$500 Micro-Weddings, Limited Spots for Winter Break Camp, Hotel Metropolitan in Paducah, and More
Season’s greetings, Frazier fans!
First and foremost, thank you to everyone who has visited our Lights on Main exhibition. In partnership with I Would Rather Be Reading, these 100 beautifully decorated trees are guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit. If you haven’t had a chance to see them yet, they’ll be on display through the New Year—so bring the whole family for a festive day at the Frazier. Our last Late Night is this Thursday, so please join us!
Vows with your Valentine flyer.
Speaking of holidays, if you happen to be one of the two turtle doves who receives a golden ring this season, remember—we teased Vows with your Valentine a few weeks ago. To relieve both the emotional and financial stress of wedding planning, we’re offering the perfect solution: Make history, literally, with history.
On February 14, we are hosting a special day of micro-weddings. You and your betrothed—along with up to ten guests—can say “I do” in an intimate, meaningful ceremony at the Frazier, followed by cake and a champagne toast. Michaelis Events will provide a beautiful floral arch to frame your vows, with additional thoughtful touches throughout the Order of the Writ and Speakeasy.
Following your ordained ceremony, we invite you to linger in the Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition and experience matrimony alongside the stories of 150 years of couples who have come before you. Best of all, we will host your micro-wedding for the low cost of $500 on February 14!
Availability is limited and Cupid works fast—so claim your Valentine’s Day “I do” by emailing events@fraziermuseum.org or calling (502) 753-1688.
Also coming up in today’s Frazier Weekly, vintage tree toppers, sippin’ with Whiskey Row, respite for parents and fun for your children with our Winter Break Camp, and get ready to feel like you’re at a Louisville Brecks game as we go back in time.
All the best to you and yours this holiday season!
Melanie C. Duke
Director of Events
Frazier Kentucky History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Last Call for the Lights on Main Late Night Thursday!
2025 Lights on Main Late Night Thursday flyer.
Guests sample Trackside and Whiskey Row Bourbons at the Frazier’s Lights on Main Opening Night Party, December 4, 2025.
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
Sippin’ with Stephen: Whiskey Row Bourbon with Jeremy Dever
As the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, the Frazier Kentucky 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 features Jeremy Dever, Vice President of Procurement, Distribution, and Production for Whiskey Row Bourbon. Whiskey Row is produced at Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood, Oldham County, Kentucky. In addition to educating viewers on the tour and tasting experiences available to folks visiting Kentucky Artisan Distillery, we also taste Whiskey Row’s flagship Bourbon. For additional information regarding Whiskey Row as a brand, please visit their website.
Cheers!
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
Curator’s Corner: Vintage Christmas Tree Topper, 1980s
Vintage glass tree topper from 1980s. Part of the Frazier Kentucky History Museum’s permanent collection.
Oswald the cat!
One type of Christmas decoration that has always mesmerized me are the beautiful and delicate vintage glass Christmas ornaments. They are the kind of ornaments that I could never have on my own tree, thanks to Oswald the cat. This Christmas tree topper from the 1980s is one of the most beautiful Christmas tree decorations that we have in our collection at the Frazier. Ornaments and tree toppers like this are handmade. Glass blowers blow a bubble of extremely hot glass into a plaster or metal mold, and the thin, hot glass fills the space, creating a hollow ornament. Color, mirroring, and other decorations can then be applied to both the inside and outside of the glass ornament. The process is essentially the same as it was when glass ornaments were first created in Germany in the 1800s. This particular tree topper is mirrored on the inside, and has red, white, and gold accents painted on the outside with glass enamel paint. It also has designs on the outside created with snowlike glitter. It’s the perfect sparkling addition to the top of a Christmas tree.
Happy holidays and best wishes for ornaments safe from playful cat paws!
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Don’t Miss Out—Register for Camp Frazier’s Lights on Main 2025 Winter Break Camp!
Lights on Main 2025 Winter Break Camp flyer.
Winter Break is fast approaching, and with the chaos of the holiday season it’s easy to lose track of finding childcare for your kiddos while they are out of school. No worries, though—we have just the thing!
The Frazier’s Lights on Main! 2025 Winter Break Camp will take place December 22–23 and 29–31. Registration will be pay-by-the-day, and camp will be geared towards kids in grades 1–5. Come in from the cold and join us this Winter Break as we learn about Kentucky holiday traditions, competitive winter sports, and New Year’s resolutions! Make crafts to gift to friends and family, hone your wrapping skills, explore the Frazier’s Lights on Main exhibition, and more.
The Frazier’s education team and I are putting the finishing touches on our planned lessons and activities for camp, and we can’t wait to share them with your campers. Whether your campers are first timers or returning, there will be new opportunities to make friends, learn, and experience the Frazier like never before. We can’t wait to see you, so don’t miss out and sign up for some festive fun today!
Tori Kennedy
Manager of Youth & Family Programs
Museum Shop: My Old Kentucky Home Tote Bag
Heidi Janes models a My Old Kentucky Home tote bag sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop, December 12, 2025.
Perfect for filling with gifts or for gifting! Find this My Old Kentucky Home tote online or in the Museum Shop. It’s ships free with a $50 purchase.
Bardstown School Visits the Frazier as Part of Project-Based Learning Unit
Fifth-grade students at Dig Deep Academy explore the Frazier’s Lewis and Clark Experience, 2025.
Fifth-grade students at Dig Deep Academy present “Living Off the Land” projects, 2025.
Fifth-grade students at Dig Deep Academy present “Living Off the Land” projects, 2025.
The Frazier education team is always thrilled to be included in unique learning projects for students. When teachers from an elementary school in Bardstown reached out to let us know about their innovative unit, we were excited to plan their visit to explore the Lewis and Clark Experience exhibition and asked if they would follow up with details about the project completion after their visit. Keep reading below to discover more!—Megan Schanie, Sr. Manager of Educational Programs
Our fifth-grade students at Dig Deep Academy (a microschool located within Foster Heights Elementary School in Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky) recently completed a “Living Off the Land” innovation challenge, which was the culminating event of our first project-based learning unit. Our visit to the Frazier Kentucky History Museum was invaluable in supporting our students’ learning for this project! During our time exploring the Frazier’s Lewis and Clark Experience, the students engaged in a hands-on scavenger hunt designed to help them discover how Native American tribes historically used tools, technology, and natural resources to meet their daily needs. The scavenger hunt encouraged students to observe carefully, think critically, and ask questions about the innovative ways indigenous peoples adapted to and thrived in their environments.
Armed with this knowledge, students applied what they learned to a creative design challenge: constructing prototypes inspired by the innovations of specific tribes. Some students focused on tools for hunting or food preparation, while others designed shelters or systems for irrigation, food storage, or transportation. Their experience at the Frazier helped students make direct connections between history, science, and design thinking, fostering critical problem-solving skills and a deeper appreciation for the ingenuity of Native American cultures.
We are grateful for the engaging and informative resources the museum provides, which allowed students to explore history in an interactive, meaningful way. The Lewis and Clark Experience exhibition served not only as a window into the past but also as a springboard for student creativity and innovation. Thank you for supporting experiential learning that brings history to life for our Dig Deep learners!
Sarah Davis, Kaylen Runner, and Ally Anderson
Teachers, Dig Deep Academy, Foster Heights Elementary School
Guest Contributors
KDA, ECS, and Stave & Bean Trees Win “Most Spirited,” “Nailed It,” and “Best Company Branding” Awards
The KDA tree on display in the Lights on Main exhibition at the Frazier, December 4, 2025.
The ECS tree on display in the Lights on Main exhibition at the Frazier, December 4, 2025.
The Stave & Bean tree on display in the Lights on Main exhibition at the Frazier, December 4, 2025.
At our Lights on Main Opening Night Party, a panel of judges announced the winners in a variety of categories. We’re highlighting those winners over the course of December.
First, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association won the Most Spirited award. Their tree features charred oak staves, barrel hoops, and Bourbon bottles.
Next, Engineering Consulting Services won the Nailed It award, given to a construction business. Their tree features a sprawling diorama, with toy diggers, cranes, steamrollers, and other equipment.
Last, Stave & Bean nabbed the Best Company Branding award. Their tree is decorated with bags of coffee beans (whole bean or ground?), espresso-brown baubles, and other coffee-themed décor.
Congratulations to all three winners!
And don’t forget: there’s a Fan Favorite tree award—so you can click here to vote for your favorite tree! A $1 donation counts as one vote, $2 counts as two votes, etc. The tree with the most votes wins the award for Fan Favorite! The winner will be announced January 4.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
WHAS-TV Airs Story on Former NFL Team the Louisville Brecks
The Louisville Brecks football team, 1919. Provided by Mary Pat Sexton.
We love it when our Frazier members share history with us. In a recent Frazier Weekly issue, Mary Pat Sexton wrote about the Louisville Brecks, an NFL team back in the 1920s. Her grandfather, Austin Higgins, was a player, captain, and coach for the Brecks.
I hadn’t heard of the Brecks, and neither had a lot of other folks who were fascinated by this slice of Louisville football history.
It also got the attention of my friend and former colleague, Doug Proffitt at WHAS-TV, who loves history as much as we do.
He called up Mary Pat to be part of a story for WHAS-TV on the Louisville Brecks and then added some other legendary names to make it magical! Please take the time to watch Doug’s story. It is worth every second!
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Bridging the Divide
Keeping History Alive at the Hotel Metropolitan in Paducah
Quilt titled Hotel Metropolitan made by Joe Mallard.
Betty Dobson portrays Miss Maggie in the one-woman show Miss Maggie’s Memories, 2025. Credit: Kentucky Foundation for Women.
You know my love of Joe Mallard, the fiber artist who wowed us with his Obama tie quilt and every other quilt he has created.
His most recently created quilt has now found a home in the Hotel Metropolitan in Paducah.
Joe’s quilt tells the history of the hotel that housed guests like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzerald, B.B. King, and Ike and Tina Turner, not to mention Negro League baseball stars like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.
Hotel Metropolitan was one of the Green Book hotels, part of a guidebook for Black entertainers traveling during the Jim Crow South.
Joe’s quilt is reflective of that history and tells me the white background represents the dominant race during that era. The black letters represent the people who experienced segregation. The hearts represent the determination of the Black race to overcome that inhumane system. Joe, by the way, grew up in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era.
Betty Dobson has been part of the hotel since 2000, but she didn’t know of its important history. Now she has a one-woman show to help teach people about it titled Miss Maggie’s Memories. Maggie Steed was an African American woman who owned and operated Hotel Metropolitan from 1909 to 1925.
Betty tells me she is now the keeper of that history, and storytellers, like herself, are the best way to share that information.
Hotel Metropolitan is mostly a museum and a gathering place for small parties. Yes, the occasional guest may stay there, but it’s not advertised as a hotel.
There is good financial news for the Hotel Metropolitan, a recent grant of more than $1 million, as well as city money, is helping to secure its future and its place in history.
Betty says it’s her job to make sure Hotel Metropolitan is around for another 100 years.
If you’d like to visit, Betty asked me to share this phone number: It’s (270) 443-7918.
Thanks Betty and Joe for keeping this history alive.
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
History All Around Us
On the Trail with Abby: Hartfield & Co. Distillery in Paris
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 Kentucky History Museum, the Official Starting Point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®.
Interior of Hartfield & Co. Distillery in Paris, Bourbon County, Kentucky.
When the Prohibition Act went into effect in 1919, there were twenty-six distilleries operating in the namesake Bourbon County, Kentucky. Today, Hartfield & Co. carries the distinction of being the first Bourbon distilled in Bourbon County since Prohibition. Until 2014, no Bourbon had been distilled in Bourbon County for ninety-five years!
Located in historic downtown Paris, Kentucky, Hartfield & Co. feels purposefully small and hands-on, with grains sourced within a fifty-mile radius of the distillery. They offer a thoughtful lineup—Bourbon, rye, rum, and a rotating selection of experimental releases! Try the Family Reserve 9-Year, which took 2025 Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and Double Platinum at the 2025 ASCOT awards. If one tasting isn’t enough, you can even pick your own barrel! What could be better than Bourbon from Bourbon County?
Abby Flanders
Administrative Chief of Engagement
