each quilt had a panel commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Friends and family attended and appreciation and emotions emanated all around. A heartfelt thank you to all of our veterans! “The mission of Quilts of Valor is to cover service members and veterans touched by war in comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. One Nation, One Mission.” Please visit QOVF.org for more information, to nominate a veteran, or to donate to Valor Quilters Kentucky.
Penny Sheridan
Co-Leader, Valor Quilters Kentucky
Guest Contributor
