It’s hard fIt’s hard for me to believe but my personal back-to-school days have pretty much come to a close. Our older daughter graduated from WKU in the spring and is off into the workforce. And our younger one is entering her junior year at U of L. So, my days of meet-the-teacher nights, tracking down the perfect lunch box, and making sure sports physicals are up to date have come and gone. But, with so many heading back to school this week, kudos to all of you out there making sure your kiddos are prepared. It’s not always an easy feat, but here’s to hoping it leads to a terrific year making memories with friends and learning new things.

However, I still get to enjoy some back-to-school prep “museum style” this time of year. After wrapping up a full summer running professional development sessions for teachers, premiering our new podcast Kentucky Wide, and hosting summer campers and Cultural Pass families, we now shift gears into school year programming. Field trip bookings have been coming in for months, our Back to School: Kentucky History Homeschool Day is coming up August 22, and a family day hosted in collaboration with La Casita Center will take place September 13. Plus, plans are in the works for offerings that reflect on America’s 250th birthday.

You can learn more about our full menu of educational programming by exploring the 2025–26 School Programs Guide. Better yet, the education team is always here to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to reach out at education@fraziermuseum.org.

In today’s Frazier Weekly issue, read about the first desegregation of a public school in Kentucky, learn more about the Frazier’s collaboration with Trolley de ’Ville, and discover a slew of fun Frazier events coming up soon—including a Free Family Day with La Casita Center on September 13!

This Week in the Museum

Museum Shop: The Meatshower

Looking for the perfect quirky read to kick off the school year? The Meatshower by Frazier History Museum educator (and musician) Mick Sullivan tells the true tale of one very strange day in 1876 when chunks of meat rained from the sky over Bath County, Kentucky. One lone specimen still survives—preserved in a jar. Part history, part hilarity, this book is sure to be the weirdest and meatiest thing you read all semester. Find it in the Frazier’s Museum Shop and online.

Highlights of 120: Wayne County: First Desegregated School

As we prepare for a new school year, it’s a good time to reflect on a major milestone in the history of the Kentucky’s education system: the desegregation of the state’s public schools. Did you know the first school in Kentucky to be desegregated was in Wayne County? It happened seventy years ago, in July 1955. Learn more in the following story, one of hundreds of stories featured in our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

In July 1955, Griffin School in the southeast part of Wayne County, Kentucky, was the first public school to be desegregated in the state. Prior to this, Clark Stonewall’s children had been homeschooled. He refused to send his children to Travis Elementary School for Colored Children twenty miles away from their home. He asked the superintendent of schools, Ira Bell, if his children could attend Griffin School. Bell granted his request. The six Stonewall children joined a class of thirty-five white children. The school received nationwide media attention. The one-room school was heated with a coal stove and was in disrepair. The sudden attention to the school led to several donations for much-needed desks and a new door. Clark Stonewall’s decision to send his children to a previously all-white school paved the way for integration in Kentucky.

From the Collections: St. Joseph’s Picnic Fan, 1948

This week from the collection we look at a personal favorite type of object: the advertising hand fan! Using fans as advertisements became popular in the late nineteenth century; however, it is the twentieth century that really sees fans as a great tool to advertise and promote business. Advertisement fans could be colored or black and white and generally made of paper. In the early decades of the twentieth century, they were often very colorful and stylized. But by the 1940s, these fans were generally simply made of stiff board with black and white print. The event or reason to need the fan is always front and center and printed in red.

Today’s fan is from St. Joseph’s Children’s Home Picnic.

Beginning in 1850, St. Joseph’s annual picnic has become a standard for the community to help children in need. Once used to raise funds for children who had lost parents to diseases, it now helps children in the foster care system. Now in its 175th year, St. Joseph’s picnic will be held this Saturday, August 9.

In honor of this year’s picnic, we thought we would show this fan. It was made for St. Joseph’s Picnic in its ninety-ninth year of 1948. Look at the advertisements. Are there any businesses you recognize? How many are still in business?

Frazier’s Speakeasy Returns to Merkley Kendrick Rooftop Garden!

Check the calendar, folks: Today, we are exactly one month out from our annual Michter’s Speakeasy at the Frazier—and this year we’re mixing things up a bit.

Yes, of course, we’ll have premium Michter’s Bourbons and ryes for the tasting, exclusive bottles for selling and signing, and cocktails for the drinking. It’s all in support of this year’s Great Gatsby–themed Speakeasy.

This year, we’re hosting those tastings and welcome cocktails in the Merkley Kendrick Rooftop Garden for the first time since 2018.

Plus, we’re bringing back the Prohibition-era mugshot photo op for all of the spiffy dappers and dames who show up in their favorite glad rags.

And finally, for all of you steppin’ out each year to bust a move, we’re bringing the Roaring Twenties whoopee with dance lessons from Bravo Dance Studio and live music from the Gatsby Gang Jazz Band.

Get your tickets here, folks. Live a little—come have a taste!

Save the Date for September 13 Free Family Day with La Casita Center!

¡Me gustaría darle información sobre la inauguración de una nueva exposición en septiembre para celebrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana! Nos asociamos con el Centro La Casita para presentar una nueva versión de su exposición de arte Aflora, con dieciocho artistas latinx.

I am so excited to announce a new exhibition opening in September to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! We are partnering with the La Casita Center to present a brand new version of their art exhibition Aflora featuring eighteen Latinx artists!

Though Aflora has previously been on display at the Speed Art Museum and the Muhammad Ali Center, curator Ada Asenjo has been working hard to ensure that this iteration features exciting new artists and new artworks. So, if you have seen Aflora before, you will have to come see it again to experience all the new and incredible artworks made by Latinx artists in our community.

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, we are collaborating with La Casita Center to plan a free family day on September 13. Save the date for food, dancing, crafts, artist talks, and more!

¡Tenemos muchas ganas para celebrar con ustedes y la comunidad latinx!

We can’t wait to celebrate with you and our Latinx community!

Enter to Win: Webley & Scott Shotgun Raffle

As part of this year’s Frazier Classic Sporting Clay Tournament, we’re excited to offer a limited raffle opportunity to win a Webley & Scott 920BC Shotgun, valued at $3,500!

Crafted by England’s oldest gun manufacturer, this two-barrel combo shotgun includes:

· One steel action with 20g and 28g barrels, each with its own forend
· A Grade 2.5 Turkish walnut stock
· Multi-choke system and fitted maker’s case
· Plus: original case, gun sleeve, ammo bag, and shell pouch

The raffle drawing will take place Friday, September 26, 2025, at 3 p.m., at the Frazier History Museum. (You do not need to be present to win.)

Enter the Raffle!

Raffle Rules & Regulations

· Only 200 tickets available at $50 each—unlimited purchases per individual
· Must be 18 or older to purchase
· Winner must pick up the shotgun within 30 days and pass a background check in compliance with all state and federal firearm laws
· Prize is non-transferable and not redeemable for cash
· If the winner is ineligible, the prize will be forfeited

By entering, you’re not just taking a shot at a world-class firearm—you’re investing in education and preserving history. Proceeds from this raffle directly support the Frazier History Museum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to sharing Kentucky’s stories through exhibitions, education, and community programs.

You can enter the raffle on our website.

Thank you for supporting the Frazier—and good luck!

With gratitude,

Trolley de ’Ville Tours now Depart from the Frazier History Museum

All aboard! Starting this summer, Trolley de ’Ville city tours now depart from the Frazier History Museum. In fact, when you enter the Cube—the glass vestibule between the museum’s Main Street entrance and the admissions desk—you’ll notice that Trolley ’de Ville has a brick-and-mortar office inside! Walk-up sales are made on a first come, first served basis, so they recommend booking trolley tours online. We’ve asked owner Adam Skiles to discuss this iconic trolley service and how it came to be based here at the Frazier!—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

Trolley de ’Ville is rocking and rolling since pulling up our trolleys to the front side of the Frazier History Museum on June 4, 2025.

Trolley de ’Ville was in search of a new home, and we couldn’t be more excited to expand into the future alongside the state’s largest history museum and the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. Our guests have been amazed with the new starting and end point of our Daily City Trolley Tours. They currently have access to shelter, a beautiful entry, and diverse gift shop.

The staff at the Frazier History Museum has been the best part of our move thus far. Andy Treinen and the rest of the Frazier’s staff members—all the way to their behind-the-scenes personnel including the cleaning and maintenance staff—have gone above and beyond in every step needed to make our transition as smooth as possible.

Trolley de ’Ville is a female veteran-owned business run by my wife Jennifer Skiles and I, running the on-site operations and developing tours and experiences. We currently have three trolleys in our fleet.

Trolley de ’Ville currently offers a one-and-a-half-hour narrated tour to its guests that includes a fifteen-minute pit stop at the Kentucky Derby Museum located at Churchill Downs. The tour is filled with history, architecture, and many sites, both the popular and lesser-known areas of our city. Tours can be researched and booked on our easy-to-use website. Tours are offered seven days a week during peak months of tourism in Louisville.

We also provide seasonal experiences like the popular Boo Lou Tour in the fall that brings a little fright to the guests starting in early September and running through the end of October.

Tours can also be booked in our new permanent location just across the hall from the Frazier History Museum’s inside entrance. Tours booked online are guaranteed once booked. Walk-up sales without a reservation are first come, first serve—depending on availability.

Pricing is all-inclusive (taxes and fees included), so the price you see is the price you get, whether booking online or in person.

· Adults: $30
· Senior (65 & over): $25
· Military, Veterans, First-Responders: $25
· Children (Ages 3–10): $20

Anyone purchasing a tour ticket with us gets an exclusive discount to the Frazier History Museum of $4. We will also honor the same discount on return.

There are a lot more experiences in the near future, so stay tuned.

On the Trail with Abby: Angel’s Envy in Downtown Louisville

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®.

From left, Kyle, Lincoln, and Wes Henderson at Angel’s Envy in downtown Louisville. Credit: Angel’s Envy.

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) officially launched the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® in 1999 with seven distilleries on board. Today, the trail consists of nearly sixty destinations. For the past fourteen weeks, we’ve traversed the state of Kentucky from north to south and east to west, digitally touring and discovering all the newest stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. On the next leg of our journey, we’ll take things from A to Z—or rather, Angel’s Envy to Woodford Reserve!

There’s something heavenly about Bourbon and Angel’s Envy knows it. Nestled in a beautifully restored brick building on Whiskey Row in Downtown Louisville, this distillery is where tradition meets innovation in the best possible way.

Angel’s Envy is the brainchild of Lincoln Henderson, a Bourbon legend best known for his work developing brands like Woodford Reserve and Gentleman Jack. After decades in the industry, Lincoln could’ve retired quietly. Instead, he teamed up with his son Wes Henderson to create something totally unique: a Bourbon finished in port wine barrels. At the time, it was a bold, eyebrow-raising move in the industry. But today? Bourbons with a secondary finish are a hot commodity.

The name itself is a playful nod to the concept of the “angel’s share,” the portion of Bourbon that evaporates during aging. What’s left behind in the barrel? That’s what the angels envy.

In 2016, the distillery opened to the public, becoming the first full-production whiskey distillery in the heart of downtown Louisville since Prohibition. Tours here are thoughtfully designed. You’ll learn about fermentation, distillation, barrel finishing, and, yes, you’ll get to taste the goods. Just don’t leave without swinging by the gift shop. You can engrave your own bottle as a custom souvenir or pick up some sleek branded gear.

If you’re in Louisville, Angel’s Envy is a must-stop on the Bourbon Trail®.

Keep on Trailing on!

Bridging the Divide

Last Call for Nurse Lucy Nichols: Unsung Civil War Hero with Author Eileen Yanoviak

Here is your last reminder to join us for a special presentation this Sunday by Dr. Eileen Yanoviak on a Civil War nurse who achieved notoriety and national celebrity. Lucy Higgs Nichols later settled in New Albany, Indiana, where she is buried in West Haven Cemetery.

Dr. Yanoviak will discuss the book she recently wrote about Nichols and why she felt so compelled to tell this story. Yanoviak will field any questions you have and sign copies of her book that will be available for sale that day.

We are partnering with the Louisville Historical League and hope you’ll join us at 2 p.m. in the Brown-Forman Theatre at the Frazier History Museum. The program is free with the cost of the admission. You can click here to reserve your spot.

2025–26 School Programs Guide, 1948 St. Joe’s Picnic Fan, Free Family Day with La Casita Center, and More

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