Oh, September!

Football is back, Bourbon tourism is in full swing, and the Frazier is stacking new programs like pancakes. Today, we’re rolling out our Top 10 Kentuckians event, an interactive program where everyone in attendance will have the chance to weigh in. Who would be on your Mt. Rushmore of the coolest Kentuckians?

If you love history and you know Kentucky, this October 21 program is one you cannot miss. We’re asking you and our panel of experts to break down the top 10 Kentuckians in the categories of sports, music, literature, law, and history.

Oh, and about those experts, we’ve lined up some of the Commonwealth’s finest to lead the conversation. Thanks to WDRB sports journalist Eric Crawford, ear X-tacy founder and WFPK host John Timmons, best-selling author Kim Michele Richardson, historian Tom Owen, and Judge Denise Clayton—all of whom agreed to educate, inspire, and engage with our Top 10 Kentuckians audience.

We’ll encourage the audience to place some of their suggestions on the new Changemakers wall in our I Too Am a Kentuckian exhibition. All the names matter!

We have also announced the date for what is always one of the best Bourbon parties of the year. This year’s Speakeasy is a Michter’s Spookeasy, scheduled for three days before Halloween! Join us Thursday, October 29. This Halloween-themed hotsy-totsy could inspire the most creative best-dressed contest ever!

In today’s Frazier Weekly issue, Casey Harden and Nick Cook highlight the Changemakers wall in I Too, Rachel Platt previews tomorrow’s program on the Blackburns, and 120 on the Road heads to three more counties this week. Plus, Abby Stanton offers a primer on Bourbon Heritage Month activities.

I hope you enjoy!

This Week in the Museum

Frazier Adds Changemakers Wall to I Too Am a Kentuckian

Phyllis Knight, Stephanie Sturgeon, and Elliot Feltner: these are just a couple of the names that have been added to the Kentucky Changemakers section of I Too Am a Kentuckian. Some names you recognize, and others are people doing good in their community.

There is only so much room in a gallery, but Kentucky has citizens across the commonwealth working to better Kentucky. That’s where you come in! This section was designed to give our visitors the opportunity to add those who’ve had an impact in Kentucky and beyond. These Kentuckians are significant to our communities because they volunteer, share their histories, provide a voice for the people, or model a positive figure. Their impact can’t be measured, but they can be added to this exhibition.

At its core, the Frazier’s I Too Am a Kentuckian exhibition is about civic duty and helping your neighbor. You hear the voices of not only politicians, but artists, teachers, and everyday people who have one thing in common: They are all Kentuckians.

The Kentucky Changemakers section is both a reflection and an inspiration to see names from different backgrounds doing good for their neighbors and communities.

When you visit I Too Am a Kentuckian, please stop by the Changemakers wall at the end of the exhibition and add someone who you feel is positively impacting our state and beyond!

Casey Harden and Nick Cook
Exhibits Team

Frazier and Roots 101 to Talk Blackburns on WDRB this Morning

If you’re up watching TV this morning, be sure to tune into WDRB around 9:45 a.m. It’s a special invitation to our program tomorrow night, Louisville to Liberty: The Blackburns’ Journey. I’ll be joined by Lamont Collins from Roots 101. It’s an amazing story of courage that began with a daring escape by Thornton and Lucie Blackburn from Louisville in 1831. They eventually found freedom in Canada with their story uncovered in 1985 in Toronto after an archaeological dig. The author and archaeologist who led that dig, Dr. Karolyn Smardz Frost, is part of our special program tomorrow. Some of the artifacts found in Canada are now on display at the Frazier. Tune in to learn more on WDRB Mornings. Click here for your ticket to our program.

Re-collections: Teacup and Pipe Sherds from Blackburn Site, 1800s

Archaeology rarely gives us all the answers. Instead, it gives us pieces. From those pieces, we can build a picture of the people who came before us. And it doesn’t take much to tell the story. Sometimes just a sherd* will do.

In our exhibit Louisville to Liberty: The Blackburns’ Journey, we have only small fragments of Lucie and Thornton’s physical existence. Two of these pieces, a sherd of a teacup and one of a pipe, help illustrate the day-to-day life of this couple. They took time to rest, sip tea, and pause for a contemplative smoke break. Yet the amazing, brave, treacherous, and influential life they lived makes these ordinary objects extraordinary. We cling to these scraps to learn, honor, and never forget their story and impact on the United States and Canada.

Not everyone’s sherds or shards are destined for display in a museum. It is the Blackburns’ exceptional quest for freedom that makes these remnants sing with meaning and significance. They help us envision their larger-than-life story and relate them to ourselves through everyday items. If they are like us in some respects, perhaps we can strive to be like them in others: courageous, affecting, daring, and amazing.

Common items can reflect who we are or what we aspire to be and can acquire meaning through use and time. They may reveal our values, how we spend our time, and the people and traditions that matter to us. One day, they could become clues for someone trying to understand how we lived.

What relic would tell future generations about you? Would it be your favorite coffee mug (or Yeti), worn from years of use? Perhaps a well-loved book filled with marginalia, a gardening tool, a handwritten recipe, a beloved pet’s collar and tags, a hard-earned blue ribbon?

I think of someone finding my grandmother’s jewelry box, which I have stuffed with concert ticket stubs. Not only will they get a sense of my music tastes, my sentimental nature, and my love of pretty boxes, but also marvel that, one time, I paid only $18 to see Bruce Springsteen.

*A sherd is a broken piece of pottery, especially one found at an archaeological site.

Frazier’s 120 on the Road Heads to Hardin, Menifee, and Nelson Counties this Week

Come find us as we hit the road visiting all 120 counties in our Commonwealth. Our next three stops this week are in partnership with Louisville Orchestra’s In Harmony tour:

· Hardin County Public Library. Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky. Thursday, September 17. 2–4:30 p.m. (Eastern).

· Freeman Lake Park Bandstand. Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky. Thursday, September 17. Frazier activation, 6–8 p.m. (Eastern). Orchestra performance, 7:30–9:30 p.m. Frazier activation resumes after performance.

· Menifee Central School. Frenchburg, Menifee County, Kentucky. Friday, September 18. Frazier activation, 6:30–8 p.m. (Eastern). Orchestra performance, 7:30–9:30 p.m. Frazier activation resumes after performance.

· Stephen Foster Story Amphitheatre. Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky. Saturday, September 19. Frazier activation, 6–8 p.m. (Eastern). Orchestra performance, 7:30–9:30 p.m. Frazier activation resumes after performance.

Look for our 120: Cool KY Counties on the Road exhibit as we share stories and songs from each county and listen to your stories, too! Come say hi to 120 on the Road managers Jason and Megan.

New Kentucky Wide Episode Spotlights Sibby Blackburn

We’ve been looking forward to a visit from author and archaeologist Karolyn Smardz Frost, so the newest episode of our Kentucky Wide podcast is dedicated to the Blackburn story. However, rather than Thornton and Lucie, Amanda Briede wrote about Thornton’s mother Sibby. We’re sure you’ll be amazed listening to her story—and if you want to dive into Thornton and Lucie’s story, our Kentucky History Society Prize–winning production The Journey is a great way to do it!

Bernie Lubbers’s Bourbon Through Bluegrass has Resumed for the Fall!

There’s an exciting new Bourbon tasting being hosted at the Frazier Kentucky History Museum called Bourbon Through Bluegrass. It brings the history and stories of the evolution of Bourbon alive by pairing those stories with not only appropriate whiskeys, but with live bluegrass music!‍

Led by Bourbon industry veteran Bernie Lubbers, a.k.a. the Whiskey Professor, and bluegrass music legend Steve Cooley, this live musical experience brings Kentucky’s native spirit to life—literally. As the stories of Bourbon’s past unfold, they are paired with the appropriate Kentucky whiskeys that pair with that history, and then they are further paired with live renditions of the music that shaped a culture.‍

Kentucky musicians are highlighted through the songs of Grandpa Jones, String Bean, Arnold Shultz, Merle Travis, and Bill Monroe. Audiences will hear about their influence on the worldwide music scene kept alive today by artists like Alison Krauss and Billy Strings.‍

People hear it, taste it, and feel it. Live music being played on legendary instruments, paired with historic spirits. It’s not just a tasting—it’s a multi-sensory celebration of Kentucky’s roots. Only in Kentucky. Only in Louisville. Only at the Frazier!

The Bourbon Through Bluegrass experience happens every Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Frazier’s Speakeasy, September 3–October 1, and October 22. Book your experience today!

Some Fun Ways to Celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month

With the end of summer comes Bourbon Heritage Month! Even halfway through September, there is plenty to sip and see around Kentucky. Check out the featured Bourbon events below. From festivals to cemetery and ghost tours, there’s bound to be something for every Bourbon lover.‍

· Gospel of Grain Bourbon Fest at the Last Refuge. September 17. 6 p.m. This fest at the beautiful, renovated church brings together more than twenty-four distilleries, each pouring rare and limited-release selections. Your ticket includes Bourbon tastings from every participating distillery, paired with hors d’oeuvres.‍

· Evan Williams Bourbon Nation Tailgate Party. September 18. 11 a.m.–4 p.m. (FREE!; registration is encouraged.) Right on Main Street outside of the Evan Williams distillery, this free event features tastings, food trucks, tailgate games, photo ops, and more!

· Bourbon, Boots & Blues Festival at the Shelby County Fairground. September 18. 9 a.m.–Midnight. Nappy Roots headlines the annual festival as part of the Mid-Southern Hoedown.‍

· Bourbon Barons of Cave Hill Golf Cart Tour. September 26. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. All proceeds go directly to the continued beautification and preservation of the world-renowned cemetery.‍

· Bourbon & Beyond at the Kentucky Expo Center. September 24–27. Don’t miss your chance to see Chris Stapleton, Dave Matthews Band, Foo Fighters, Kacey Musgraves, and more!‍

· Phantoms of Prohibition: Cocktail & Ghost Tour of Whiskey Row. Tuesdays–Fridays. One-and-a-half miles. Four cocktail stops. Many hidden stories!‍

How will you celebrate?

Cool Kentucky Shop: Kentucky Bird Notecards

One of our favorite products in the Cool Kentucky Shop are the notecards, illustrated by Kentucky artist Anne Proffitt, that feature Kentucky birds and flowers.

There’s something extra special about receiving a handwritten note—and even better when it arrives on one of these bright, beautiful cards. They’re so lovely, you might be tempted to frame them instead of mailing them!

You can find Anne’s notecards (and soon, a custom shirt featuring her work) in the Cool Kentucky Shop.

Anne is a passionate lover of wildlife. Because of her, I learned something that completely fascinated me: Birds migrate using celestial navigation.

Once I learned that, I made a personal pledge to do my part—and became part of Lights out Louisville by keeping my home dark(er) during the months when birds are migrating. The Frazier is now participating as well.

It’s a small thing, but small things matter.

Keep reading to learn more from Anne on how these small things add up to a much larger picture of protecting our birds.

Mindy Johnson
VP of Operation

Lights out Louisville: Helping Kentucky’s Migrating Birds Find Their Way

Anne Proffitt is not only a Kentucky bird and wildflower artist—she’s also a volunteer naturalist at Bernheim Forest and a board member for the Louisville Audubon Society. What’s more, she is a Dark Sky Kentucky advocate. We’ve asked her to tell Frazier Weekly readers how to help protect birds during their migration season by turning out lights.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

More than 70% of North American bird species are migratory, and 80% of them migrate at night to get to their wintering grounds in the fall or their breeding grounds in the spring. That means billions of birds are flying over our heads while we sleep—isn’t that amazing!

Louisville sits along a major migratory flyway, making our region an important part of these incredible journeys. Here, peak fall migration occurs primarily in September and October, while spring migration numbers peak for us in April and May.

You can see these numbers firsthand through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Birdcast project, which uses Doppler weather radar data to track and predict bird migration numbers. After sunset, visit the live Migration Dashboard and enter your county’s name. You’ll see how many birds are flying overhead at that moment and their flight direction, speed and altitude, and watch the data update every 10 minutes. You can even learn the species likely to be migrating and what they look and sound like.

All migrating birds encounter many challenges during their journeys, and one of the most serious threats to their survival is too much artificial light at night.

Light pollution blots out the night sky, which interferes with birds’ ability to use a key navigational marker—the position of the stars—making it hard for them to stay on course.

Artificial light also both attracts and disorients birds. Some birds endlessly circle brightly lit structures and become so exhausted they fall dead from the sky. Others collide with illuminated windows, because birds cannot perceive glass as a solid surface. These collisions are often fatal and kill more than 1 billion birds every year in the US alone—possibly up to 5 billion birds.

We all can take action to reduce light pollution. And the good news is that one of the best solutions is also simple and not only affordable, but free: Turn off unnecessary lights at night.

The Louisville Audubon’s Lights Out Louisville program—a local conservation program working to make migration safer for birds—suggests taking the following actions to reduce artificial light at night, especially during our peak migration months:

· Turn off lights when not in use.
· Draw window coverings (blinds, shades, or curtains) after dark.
· Turn off decorative outdoor lighting, or limit it to ground level.
· Use timers or motion sensors for essential/security lighting, both inside and outdoors.
· Add downshields to direct outdoor lighting downward.
· Choose warmer-toned bulbs (below 2700 Kelvin) for outdoor lights.

Beyond protecting birds, these easy, low-, or no-cost solutions also benefit us. They reduce energy usage, lower utility bills, decrease carbon impacts, and support commercial buildings’ LEED, WELL, and SITES goals.

Individuals and businesses can join this community conservation effort by signing the Lights out Louisville pledge. These pledges allow Louisville Audubon to track participation in the program and demonstrate to policymakers how many people care about light pollution as an issue. Lights out Louisville also highlights organizations that sign the pledge—as the Frazier Museum has—on its website as partners and supporters.

It is fascinating to think that, while we are sleeping, an extraordinary natural phenomenon is occurring in the night sky above us. By reducing light pollution, together, we can protect birds by helping them safely find their way.

History All Around Us

Animal Care Society to Host Twenty-Third Annual Bark in the Park

During Camp Frazier’s 2026 Summer Camp, we had the opportunity to work with some amazing partners. A few even brought some furry friends with them to help educate our campers on their organization’s mission, such as the no-kill shelter Animal Care Society. To thank them for the wonderful experience our campers had, we wanted to give them the opportunity to highlight an upcoming event of theirs that animal lovers are sure to enjoy! Here’s Haleigh Mace to tell us all about Animal Care Society’s upcoming Bark at the Park event. If you’re interested in your camper getting to experience other potential partner opportunities like this one, make sure to register for our now LIVE Fall Break camp here!—Tori Kennedy, Manager of Youth & Family Programs

Animal Care Society (ACS) is Kentucky’s first no-kill shelter, founded in 1984. Today, our small team of about 12 staff members, alongside our amazing volunteers, cares for around 35 dogs and 65–80 cats, including those in foster homes. From our reading program and expanded cat housing to our ACS Re-Tail Shop in J-Town, we’re always finding new ways to support animals and our community. This year, we’re celebrating one of our longest-running traditions with our 23rd Annual Bark in the Park! Join us for a fun-filled day that’s free to attend, featuring adoptable dogs, family-friendly activities, a donation drive, and a $10 Lure Course for the pups. If you’re looking to add to your family, bring your dog along so everyone can meet!

Haleigh Mace
Community Outreach and Programs Manager, Animal Care Society
Guest Contributor

Top 10 Kentuckians, Changemakers in I Too, Last Call for Tomorrow’s Blackburns Program, and More

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