Frazier250 Program, Revolutionary Threads Exhibit Opening, Find the Frazier Ticket Giveaway, and More
Get ready to learn about some of the men, women, and children who fought in the Revolutionary War. You’ll be in a room with many of their descendants for a special program on Sunday, August 16, at 1 p.m.
That program is being held in conjunction with Revolutionary Threads, the Frazier’s newest exhibit commemorating America250. The exhibit features uniforms of Patriot-Soldier Ancestors of Members of the Transylvania Chapter NSDAR, Lexington, Kentucky. Our special guests helped create the exhibit and will talk about the uniforms and clothing worn during that time and introduce you to some of the people who wore them.
That same program will also feature the military service of two people featured in our I Too Am a Kentuckian exhibition, Brigadier General Rob Givens and Colonel Amy McGrath. They’ll discuss their service and how Kentucky helped shape them.
The cost of the program is free with admission to the museum, but RSVPs are required, so click here to make sure you have a seat for what will be an informative yet personal program on service and sacrifice.
Also, a reminder that another America250 program is set for August 13 at the Frazier that celebrates the rich traditions of history, bluegrass music, and Bourbon. You’ll be entertained by special guests Bernie Lubbers and bluegrass legend Steve Cooley as you’re treated to curated pours from some very special barrel select Bourbons. Click here to purchase tickets to that program and get ready for some toe-tapping fun as you learn.
More programs to come as we celebrate America250 so stay tuned!
And coming up in this edition of Frazier Weekly, Find the Frazier is off and running with your chance to win free tickets to visit, our Beer Fest special ends at midnight, why you need to know what NARM stands for this summer, and Harland and Claudia Sanders memorabilia up for auction!
Rachel Platt
VP of Mission
Frazier Kentucky History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Frazier Launches “Find the Frazier” 100-Ticket Giveaway!
The Frazier is giving away 100 museum admission tickets this summer. How? By hiding them around the city.
We’ll post five reveal videos each week, until 100 tickets have been given away. The first reveal video, filmed in Waverly, was posted July 15 on the Frazier’s Facebook and Instagram. Since then, we’ve posted reveals from Anchorage, Portland, Plainview, and Butchertown.
This is our gift to Louisville!
“With gas prices, groceries, and the cost of dining out as expensive as ever this summer, the Frazier is looking for ways to offer a little relief,” Frazier President Andy Treinen said. “So why not have a little fun with Louisville staycations, allowing a bunch of people to find the Frazier who might not have otherwise?”
To find tickets, it’s simple:
First, wait until the Frazier posts a reveal on Facebook or Instagram. It’ll be a 10-second video in which we stash a white envelope somewhere sneaky in Louisville—buried in a planter, taped under a park bench . . . you get the idea.
Second, go to that spot! Hurry!
Third, once you’ve got the voucher in hand, tag us @frazierhistorymuseum in a selfie with it. We’ll comment “FOUND” on the post to call off the other prize hunters.
That’s it.
We’ve got 100 tickets to give away, so we’ll be hiding envelopes and posting reveals throughout July and August.
If you’re serious, enable notifications. That way you’ll get an alert every time we post.
Happy finding!
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Curator’s Corner: American Revolution Miniatures in Revolutionary Threads
American Revolution figures, made by LeMan’s in the 1990s, on display on the second floor.
Our next exhibition that celebrates America’s 250th anniversary opens in less than a month. It is called Revolutionary Threads, and it was developed by the Transylvania Chapter NSDAR. This exhibition tells the story of the ancestors of Kentuckians who fought in the Revolutionary War through replica clothing, flags, firearms, and more. It gives us a glimpse into the everyday lives of the folks who lived during the era of the War for Independence.
Of course, we wanted to put a little Frazier spin on it, so on display in the exhibition will be a set of toy soldiers that depicts a battle from the Revolutionary War. It is made of cast resin and was produced by LeMan’s in the 1990s. In includes everything that you expect to see in a depiction on the Revolutionary War, from Red Coats to George Washington. This set has been on display in the second-floor hallway for many years and now will have its moment to shine in Revolutionary Threads.
We invite you to come see the exhibition when it opens in August, as we continue our celebration of America’s semiquincentennial!
Amanda Briede
Sr. Curator of Exhibitions
Highlights of 120: Bourbon County: James Garrard
Map of Kentucky with Bourbon County featured.
Portrait of Kentucky Governor James Garrard, 1818. Source: William Henry Perrin.
In 2026, as we celebrate America250, we’re adding dozens of America250-themed entries to our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit. These stories generally pertain to figures from the American Revolution and the early days of Kentucky. Learn more about Kentucky’s second governor, James Garrard, and other figures in our 120 exhibit.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
Born on January 14, 1749, James Garrard served in the Virginia militia during the Revolutionary War. In 1783, he moved to Kentucky, where he settled land, made a grist mill, produced whiskey, and farmed in what is now Bourbon County. He also served the county as a surveyor, magistrate, and colonel of the militia. Garrard was an avid Baptist organizer, eventually organizing the Cooper’s Run Baptist Church. He denounced slavery, and both white and Black people participated in worship at the church. Most notably, he became Kentucky’s second governor in 1796, serving two consecutive terms. Because of laws passed in 1799, he was the only Kentucky governor who served two consecutive terms until 200 years later, when laws on term limits were eased.
Cool Kentucky Shop: George Washington’s Rules of Civility
At age fourteen, George Washington carefully copied 110 “rules of civility” into his school notebook—an exercise widely believed to have shaped the character of America’s first president. Rule number eighty-nine reads: “Speak not evil of the absent.” Translation: Don’t gossip. Four centuries later, the advice still holds up. Pick up your copy of George Washington’s Rules of Civility at the Frazier’s Cool Kentucky Shop and see why.
Buy-3-Get-1 Deal on Beer Fest Tickets Ends at Midnight—and We Still Need Volunteers!
Beer Fests are better with friends! Today is your last chance to buy three tickets and get one free for $150. That’s four general admission Beer Fest tickets for the price of three! So grab a few friends and get your tickets before this special ends at midnight.
And, of course, the Frazier Summer Beer Fest couldn’t happen without our amazing volunteers! We still need more helping hands to pour samples, so if you are interested and available, please fill out our volunteer form or contact me at hharlow@fraziermuseum.org.
Cheers!
Hayley Harlow
Sr. Manager of Fundraising
Maximize your Summer Vacation with a NARM Membership!
Map of NARM museums in and near Kentucky.
Summer is not quite over yet! Whether you’re planning a summer trip or exploring fun close to home, becoming a Family Contributor member at the Frazier includes a NARM (North American Reciprocal Museums) membership—giving you free reciprocal admission to more than 1,000 museums and organizations across North America.
In and around Kentucky alone, your Family Contributor membership provides free admission to thirty-two museums and organizations. And here at the Frazier, you’ll receive free admission for two adults and any children/grandchildren, free parking, a Cool Kentucky Shop discount, and more!
Get the most out of your summer with a membership at the Frazier!
Gwendolyn Gray
Membership Coordinator
Christmas in July? Decorate a Tree at 2026 Lights on Main
Houchens Insurance Group tree on display in last year’s Lights on Main exhibition, December 4, 2025. Credit: Marty King.
This is my annual Christmas in July invitation to companies and corporations in the Kentuckiana area to become an active sponsor of the Lights on Main holiday exhibition that runs from December 3, 2026, through January 3, 2027.
This is your company’s chance to sponsor a Christmas tree and decorate it in a traditional fashion or in the colors and branding of your company. The Frazier Museum transforms three floors of museum space into a magical holiday wonderland with over ninety trees decorated by local schools, organizations, companies, and individuals. The Frazier will once again partner with I Would Rather Be Reading. Lights on Main has quickly become a Louisville holiday tradition that also serves as a fantastic way to get exposure to the company or group for a four-week period during the holiday season. Don’t miss out on your company’s chance to participate this year. In addition to getting wonderful exposure to the 4,000 folks who visit the Frazier Museum during this time, all sponsorships are 100% tax deductible and support the Frazier Museum’s goal of lifelong learning and I Would Rather Be Reading’s afterschool programs.
For more information regarding this holiday tradition and how your company can participate, please contact me at syates@fraziermuseum.org or (502) 753-5666. I look forward to welcoming back on past sponsors and adding several new ones.
Come be a part of Lights on Main and showcase your company’s holiday spirit in 2026.
Stephen Yates
Community & Corporate Sales Manager
History All Around Us
A Kentucky Legacy Comes to Auction
Colonel Harland Sanders and Claudia Sanders.
Exterior of Colonel Sanders Dinner House and Blackwood Hall in Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky.
Colonel Sanders bow tie.
Colonel Harland Sanders is part of our culture, so it’s no surprise that he is represented in our Cool Kentucky exhibition on the first floor of the Frazier. Selfies are taken with a likeness of him on a daily basis. So, expect big crowds as memorabilia of the Colonel and his wife Claudia is auctioned off on Tuesday, July 28. Items include everything from handwritten recipes to an engraved pressure cooker. Keep reading to learn more details from the folks involved in the auction and how you can take part!—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission
For more than fifty years, one Kentucky family has quietly preserved an extraordinary chapter of Colonel Harland Sanders’ life. On July 28, nearly 100 personal artifacts connected to Colonel Sanders, Claudia Sanders, Blackwood Hall, and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House will be offered at public auction for the first time.
The collection was not assembled by a memorabilia dealer or gathered piece by piece. It remained with the Settle family after Tommy and Cherry Settle purchased Blackwood Hall and the Claudia Sanders Dinner House directly from Colonel and Claudia Sanders in 1974. That direct chain of ownership gives the collection unusual historical value and helps preserve the story of the Sanderses’ home, business, and influence on Kentucky culture.
The auction includes Colonel Sanders’ handwritten recipes and cooking notes, personal clothing, photographs, business records, White House correspondence, Masonic items, furnishings from Blackwood Hall, and his engraved pressure cooker. Among the most significant pieces is his personal working planner, filled with appointments, observations, and handwritten notes from his daily life.
The public will have several ways to experience the auction. A free public preview will be held Monday, July 27, from noon to 6 p.m., at the Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville. The live auction begins Tuesday, July 28, at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 4 p.m. In-person attendance is limited to qualified registered bidders and approved guests, but registered participants may watch and bid online from anywhere.
The historic property is also being offered separately through a sealed-bid process. That offering includes the Claudia Sanders Dinner House, Blackwood Hall, the operating restaurant business, furnishings, equipment, intellectual property, and related assets. Sealed bids are due July 31.
And no, the restaurant is not closing during the sale process. It remains open and operating, with dining service, reservations, and scheduled events continuing as usual.
This auction is more than a sale of recognizable objects. It is a rare opportunity for the public to see, study, and potentially own pieces of a Kentucky story that became known around the world.
Auction details, the catalog, and registration are available at ClaudiaSandersAuction.com.
Morgan Hancock Lewis
Real Estate Broker
Guest Contributor
