LEO Weekly, December 2, 2024 by Big Lou Holdings

Digital

News

Editorial

Music

Creative

Graphic Designer - Aspen Smit DIRECTOR

Marsha Blacker

Robin Garr, Tracy Heightchew, Melissa Gaddie, T.E. Lyons, Rob Brezny, Marc Murphy

Ahmad Barber

MARC MURPHY

LOUISVILLE COFFEE SHOP SHOULDN’T HAVE TO DEFEND THIS THEMED-EVENT

The problem is not the coffee shop or the theme. The issue is that we have forgotten how to fight power.

BY ERICA RUCKER

In the 1960s, lunch counter sit-ins were used as a protest against segregation of public spaces. These were businesses that would take Black dollars for their merchandise but refused them service at the food counters. In Greensboro, North Carolina, a protest of F.W. Woolworths started with four black students sitting at the lunch counter and refusing to leave until the business closed. The next day, they returned with 25 people. Then 63 and then they were joined by three white women from a nearby women’s college. Then more than 300 protesters showed up. The company said they would make changes but didn’t.

So boycotts happened, and the corporation was forced to change. This was an action to a real problem —an actual offense not the “illusion” of an offense. Woolworth’s wasn’t a safe place but they had to accommodate everyone. It was a collective action against a powerful force.

When Woolworth’s didn’t want Black people, Black people made the space more Black.

Witches Brew Coffee is a small, Black, woman-owned coffee shop that has made itself a welcoming space for all communities, the witchy and the weird. The owner, Mariah Tran, has been facing attacks over a Harry Potter-themed pop-up in the store. The reaction stems from the author of the Harry Potter series JK Rowling’s attacks against the transgender community and others. Those in Witches Brew comments are threatening boycotts, and personally attacking Tran for not removing the theme. Tran employs transpersons in her business, and talks with her staff about her ideas.

Here is a situation where the Laws of Unintended Consequences seem to have played in reverse. JK Rowling created the Harry Potter series and when each book was released, bookstores had midnight release events that saw everyone come as their weird and wonderful selves to get the new books. For so many people the books created a shelter where marginalized people felt like they could express themselves against the people who pressed down on them.

In retrospect, it seems that JK Rowling didn’t write the story thinking that queer kids would feel safe. But, they did. They felt happy, safe, and seen through the characters in the pages of a work created by a terrible person.

In so many ways, like Black folks made Woolworths open their lunch counters, LGBTQ+ folks have taken these works by Rowling and made them a source for personal power.

It is not unlike the stories of Dr. Seuss.

Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote many books that made people who felt unseen feel seen. He also supported the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and drew racist caricatures of Black and other people. But the things that worked in his stories still work for the people who need them.

Sometimes, the art stands far outside of the people who created it. That speaks to the power of creation. Even in the most terrible of humans sometimes lies a bit of beauty and wisdom that leaks out to the world. In many ways it can serve as a window, even for the creator, to learn from. JK Rowling is still struggling to learn but her art, whether she sees this or not, empowered many of the people she claims to reject. Her art could teach her a thing or two.

For Witches Brew to create a pop-up theme for the holiday season is not unreasonable. It has nothing to do with JK Rowling, and everything to do with the fact that the art for so many is a point of community and a beacon for doing your own weird thing. I mean fuck yes… in your face JK. The work belongs to the people.

Now, as a form of protest, folks are welcome not to drink the coffee assuming that somehow this tiny coffeehouse’s event bolsters Rowling in any way. But more likely, those same folks beating on this local coffee shop owner slide through Starbucks on a too regular basis sending real money directly to a genocide, or participating in capitalism in some other way and there is no ethical consumption in a capitalist system so to attack a small business but not the corporation is hypocritical.

The problem is neither the coffee shop here nor the Harry Potter theme. The issue is that

we forgot how to fight power.

We pick low-hanging fruit — a small business with no political motive — and go all-in thinking that it is a show of solidarity, protest, and standing on the right side of history, when all sorts of “JK Rowlings” publish books, play shows in the city, and no one writes their publishers to ask them to stop or tells the venues to stop booking their concerts. The Louisville Orchestra has been hosting sold-out Harry Potter shows for years with the next one coming in 2025.

For all of the noise about this one shop, we’re not staying home on Black Friday because the Walmarts (Sam’s), and Home Depots are pushing their money towards Project 2025, and supporting congressional and presidential elections that are ACTIVELY constructing laws to prevent LGBTQ+ people from using bathrooms, getting married, adopting kids, getting healthcare. Bet you’ll get that TV deal you’ve been watching.

To reject the actual power structure, it’s “too hard” to use our voices and money. Instead, a community is projecting its rightful frustration with JK Rowling’s horridness on the owner of an actual safe space about some decorations, and specialty drinks that mostly remind many people of times they enjoyed growing up, and something that, despite its creator, made them feel seen and happy.

I’m at a loss trying to understand. I mean, I get that to some folks the whole of Harry Potter now represents JK Rowling’s views. It’s a broad brush but I can see the road folks walked to arrive at that idea. I don’t agree with it, because I’ve seen too many other folks bloom because of these same stories. The writers it created,

and the folks who felt confident to step out of the shadows because of an imaginary world Rowling created deserve to keep that feeling even if Rowling herself is missing out on the beauty of it. The art can exist as something enjoyable, and Rowling can still be a menace to be dealt with. Art is interpreted through our own lenses and experiences.

Currently, there are about 41 active pieces of anti-trans legislation across the United States. I hope the energy folks have to destroy a small business in our community — over candles and some banners — gets directed toward the people in power who are actively pursuing harm. When we fight the “illusion” of being offended or hurt, we miss the concrete, tangible laws, barriers, and issues that need to be addressed. It’s how we lose elections and end up fighting over silly shit on repeat.

We may not agree on the methods, but we should agree that punching down is never the way to affect those in power. This little fight is completely off the radar of the power structure that actively oppresses the queer community, and in the end, only hurts the local community and the small local business… and guess what… it won’t make JK Rowling better but we will have one less actually safe community space.

Erica Rucker is LEO Weekly’s editor-in-chief. In addition to her work at LEO, she is a haphazard writer, photographer, tarot card reader, and fair-to-middling purveyor of motherhood. Her earliest memories are of telling stories to her family and promising that the next would be shorter than the first. They never were.

Witches Brew Coffee Crew

Courtesy photo

EAT, DRINK AND SEE IN THIS WEEK’S STAFF PICKS

TUESDAY, DEC. 3

Lights on Main

ReSurfaced | 615 W. Main St. | fraziermuseum.org | Free | 5 – 9 p.m.

Stroll through a dazzling outdoor holiday display in the heart of downtown Louisville. Lights on Main combines festive lights with a cozy urban atmosphere, perfect for photos and family fun.

—Caleb Stulz

SATURDAY, DEC. 7–8

Holiday Victorian Tea

Conrad-Caldwell House Museum | 1402 St. James Ct. | Search Facebook | $50 adults, $30 kids | 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.

There’s nothing like a little high tea for the holidays! Enjoy a traditional experience at the festively decorated Conrad-Caldwell House, featuring teas from Louisville Tea Company and a spread of sweet and savory treats.

—Sydney Catinna

TUESDAY, DEC. 3

Lights Under Louisville 2024 Louisville Mega Cavern | 1841 Taylor Ave. | lightsunderlouisville.com | $34.99+ | 9:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Experience the underground holiday magic of Lights Under Louisville! With over 40 themed displays and 900 lit characters, this one-of-a-kind drive-through light show is an unforgettable seasonal adventure.

—Caleb Stultz

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

Louisville Krampus Celebration Art Sanctuary | 1433 S. Shelby St. | Search Facebook | 18+ | $20+ | 6 p.m.

Embrace the dark side of the holidays at Louisville’s Krampusnacht! Louisville’s quirkiest Christmas tradition is back at Art Sanctuary where you can enjoy live music, burlesque, a costume contest, food, an alternative holiday market, and photos with the Louisville Krampus himself.

—Sydney Catinna

FRIDAY – SUNDAY, DEC. 6 – 22

Yeti For Love

Pandora Productions | 604 S. 3rd St. | Search Facebook | $20+ | 7:30 p.m.

Yeticus Brown is looking for love. As the hero of the play tries to produce a holiday show for the residents of Lighthouse Community Senior Living Home, he’s also out meeting potential mates who strangely resemble characters in the story of the “holiday show” inspired by a claymation Christmas classic. Find out if Yeti finds the man of his dreams.

—Erica Rucker

SATURDAY, DEC. 7–8

Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour 1340 S. 4th St. | Search Facebook | $30 adults, free for kids 17 & under with family | 12 – 5 p.m.

The Victorian mansions of Old Louisville are a charming sight all year long, but nothing compares to the magic of Christmastime as residents go all out with holiday decorations. Experience it for yourself with a self-paced walking tour that supports the Old Louisville historic preservation district.

—Sydney Catinna

FRIDAY, DEC. 13

The Crystal Method, Rabbit In The Moon Portal | 1512 Portland Ave. | Search Facebook | $44.71+ | 8 p.m.

In Portland’s most happening venue, American electronic music pioneers The Crystal Method will be making a stop. Formed in 1993 by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland the group has enjoyed a long and storied career. Joining will be Rabbit in the Moon (1991) and local DJ Morris Koad

—Erica Rucker

SATURDAY, DEC. 14

Nature Watercolors

Gheens Foundation Lodge | 1421 Beckley Creek Parkway | bernheim.org | $25 | 10 a.m. – Noon

Taking a nature watercolor workshop is perfect for all skill levels during this time of year. This serene session, held in the heart of Beckley Creek Park, offers inspiration from the great outdoors.

—Caleb Stultz

FRIDAY, DEC. 13, 14

Christmas Chaos

Malice Manor | 640 Providence Way | malicemanor.com | $25+ | 8 p.m – 11 p.m.

Like Christmas with a little creepy? Then Malice Manor’s Christmas Chaos is perfect for you. You’ll meet some of your holiday friends who might be acting just a little bit… different. See Jack’d up Frost, Zombie Santa, Gruesome Grinch, & more.

—Erica Rucker

SATURDAY, DEC. 14

Festive “Jolabokaflod” to You, Too! Foxing Books | 1314 Bluegrass Ave | Foxingbooks.com | Free | 11 a.m.– 6 p.m.

Simple and beautiful sharing…and devoid of scrolling. And hard to pronounce. Jolabokaflod is a gift-exchanging tradition that comes to us from Iceland. Foxing Books has been inspired to recognize this celebration with a special day at the store. Have a free sip of hot chocolate, and perhaps splurge on special Nordic-themed pastries (brought in by Carter’s Coffee and Beechmont Bakehouse, respectively). But the reason for this shopping trip of the season is books for young and old, family and friends.

—T.E. Lyons

SATURDAY, DEC. 14

SantaCon

TBA on SantaCon Eve | 100 W. Jefferson St. | santaconlouisville.org | $21 | 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Raising money for Blessings in a Backpack, this annual event gathers all sorts of Santas together for a festive stroll through the city’s streets and bars. This event is charitable, non-commercial, non-political, and nonsensical but raising money for a good cause.

—Erica Rucker

SATURDAY, DEC. 21

Creature Comforts

Aurora Gallery And Boutique | 1264 S. Shelby St. | Free | 6 – 10 p.m.

This show is a buy and take. Come see this series of works by artists who’ve committed to sobriety. All works at Creature Comforts will be priced under $300. See artwork by Featuring artwork from: Adam Haigh, Annie Hines, David McDonley, Ember Crow, Heavy Vellum, Jae Grady, Josh Morgan, Kayla Gardner-Yunt, Lizzie Darling, Ryan Case, Ryan Rumsey, Tascha Sodan, Whitney Arnold.

—Erica Rucker

DID LOUISVILLE RECEIVE ANY WEED DISPENSARY LICENSES FROM KENTUCKY’S FIRST ROUND?

See which areas of the state will receive medical cannabis out of the lottery system

BY CALEB STULTZ

On November 25, Governor Andy Beshear revealed the results of Kentucky’s first medical cannabis dispensary license lottery, marking a milestone in the state’s journey toward providing safe, regulated access to medical cannabis. During the drawing at the Kentucky Lottery Corporation in Louisville, 36 applicants were selected across eight regions of the state, setting the stage for a transformative new industry.

Notably absent from the first round of announcements were selectees from Jefferson County, home to Louisville. However, Governor Beshear assured that Louisville and Lexington, along with the Bluegrass and Kentuckiana regions, would be included in the second round of lottery selections on December 16.

Who Made The First Cut?

The initial lottery focused on several regions outside of Louisville and Lexington, selecting

four applicants from each of the following areas:

• Northeast Region: Covering counties like Bath, Boyd, and Montgomery.

• South Central Region: Including Barren, Warren, and Simpson counties.

• Cumberland Region: Featuring Pulaski, Knox, and Lincoln counties.

• Mountain Region: Spanning Pike, Perry, and Floyd counties.

• Pennyrile Region: Including Christian, Hopkins, and Trigg counties.

• West Kentucky Region: McCracken, Graves, and Livingston counties.

• Lincoln Trail Region: Featuring Hardin, Nelson, and Taylor counties.

• Northern Kentucky Region: Kenton, Boone, and Campbell counties.

The full list of selected applicants is available on the state’s medical cannabis website. These businesses have 15 days to pay licensing fees before the licenses are

officially issued.

Those applicants were reported by Louisville Public Media as having closer ties to larger out-of-state cannabis companies that applied several times during the application period, beating out smaller, in-state rivals in the lottery system designed by the Beshear administration. The first dispensaries are expected to open in early 2025, with medical cannabis certifications for patients starting on December 1. Louisville residents eager to learn more about the process can attend Kentucky Marijuana Card’s grand opening on December 14, where pre-booked appointments and walk-ins will be accommodated.

HOW WILL KENTUCKY BE AFFECTED BY TRUMP’S TARIFF TAX PLAN?

New data shows Kentucky will be hit especially hard

BY CALEB STULTZ

Kentuckians are expected to bear one of the greatest burdens financially due to Donald Trump’s tariff tax plan.

President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal for sweeping new tariffs—a 60% tax on imports from China and 10% on all other imports—has sparked

national debate, with Kentucky emerging as one of the states poised to feel the greatest impact. According to a new analysis by the Tax Policy Center, these tariffs could reshape the economic landscape for the Commonwealth, where imports play a critical role in the state’s economy.

Kentucky is uniquely exposed due to its heavy reliance on imports, which accounted for 27% of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023—the highest share in the nation. This dependence, combined with the proposed tariff hikes, would increase tariff payments as a share of state GDP by a staggering 4.1 percentage points, the largest increase nationwide. In total, tariff payments under Trump’s plan would amount to nearly 5% of Kentucky’s GDP, far outpacing other states.

Why Kentucky?

Much of Kentucky’s vulnerability stems from its manufacturing sector, which relies on imported parts and materials. The state is a hub for industries like automotive and aerospace, where international supply chains are integral. Higher tariffs would likely raise production costs, which could lead to increased prices for consumers or cutbacks within industries that drive Kentucky’s economy.

Historically, tariffs have been passed on to American businesses and consumers, rather than being absorbed by exporting countries. For Kentuckians, this could translate to higher prices on goods, from everyday consumer items to larger-ticket products like vehicles. Businesses could also face higher costs, potentially curbing growth and job creation in key sectors like EV battery plant workers.

A National Policy with Uneven Costs

While Trump’s proposal is expected to raise $3.7 trillion in revenue over the next decade, the burden won’t be evenly shared across states. Kentucky, along with other Midwestern and Southern states, would shoulder a disproportionate share of the economic impact. By contrast, states like South Dakota, where imports make up only 2% of GDP, would see minimal effects.

Kentucky’s dependence on imports makes it a prime example of how Trump’s tariff proposal could fundamentally alter state economies.

39th Annual Bardstown Road Aglow

Saturday, December 7th • Noon - 10 pm

• Free Trolley Rides along Bardstown Road, Baxter Avenue & Douglass Loop in Louisville’s Highlands Neighborhood

• Wendy’s Holiday Tree Lighting Event

• Live Holiday Music from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at several locations along Bardstown Road

• Selfies with Santa + Free Hot Chocolate at the PNC parking lot, 1301 Bardstown Rd., from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. • Instagram Photo Contests for Best Aglow Photos (#Aglow502). Prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place sponsored by Murphy’s Camera

• All proceeds from Aglow’s specialty holiday drink sales at participating restaurants and bars will support Gilda’s Club of Kentuckiana

• Additional Security Provided by LMPD Fifth Division

• More info: bardstownroadaglow.org

WENDY’S TREE LIGHTING

BAXTER AVENUE

Dirty Tease - All Dirty Tease designs buy one get one half price!

Agave & Rye - Epic Food. Epic drinks. Epic environment. Check website for holiday specials.

Prohibition Craft Spirits - Please come by Prohibition Craft Spirits- The Home of Nulu Whiskey for the best Old Fashioned in Louisville.

Matt Anthony’s Record Shop - Featuring the best of all genres & generations on LP’s, CD’s, & 45’s

Wendy’s Tree Lighting Festivities Start at 5:30 p.m. in Wendy’s parking lot 1108 Bardstown Road at Grinstead Dr. with Tree Lighting at 6:00 p.m.

Join Santa Claus, Local Celebrities WLKY’s Kent Taylor and WHAS’s Connie Leonard with holiday music provided by Voices of Kentuckiana plus Free Wendy’s Hot Chocolate.

Stage One Family Theatre - Stage One Family Theatre welcomes you! Our Walden Theatre building will be open to the public for an afternoon of open house fun. 1pm - 4pm. Located at 1123 Payne Street.

Hi-Wire Brewing - Join us during our Stout Fest while you are out shopping this holiday season. We will have 8 different stouts on draft and a Christmas Margarita available so that you can relax after acquiring all those great gifts. Come treat yourself!

Prophecy Ink Tattoo Studio & Fine Art Gallery - Normal business hours. Check website for holiday specials.

PG&J’s Dog Bar - Mr. & Mrs. Santa Paws are here from 12-4pm. Stop in with your pups for pics with Santa!

DiOrio’s Pizza & Pub - Enjoy our homemade lasagna & pizza by the slice with our large bourbon selection!

Paseo - Receive $20 voucher for every $100 gift card,

Better Days Records - 921 Barret Ave. New and Vintage CD’s, vinyl’s and movies. Deep inventory.

Unorthodox - Normal business hours.

Chimera Brewing Co. - Normal business hours.

Nonstop Smokers Paradise - Normal business hours.

Barret Liquors - Specializing in Bourbon. Wines from all over the world.

The Fishhouse - Light up you Day with a Hot Cup of Chicory Coffee and Piping Hot Beignets.

BARDSTOWN RD (HIGHLAND AVE TO EASTERN PKWY)

INgrid Design, LLC - Normal business hours. Check website for holiday specials.

Louisville Beauty Academy - Look for Di Tran Bourbon Belief at local stores.

Highlands Taproom - Celebrate the season! Stop in for a specialty cocktail or a bite to eat.

VCA Fairleigh Animal Hospital - Normal business hours.

Jack Fry’s - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Atomic Sound Club & Gameyard - Come SLEIGH your holiday season at Atomic with music, dancing, drinks & Bardstown Road Aglow. Holiday Specialty Drink: The Atomic Snowdrift.

Neat Bourbon Bar + Bottle Shop - Come sip History by The Pour®. Specialty Holiday Drink: Gingy Rush. Ricotta infused Maker’s Mark, Lemon, Ginger, Biscotti, Honey.

Keith’s Hardware - Family owned for 40 years. Sharpening, lamp repair, window/screen repair, rekey locks, and more!

Big Bar - We checked our list twice and we know who has been naughty or nice!

La Bamba - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Paris Banh Mi - We offer a great variety of specialty foods as well as Banh Mi, Cake and Drinks.

Kashmir Indian Restaurant - Normal business hours.

Ramsi’s Café on the World - All kinds of food for all kinds of people. Ramiscafe.com

The Caravan Comedy Club - Every $30 Gift Certificate purchase receives 2 Free Tickets to a Future Show at The Caravan Comedy Club

Skyline Chili - Come in and warm up with a 3 way and cheese coney.

Nearly New Shop - Aglow hours: 10 AM - 8 PM! Vintage, Designer, Collectibles, & Beyond. 20% off storewide from 10-5, and 50% off from 5-8 PM.

Heine Brothers’ Coffee - Normal business hours.

Carmichael’s Bookstore - 46 years of Glowing on Bardstown Road!

PNC Bank - Free Coffee & Hot Chocolate & Holiday Fun in the parking lot.

The Eagle - The Eagle: Food and Beer Hall specializing in Southern Comfort Food. Holiday Drink: Gingerbread Martini

Carmichael’s Kids - 10 years of Glowing on Bardstown Road!

Discoveries - Discoveries finds unique clothing, accessories, tribal artifacts &

gifts from around the world. Eclectic boutique located next to the Bristol Cafe. Come discover that perfect gift or accent for your home.

Bristol Bar & Grille - Christmas Cocktails, Free Cookies & Hot Chocolate, Ornaments, Crafts, Santa Mailbox, Toys for Tots Donations, Selfies with the Grinch & Whoville Characters + Games!

The Monarch Music & Arts Community - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Bricks & Minifigs - Bricks & Minifigs Highlands plans to give the gift of LEGO all day! A true grand opening celebration!

Clay and Cotton - 10% off entire purchase. Serving Hot Cider and light snacks.

La Patisserie Francaise - French cakes + pastries for the Holiday Season. Louisvillepastryshop.com

La Chasse - Enjoy our amazing house made Bourbon egg nog to kick off the Holiday Season!

Parkside Bikes - Parkside Bikes now has a full service coffee and espresso bar! Stop in for drinks, snacks, and sign up for free raffle prizes!

The Original Impellizzeri’s Pizza - Purchase $50 in Gift Cards. Get a FREE $10 Card. Specialty Holiday Drinks: “Winter Craig” Old Fashioned. Brown Sugar Old Fashioned.

Surprise Lily Boutique - Your source for chic, cheerful and complimentworthy clothing, accessories and gifts. Shoppers receive a free pair of fleece holiday socks with any $50 purchase, while supplies last. Open 12-9pm.

Toshay Boutique - Come shop and enjoy live music, karaoke, discounts,& more at To’Shay Boutique “where your fashion makes a statement”

Kizito Cookies - For 35 years, the Cookie Lady has made Louisville’s most famous cookies. Come in to get Lucky in Kentucky!!

Highland Morning - Normal business hours.

Givhan and Mitchell Realtors - Real Estate Questions? Ask Aaron Givhan. (502) 417-7610 or askaaron@twc.com

Day’s Espresso & Coffee - Stop in for a delicious steaming hot chocolate or peppermint mocha made with Ghiradelli Cocoa!

J Shepherd - Store-wide sale including our famious Distillers Blend Bourbon aged cigars

Edenside Gallery - Come visit our eclectic and award-winning collection of art, fine crafts, and jewelry. Now in our third decade.

St. James Catholic Church - Live Holiday Music from 4 to 10 p.m. Starts with harp, choirs, trombone ensemble, pipe organ. Free cookies and cider. Voted most beautiful church in USA.

Drip n Dough - Visit Drip n Dough! Enjoy hot coffee, fresh doughnuts & savory hotdogs in the heart of the Highlands! Holiday drink: Peppermint Mocha

Murphy’s Camera - Submit your holiday pictures to #Aglow502 for the Instagram Photo Contest. 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Prizes!

Blossom Neuro Speech & Wellness - Learn how holistic speech therapy can help you or a loved one after a stroke, concussion, Covid and more. Website: blossomneuro.com

Green District - Green District is excited to be part of the Highlands Community & celebrate the holidays during Bardstown Road Aglow!

BARDSTOWN RD (EASTERN PKWY TO DOUGLASS)

Boombozz Pizza & Watch Bar - Highlands - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

iFix Phone & Computer Repair - Bardstown Road Aglow Deals! Stop in for $15 Screen Protectors and $10 off all repairs all day Saturday!

The Brow Boutique - Warm up with free hot chocolate, snag $50 gift cards for just $30, treat yourself to holiday brow deals, and enter to win $675 permanent makeup makeover! Raffle tickets: $1 each or $20 for 25!

Scorpio Interiors - Louisville’s original contemporary interiors, furniture and lighting design showroom for over 50 years. Complete renovation and design services including kitchen and bath. We can furnish complete installation as well.

A-1 Vacuum Sales & Service - Up to 60% Off Storewide!

Mark’s Feed Store - Free 1/2 basket of onion straws if you mention you’re here for Bardstown Road Aglow.

Seviche - Stop by for a cocktail and appetizer and enjoy the night!

Dragon King’s Daughter - Offering Asian-Mexican fusion cuisine with a rotating selection of craft beers, cocktails, & sakes.

Gates Automotive Service - Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from Gates Automotive

Wheated Louisville - Casual pizzeria serving New York- and New Haven-style pies along with cocktails. Find us on Instagram @wheatedlouisville

Old Town Wine & Spirits - Come see us for Aglow! Check website for holiday specials.

Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Company - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Falls City Eye Care - Join us for food, drinks, music and 30% off all sales (excluding insurance).

Natural Mystic - Discover unique custom glass pieces & metaphysical tools for spiritual growth, healing and beauty.

The Leatherhead - Special sales in the store. Stop by to say hi!

The Sweet Spot Candy Shoppe - Free Samples, Hot Chocolate, Free Candy!

Hey Tiger - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Doo Wop Shop - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Acorn Apparel - Normal business hours. Check website for holiday specials.

Filigree’s Silver & Gold - Shop for that special Christmas gift. Filigrees has 100’s of one of a kind estate pieces to choose from.

Alcott & Bentley - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Fun Tea - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Book & Music Exchange - Merry Christmas! From Book & Music Exchange. Mention “Aglow” for a 15% Discount

Uptown Café - Stop in and try our specialty cocktails! Holiday Specialty Drink: Brown Butter Cinnamon Shortbread Ol’ Fashioned.

Safai Coffee - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Darling’s - Join us for a cup of cheer this Holiday Season at the Highlands’ Neighborhood Cocktail Bar. Holiday Drink: Brown Butter Mulled Cider.

Purrfect Day Café - Visit the PDC for special winter drinks, snacks, and activities! Please make an online reservation if you want to visit the kitties! Purrfectdaycafe.com

Pivot Brewing Company - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials. El Mundo - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Cherokee Coins - We have in the 2024 the silver Christmas Rounds & Bars! Noche Mexican BBQ - Free Taco when you tag us! #Aglow 502. Holiday Specialty Drink: Cinnamon Roll Old Fashion with Makers 46.

Park Community Credit Union - If you still need some extra cash for Holidays come and see us at Park Community CU – we have holiday loans available until 1/31/2025.

Dreams with Wings - Normal business hours.

One Love Hemp Dispensary - Normal business hours.

Fun House Records - Normal business hours.

True Grit Tattoo Company - Tattoo & Piercing Shop located at 1908 Bardstown Road. Stop in and check out the shop! Gift cards available!

Conn’s Body Shop - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church - Normal business hours.

Great Flood Brewing Co. - Drink Specials: $5.00 Maker’s and Coke. $1.00 off Beer

Focus Salon - Visit our new location in the Douglass Loop. Normal business hours.

Havana Rumba & Tapas Bar - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

Louisville Classical Academy - Louisville Classical Academy is a secular Jr. K - 8th grade school in the Highlands. Come tour!

Douglass Boulevard Christian Church - Happy Holidays! Located at 2005 Douglass Blvd and Bardstown Road. Website: douglassblvdcc.com Ten20 Craft Brewery - Happy Holidays! Check website for specials.

502 Power Yoga -

HOLIDAY EVENTS

MELISSA GADDIE

Lights Under Louisville

Louisville Mega Cavern

1841 Taylor Ave, Louisville, KY 40213

November 29 - January 4, 2025 9 AM -10 PM

(most days, some holiday hours differ) Drive thru holiday light display

Christmas in the Park in Elizabethtown

Freeman Lake Park

Blue Heron Way, Elizabethtown, KY 42701

November 29 - January 1 from 6-11 PM nightly

See more than 120 light displays on this free drive through tour

Winter Light Show & Twilight Safari Drive-Thru

Wilstem Wildlife Park

4229 Highway 150, Paoli

November 29 -January 4

Enjoy Christmas and winter-themed light show, holiday displays and enjoy encounters with safari animals

LIGHT UP CHARLESTOWN

Greenway Park

Charlestown, IN 47111

November 29 at 6 PM

Gather for sounds of holiday music, food trucks, and the flipping of the light switch at 6 PM

Lights on Main

Frazier History Museum

829 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

November 29 – January 6

Special holiday exhibit turning the Frazier into an enchanted holiday forest with three floors of trees beautifully decorated by local schools, organizations, families, and individuals.

Fête De Noël

Paristown

721 Brent St, Louisville, KY 40204

November 29 - January 5

6-week, winter holiday festival featuring Louisville’s only authentic outdoor ice skating rink.

Christmas at the Kingdom

Kentucky Kingdom

937 Phillips Ln, Louisville, KY 40209

Weekends November 29 – January 4, 2025

Experience a joyful winter wonderland with more than one and a half million glowing lights, 300 Christmas trees, Santa’s Village, and a Snow Zone, featuring a four-story, 175-foot-long snow tubing hill constructed in the drained wave pool.

50 Days of Lights at French Lick

Resort

French Lick Resort

8670 West State Road 56 French Lick, Indiana 47432

Runs until Jan. 6

With two grand tree lighting ceremonies, a half-million holiday lights, dazzling decorations and holiday activities, French Lick Resort is where the spirit of the season comes alive.

Winter Light Show & Twilight

Safari Drive-Thru

Wilstem Wildlife Park

4229 Highway 150, Paoli, IN 47454

Weekends November 29 -January 4

Enjoy Christmas and winter-themed light show, holiday displays and enjoy encounters with safari animals

Southern Lights Holiday Festival

Kentucky Horse Park

*Campground Entrance*

3785 Campground Road Lexington, KY 40511

November 29 - December 31 5:30-10 PM

(Closed Christmas Day)

Holiday light Display

Yuletide at Yew Dell

6220 Old Lagrange Rd, Crestwood, KY 40014

November 29 & 30, December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, & 21

Yuletide at Yew Dell celebrates the holidays with enhanced light display, photo ops on the festively lit path, holiday shopping opportunities, a take-home craft for kids, and of course, Santa.

Holiday Music Showcase

Charlestown Arts & Entertainment Center

999 Water St, Charlestown, IN 47111

November 30 6-8 PM

Music artists from Charlestown and the region gather to sing and perform holiday sounds.

Holiday Tea at Hermitage Farm

Hermitage Farm

10500 W. Highway 42 Goshen, Kentucky

40026

November 30 - December 23

Enjoy live holiday music while indulging in farm to table food and handcrafted herbal tea.

Cirque Dreams: Holidaze

The Louisville Palace

625 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202

November 30 & December 1 7 PM, 4 & 8 PM

Cirque Dreams Holidaze an immersive experience that transports viewers into a fantastical holiday wonderland and merges the magic of the holiday season with the enchanting world of circus performance.

A Wonderful Life

Derby Dinner Playhouse

525 Marriott Dr, Clarksville, IN 47129

December 1 - December 31 Thursday-Sunday evenings 6 PM, Wednesday & Sunday matinees 11:45 AM

Musical production based on Frank Capra’s classic film

Cirque Dreams: Holidaze

The Louisville Palace

625 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202

November 30 & December 1 7 PM, 4 & 8 PM

Light Up Jeffersontown

10416 Watterson Trail

Jeffersontown, KY 40299

December 1 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Tree lighting celebration in front of town hall

A Wonderful Life

Derby Dinner Playhouse

525 Marriott Dr, Clarksville, IN 47129

December 1 - December 31 Thursday-Sunday evenings 6 PM, Wednesday & Sunday matinees 11:45 AM

Musical production based on Frank Capra’s classic film

North Pole Express at Kentucky Railway Museum

Kentucky Railway Museum

136 South Main St. New Haven, KY 40051

December 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, & 22 5:30 PM

Take a train ride to pick up Santa at the North Pole

A Magical Cirque Christmas

Kentucky Performing Arts, Whitney Hall

501 West Main St Louisville, KY 40202

December 1

A variety show full of nostalgia, charm, and awe-inspiring performances for all ages.

The Hip Hop Nutcracker

Kentucky Performing Arts, Brown Theatre 315 W Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202

December 3

Spirit of the Season: A Very Merry Night with Maker’s Mark Frazier History Museum

829 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 4

Admission gets you access to: a welcome cocktail (Maker’s Mark Gold Rush), a Maker’s Mark honey tasting, a Maker’s Mark swag screen printing, wax dipping, light appetizers, three Maker’s Mark Bourbons as a guided tasting, a Rob Samuels engagement, and more.

Gardens Aglimmer

Waterfront Botanical Gardens

1435 Frankfort Ave, Louisville KY 40206

December 5-8, 11-23, & 26-30

Holiday light display featuring pathways illuminated with giant glowing flowers, shimmering snowflakes, twinkling archways, and sparkling deer.

Late Night Thursday: Kentucky Ya’ll

Frazier History Museum

829 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

After hours holiday themed event

A Fairy Tale Christmas

Derby Dinner Playhouse

525 Marriott Dr, Clarksville, IN 47129

December 7, 14, 21 9 AM and 12 PM December 2, 16 7 PM

Fairy tale characters from the land of Happily Ever After prepare for the Crystal Christmas Ball.

The Graham Cracker:

A Queer Nutcracker Parody

Actor’s Theatre

316 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 6-8 7 PM and 2 PM

This reimagined version of the show tells the coming-of-age tale of Nutcracker heroine Clara as she discovers and and acknowledges her queer identity, taking audiences on a psychedelic sugar rush perfect for the whole family.

Light Up Mt Washington

Mt Washington City Pavilion

300 Snap St Mt Washington, KY 40047

December 6 6-9 PM

Light display and family friendly holiday activities

Krampus Cruise

Mary M. Miller

401 W River Rd, Louisville, KY 40202

December 6, 8 PM

One-of-a-kind Krampus Cruise on the Mary M. Miller (Must be 21+)

Made Market

Mellwood Art Center

1860 Mellwood Ave, Louisville, KY 40206

December 6 & December 7 10 AM - 5 PM

Holiday artisan and craftsperson boutique

WinterFair

4936 Brownsboro Rd. Louisville, KY 40222

December 6-7 2-7 PM, 4-9 PM

Holiday artisan and craftsperson boutique

A Christmas Carol

Highview Arts Center

7406 Fegenbush Ln, Louisville, KY 40228

December 6-7, 12-14, 19-21 7:30 PM December 8, 15, 22 at 2:30 PM

Community theater staging of the classic play

FaithWORKS Presents

A Christmas Carol

The Russell Threatre at New Directions 516 S 17th St, Louisville, KY 40203

Thurdays-Sundays December 5-22, 7:30 PM, 12 PM, 4 PM

Community theater staging of the classic play

The Nutcracker Sweet Murders

Bristol Bar & Grille, Downtown

614 W Main St #4211, Louisville, KY 40202

December 6 – 21

The feuding Nutcracker and Sweet families gather for a holiday feast … but murder and mayhem await, as the guest of honor turns up dead.

Magic Inc. presents Nutcracker In A Nutshell

The Louisville Palace

625 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 7

An abridged version of the beloved holiday ballet classic

Cheers Through the Years: A Holiday Open House

Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

528 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 7

Dress in your favorite holiday era and come celebrate with at Evan Williams

Blackacre Country Christmas

Blackacre Nature Preserve

3200 Tucker Station Rd 40299

December 7 11-3 AM

A day of festive fun and family activities

Mini-Holiday Tapestry

Little Loomhouse

328 Kenwood Hill Road Louisville, KY 40214

December 6 6:00 PM

Weave your own min-holiday tapestry in this evening class. Price includes all supplies. Class is appropriate for ages 16 years and up.

Polar Express Experience at Sauerbeck Family Drive-In

Sauerback Family Drive In 3210 D.W. Griffith Lane, La Grange, KY

Dec. 6-7, 13-14, 20-21 from 6-8 p.m.

Louisville Krampus Celebration

Art Sanctuary

1433 S Shelby St, Louisville, KY 40217

December 7

Bands! Booze! Burlesque! And an alternative holiday market!!!

Needle Felted Cookie Cutter Ornaments

Little Loomhouse

328 Kenwood Hill Road Louisville, KY 40214

December 14, 10 AM

Spend a relaxing morning creating needle felt cookie cutter ornaments (ages 12 and up)

Light Up St. Matthews

Brown Park

Saturday, December 7th, 3-6 PM

Family friendly Christmas light celebration

Falala on Frankfort Frankfort Ave

December 7

Shop local and enjoy live music, entertainment and activities at the small businesses along Frankfort Ave

Bernheim Forest Holiday Open House

2075 Clermont Rd, Clermont, KY 40110

December 7 10 AM - 3 PM

Shop local and enjoy holiday activities

Winter on the Farm

Locust Grove

561 Blankenbaker Lane, Louisville, KY 40207

December 7, 10 AM-4:30 PM

Enjoy Winter on the Farm, a day of Holiday cheer, music, baked goodies, and historical fun for the whole family

Hip Hop Nutcracker

Timothy Norris

A Dickens Christmas Festival

KY Renaissance Fair Site

955 Elm St, Eminence, KY 40019

December 7-8 and December 14-15, 12:30-6:30 PM

Enter the age of Dickens with talented cast & crew that brings to life Charles Dickens’s, A Christmas Carol with scenes through out the day.

Qannik’s Beauty Happy Holiday

Louisville Zoo

1100 Trevilian Way, Louisville, KY 40213

December 7 – 8, 14 – 15, and 21 – 22

Experience the zoo transformed into a winter wonderland, enjoy a holiday themed scavenger hunt, and watch Qannik and her animal friends through the Zoo enjoy three weekends of festive fun with special holiday enrichment on the dates listed above.

Light Up Louisville

December 7

This annual event has been ringing in the holiday season in downtown Louisville for over 40 years. A parade through the Sts of downtown will lead up to the arrival of Santa Claus on Jefferson St, aka Santa Claus Lane. The celebration concludes with a countdown to the illumination of the holiday tree and fireworks lighting up the night sky.

3rd Annual Sparkle Ball: A Holiday Extravaganza

Ice House

226 E. Washington St, Louisville, KY 40204

December 7, 7-11 PM

This holiday-themed event features music, a Christmas tree auction, a life-size advent calendar gift pull, a sparkle bar glitz station, a holiday card photo booth and bars with cocktails and mocktails with proceeds to benefit APRON Inc.

Bardstown Road Aglow

Bardstown Rd 40204, 40205

December 7 12 PM - 10 PM

Enjoy special discounts on food, drinks, and merchandise at participating restaurants and shops along Bardstown Road, Baxter & Barret Avenues, and Douglass Loop.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Kentucky Performing Arts, Bomhard Theater

501 West Main St Louisville, KY 40202

December 7 – 21

Children’s theater staging of the family favorite holiday play

Cookies with Captain Santa

Mary M. Miller

401 W River Rd, Louisville, KY 40202

December 7, 8 , & 14

Take a cruise up the Ohio River with Saint Nick aboard the Mary M. Miller as it transforms into a winter wonderland during this family-friendly event

Winter on the Farm

Locust Grove

December 7

Step into winter wonder at Locust Grove with a festive day packed with holiday cheer, live music, tasty treats, and fun activities for the whole family.

Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour

December 7 & 8

The Holiday Home Tour gives visitors a rare glimpse inside delected historic Victorian mansions and townhouses stylishly dressed for the holidays in the historic Old Louisville neighborhood.

Holiday Victorian Tea

Conrad-Caldwell House Museum

December 7 & 8

Enjoy tea and treats inside one of the most historic homes in the Old Louisville neighborhood.

Downtown Holiday Market

December 7

Plaza on Fourth corner of 4th and Jefferson

The event will feature lights, inflatables, gift retailers, food vendors, free photo opportunities, a gourmet hot chocolate & coffee bar, a pop-up bar, and live music.

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show

Kentucky Performing Arts, Brown Theatre

315 W Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202

December 7

You better watch out, you better not cry, because “The Queens of Christmas” (Entertainment Weekly) are coming to Louisville with a brand new edition of the internationally acclaimed The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show!

Holiday Open House

Culbertson Mansion

914 E Main St, New Albany, IN 47150

December 7 & 8 1-5 PM

Come see the home decorated for the holidays and enjoy a cup of hot cider, treats and holiday music in the formal parlor.

Jingle Bell 1k Run/Walk

Greenway Park, Charlestown, IN

December 7 5 PM

Dress in your favorite holiday pajamas, ugliest sweater, or costume for a family-friendly Jingle Bell 1K stroll through Greenway Park

Gingerbread And Pjs

Charlestown Arts & Enrichment Center

999 Water St, Charlestown, IN 47111

December 8 3-5 PM

Dress up in your favorite holiday pajamas and join us for a gingerbread house building event. Registration is required.

Krampusnacht

Culbertson Mansion

914 E Main St, New Albany, IN 47150

December 20, 7-11 PM

Step into the mansion for this terrifying holiday haunt inspired by Krampus and hope you haven’t been misbehaving.

Tours with Santa Slugger Museum & Factory

800 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 8, 15, & 22 11:40 & 2 PM

Go on a factory tour with Santa as your tour guide.

Krampusnacht Courtesy photo

Samara Joy: A Joyful Holiday

Featuring the McLendon Family

Kentucky Performing Arts, Brown Theatre

315 W Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202

December 8

Holiday concert

Grinch Brunch Buffet

The B.A. Colonial

818 W Kenwood Dr, Louisville, KY 40214

December 8 10-2:30

Join the Grinch at this holiday themed brunch

Pentatonix: Hallelujah! It’s a Christmas Tour

KFC Yum! Center

1 Arena Plaza, Louisville, KY 40202

December 10

Holiday a cappella performance

Ugly Sweater Night

Frazier History Museum

829 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 12

Don your ugly sweater (we know you’ve got one!) and help us celebrate literacy nonprofit I Would Rather Be Reading and the many families they help support.

An Acoustic Christmas with Over the Rhine

Kentucky Performing Arts, Bomhard Theater

501 West Main St Louisville, KY 40202

December 13

Concert

Holiday Murder Mystery (Ages 14+)

Culbertson Mansion

914 E Main St, New Albany, IN 47150

December 13 & 14 6-9 PM

Figure out who done it at this holiday themed murder mystery party

Amahl and the Night

Visitors

Kentucky Opera Center for Cultural Health

708 Magazine St, Louisville, KY 40203

December 13 – 22 1:30, 2, 8 PM

Holiday opera inspired by the tale of the Wise Men

All is Bright Holiday Celebration

Westport Village

1315 Herr Ln, Louisville, KY 40222

December 13 6-8 PM

Holiday shopping opportunity

$20+ Art Show

Kentucky Science Center

727 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 13 6–9 PM

Local artist holiday sale

Conrad-Caldwell Holiday Wreath Making Workshop

Conrad-Caldwell House Museum

1402 St James Ct, Louisville, KY 40208

December 13, 6 PM

Make a festive holiday wreath with provided materials and learn about the history of the holiday wreath and why we hang it on the door every winter.

Polar Express Pajama Party

Southwest Regional Library

9725 Dixie Highway, Louisville, KY 40272

December 13 6-8 PM

After hours family friendly event

OneWest Winter Wonderland

Shawnee Park

4501 W Broadway 40211

Dec. 13-15 6-10 PM

Drive through holiday light experience

The Brown-Forman Nutcracker

Louisville Ballet

December 13-24

This Louisville Ballet holiday classic returns to Kentucky Center’s Whitney Hall to delight audiences of all ages with magic, artistry, awe-inspiring sets, and costumes as Marie and her Nutcracker Prince travel to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Holly & Ivy

Louisville Nature Center

3745 Illinois Ave 40213

December 14, 9-10:30 AM, 10:45-12:15 PM and 12:30-2 PM

Enjoy hot chocolate and snacks while making your own wreath, swags, and table decorations from live greenery.

MAKERPLACE WORKSHOP: Stained Glass Snowflake

Kentucky Science Center

727 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 14

Design, cut, and solder your way through our stained-glass workshop as you learn the tools and techniques needed to create a unique work of art.

Jim Brickman: Comfort & Joy

Kentucky Performing Arts, Brown Theatre

315 W Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202

December 14

Holiday concert

The Louisville Orchestra presents Santa’s Symphony Spectacular

The Louisville Palace

625 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 14 10 AM

Orchestral holiday performance

The Louisville Orchestra: Frank & Paula Pops Series presenting Holiday Pops

The Louisville Palace

625 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 14 6:30 PM

Holiday orchestral performance

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Actor’s Theatre

316 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 14 – 22

Theatrical performance

CHARLESTOWN PAINTS!

Reindeer Christmas Painting

Charlestown Arts & Enrichment Center

999 Water St, Charlestown, IN 47111

December 15 3-5 PM

Join us for a community painting party led by Red Headed Princess Designs.

Samara Joy Courtesy photo

Holiday Hayride with the Horses Chestnut Hall at the Thoroughbred \ Retirement Foundation

12611 US 42, Prospect, KY 40059

December 15, 12-3pm

Enjoy a hayride around the property and get up close and personal with our wonderful herd, where you’ll get to pet, give treats and take photos.

Breakfast with Santa Walker’s Exchange, Galt House

140 N Fourth St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 15 & 22

Breakfast with Santa

Late Night Thursday: Classic Christmas

Frazier History Museum

829 W Main St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 19

Holiday themed after hours event

A Winter Gathering with Kathy Mattea: Good News and Other Favorites

KentuckyPerforming Arts, Bomhard Theater

501 West Main St Louisville, KY 40202

December 19

Acoustic holiday performance

Candlelight Christmas Tour

Conrad-Caldwell House Museum

1402 St James Ct, Louisville, KY 40208

December 20-22 5-9 PM

Enjoy a self-guided tour throughout Louisville’s grandest Victorian Home.

The Spirits Of Christmas – Victorian Ghost Stories

Culbertson Mansion

914 E Main St, New Albany, IN 47150

December 20 7-11 PM

Enjoy hot chocolate and a traditional Twelfth Cake next to the sparkling tree while you are beguiled and bewitched by the tales of spirits.

Blackacre Candlelight Tour

Blackacre Conservancy

3200 Tucker Station Road Louisville, KY 40299

December 21, 5-8 PM

Celebrate the holiday season at Blackacre with a candlelight tour through the festive Presley Tyler House.

Christmas with C.S. Lewis

Kentucky Performing Arts, Bomhard Theater

501 West Main St Louisville, KY 40202

December 22

Theatrical event

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

Kentucky Performing Arts, Whitney Hall

501 West Main St Louisville, KY 40202

December 30

Christmas music concert

New Year’s Eve Live!

Fourth St Live!

411 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 31

Welcome the New Year in style with exhilarating entertainment, elevated food and drink packages, and a vibrant atmosphere.

NYE 2025

Howl at the Moon Louisville

434 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 31

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky

Thunder Christmas

The Louisville Palace

625 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 40202

December 20

Christmas music concert

Vienna Light Orchestra

Christmas Tour 2024

Louisville Memorial Auditorium

970 S 4th St, Louisville, KY 4020

December 21

A collection of Holiday Favorites, performed by world-class musicians and vocalists from around the world.

The Flea Off Market 13th Annual Indoor Holiday Bazaar

Mellwood Art Center

1860 Mellwood Ave, Louisville, KY 40206

December 21-22 11AM-6PM, 11AM-5PM

Holiday bazaar featuring local artisans and craft makers

Join us as the clock strikes twelve on Tuesday, December 31st to kiss 2024 goodbye! Our musicians will perform todays top hits, party classics and song requests from the audience nonstop until 2AM.

Skyline Soirée: A NYE Celebration at Swizzle

Swizzle, The Galt House Hotel

140 N Fourth St 25th floor, Louisville, KY

40202

December 31

Enjoy a four-course dinner, New Year’s Eve celebration with DJ, dessert table, champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight

New Year’s Bash

Mary M. Miller

401 W River Rd, Louisville, KY 40202

December 31

Climb aboard the Mary M. Miller riverboat and cruise into 2025 in style on a very special cruise: our annual New Year’s Bash.

Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom

Courtesy photo

The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and we didn’t want you to miss out on some great gift ideas from local businesses who curated their own shopping lists just for you. We also didn’t want to leave out the LEO crew of tastemakers. It’s really just us staff members, but we do have pretty good taste. If you have a hard person to shop for, we can almost guarantee that one of these lists will have exactly what you need.

leo’s holiday shopping guide

LOCAL STORES

If you need to drop a hint to a loved one about your tastes before they buy you another pair of socks or cheese grater, send them this list.

More than anything, we want you to have a beautiful holiday season and share good times with the ones you love. But also shop local as much as you can.

1. Hand crafted terrariums with ethically sourced insects, moss and dried foliage by Aurora co-owner Lyndi Lou

2. Hand built ceramic vases by Jooby Ivey in a variety of beautiful colors

3. Whimsical crocheted Opossum stuffy. One of many adorable creations by Ginger Crafty

4. Hand made statement earrings with charms by Aurora co-owner Alex Rumsey of Hekas Creative

5. Hand thrown Pride heart mug by local ceramic artist Backyard Kiln

Aurora Gallery And Boutique

1264 S. Shelby

6. Mini moss, foliage and crystal terrariums by local artist Iseri Catei

7. Hand blown glass wall hangers in a variety of colors by Brook F White Jr of Flame Run

8. Stunning, simple metal necklaces by Found in a Field

9. Handmade bone and stone asymmetric earrings by Aurora co-owner Mia Farrugia of Dandelion

1. Lilliput post earrings 2. Beasts of the Bluegrass posters 3. Bats bone china mugs

4. Woodland Wardens oracle decks

5. Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs books

6. Upside down opossum mugs 7. Foot Clothes socks

8. Cryptid Construction Kit magnets

9. Everyday Spells For Busy Witches decks

10. The Fright Before Christmas books

968 Barret Ave.

10. Hand woven multi colored neckerchief by the talented Bri Weaves

Grady Goods

1. Glass Drop Vase by Flame Run Studio with handmade silk flower by Sabrina Peyton - $55

Beautifully hand-blown glass drop vase paired with a locally handmade silk flower to add color and class to any room.

5. Ceramic Mugs by GH Wood, Amy Elswick, Molly Otremba, Madeline Donohoo, and Marty Edlin - $25-$60

For a gift that will be used well and truly appreciated, you can never go wrong with a locally handmade ceramic mug.

3. Amish Made Cutting Boards and bamboo Patent Image Boards by Rob Burkett - $10-$80

Kentucky Amish expertly made cutting boards and bamboo cutting boards with Kentucky patents laser engraved by Rob Burkett

9. Locally Made ‘Guided Hand Studio’ Tarot Cards by Louisville Artist Irene Mudd - $48

Tarot Cards are as big as they’ve ever been as we all try to find more avenues for meditative reflection, personal insight, and thoughtfully setting intentions. Louisville’s own Irene Mudd has created a spectacular set, and each card is a work of Irene’s art. We also carry her amazing zodiac collection of stickers, greeting cards, prints, and ornaments, as well as some of her original artworks.

2. Hand Crocheted Plush by Joanne Manning & Michelle Russell $10-$100

Two Louisville crochet artists, Joanne Manning and Michelle Russell, create adorable and sturdy plush ranging from baby dragons to Emotional Support Pickles and more!

6. Locally Made Jewelry $8-$200

Whether it’s the resin preserved botanical jewelry of Gritty Pearl, the spiritual and nature inspired pieces of Brianna Songbird, the fantastic lampworked glass jewelry of Krista Bermeo, or any one of the other talented jewelry artists we carry; a piece of locally made jewelry is always well received.

7. Woven Cowls & scarves by Bri Weaves $75-$150

Exquisitely woven cowls, scarves, and neckerchiefs by local fiber artist Briana Frederick is a gift that will last and be cherished for years. (My wife got me a Bri Weaves scarf for Christmas last year and it’s my favorite accessory I own.)

4. Leather Journal Cover by Warhammer Leather $70-$90

Immaculately handmade leather journal/notebook covers by local veteran and leather worker William Humphrey of Warhammer Leather.

10. Grady Goods Gift Card for Local Art & craft! - $10 and up

Sometimes it can be daunting to try and pick out a piece of original art, jewelry, apparel, or any number of artful gifts for people, no matter how well we know them. Fear not! You can gift the joy of perusing through an art and craft store to find that perfect locally made treasure with one of our Grady Goods digital gift cards. Available in any amount from $10 up.

and

Every bourbon lover appreciates a good rocks glass, and these bridal leather wrapped glasses by local leatherworker Mark McGee paired with one of his many leather coaster designs allows you to tailor to the gift recipient’s personality; and the patina will only get more beautiful with use.

8. Leather wrapped rocks glasses

leather coasters by Mark McGee - $6-$35

LEO STAFF

SYDNEY’S

HOLIDAY

TOP 1O

(LOCAL & ONLINE SHOPPERS)

1. Taylor Swift Gift Boxes

Jones & Daughters | 806 E Market St | $62+| jonesanddaughters.co/

The perfect gift for the Swiftie in your life.

2. Customized Duffle Bag

Clayton & Crume | 216 S Shelby St | $925+ | claytonandcrume.com

The ultimate travel accessory from Louisville’s premiere leather goods retailer.

3. KY Baseball Cap

Le Lieu | 213 S. Shelby St | $40 | shoplelieu.com

Show your state pride in style with this ball cap from Nulu’s newest shopping destination.

4. Howdy Bandana

Le Lieu | 213 S. Shelby St | $38 | shoplelieu.com

A little dash country has never looked cuter.

5. Puttshack Giftcard

Puttshack | 7900 Shelbyville Rd | Various Prices | puttshack.com

Buying for a couple or a whole family? Pick up a gift card to this minigolf and dining destination.

6. Bri Bowers Louisville Ornaments

Revelry Gallery | 742 E Market St | $14 | bribowers.com

These ornaments featuring Louisville institutions from past and present are the perfect way to complete a friend’s Christmas tree.

7. Rainbow Metallic Tinsel Fringe Earrings

Velvet Outlaw | 1860 Mellwood Ave Studio 268 | $18 | velvetoutlaw.com

Looking for something shiny and stylish? These earrings can be worn all yearround.

Erica ’ s

Holiday Top 10

(FOR ONLINE-ISH SHOPPERS)

8. Nice Bottle of Champagne

Nouvelle | 214 S Clay St B | Prices vary | nouvellewine.com

Nouvelle’s owner hunts far and wide to stack his shop with some truly special bottles that would make an unforgettable gift.

9. Holiday Spice Candle

Kozy Kandles | 213 Pearl St | $25.99 | kozykandles.com

This holiday spice candle will smell extra nice under the Christmas tree.

10. Cleanse This Space Gift Bag

Bluegrass Witch | 2040 Frankfort Ave | $30 | thebluegrasswitch.net

Have a friend making a big move? Help them get their new place ready with this kit from the Bluegrass Witch.

2. A Purposeful Ponte Online

Painting Class

purposefulpontecom.wpcomstaging.com - $6

1. Reversible Chenille Blanket Muji.us - $24.90

This small blanket is perfect for wearing over the shoulders. There is a button that holds the blanket in place like a shawl making it the perfect cozy companion for cold mornings.

Learning to paint is a great way to manage stress and to learn or improve on a skill. A Purposeful Ponte is a Black-owned painting studio in Louisville that offers many online class options.

3. A Donation to Hip Hop

Sweet Shop hipsweets.com - $ your decision but any amount will help After a fire took their former location, this

Louisville business has been selling their goods from their mobile bakery but is working towards the build of a new location and could use your help. Hip Hop Sweet Shop is a Black/LGBTQ+ -owned business.

4. Better Days Records Gift Card

@betterdayslouisville on Instagram - $25+ Louisville’s legendary record store has supported local musicians and music fans for more than 30 years. A Black-owned business, proprietor Ben Jones has managed to weather the ever-changing music landscape.

5. Down Room Boots

Muju.us - $49.90

I’m a big fan of warm toes and if I don’t have warm toes, I feel miserable. These muji boots seem like the perfect remedy for cold feet and I’m sad that I didn’t buy any when I was at Muji in Japan.

6. Fraziertown Artisan Soaps fraziertownsoaps.com - $5+

Local Black-owned, artisan soaps with fragrances that pull from nature, memory and seasonal treats. Self-care is never a bad bet when giving gifts.

7. Uniqlo Ukiyo-E

Dark Fantasy T-shirt

uniqlo.com - $24.90

When I went to Japan, I bought several of the Ukiyo-E shirts but there were so many more that I saw I wanted. If you have any fans of Japanese culture, Yokai, or other ghosts in general, you can’t go wrong with one of these beautifully illustrated shirts.

8. Mahonia Gift Card

mahoniastudio.com - $50

Mahonia is one of Louisville’s most unique floral and plant shops. From gorgeous exotic greens to exceptional blooms, Mahonia elevates the flower buying experience.

9. Norabar Karaoke Room

Reservation

noraebar.com - $45+

For the singer in your life, what could be better than a reservation in a room full of friends to sing their hearts out. Noraebar is always a fun time and ordering a bucket of soju only guarantees the party goes on til late. Plan to ask for extra time if its available.

CALEB’S HOLIDAY TOP 1O

1. L-Shaped Standing Desk

amazon.com | $449.99

Go big or go home with this huge L-shaped standing desk for those who appreciate their backs when they’re older. There is plenty of space to put your assorted items across this 75 x 63 inch desk with a programmed controller on the side to measure how high up you want your desk to be.

2. Please and Thank You Cookie

Please & Thank You | 800 East Market St. | $33 Cookies are one of the most important desserts one can snack on during the holiday season. What better way to get friends and family around than to surprise them with a dozen amazing chocolate chip cookies?

3. Season Tickets To Louisville Soccer Racing Louisville | racingloufc.com | $168+

Season tickets to Racing Louisville Soccer Club offer a lot of value, especially if you’re a soccer fan or want to get more involved in the local sports scene other than basketball. By getting season tickets for you or a friend, you’re directly supporting the team and helping grow women’s soccer around here.

4. Cacao Espresso Martini Modica | drinkmodica.com | $20 Espresso martinis can make the holidays add a layer of depth to the flavors of the season. Made from local Louisville cocktail mix shop Modica, there are plenty of amazing flavors to choose from as a gift for friends and family.

10. Bar Vetti Gift Card

www.toasttab.com/bar-vetti-louisville/ giftcards - $5+

An absolute favorite restaurant for many locals in Louisville. Bar Vetti’s menu and drinks list is easily in the top 10 spots in the city. If you’re looking for a foodie that you know (or me), this is a good bet.

5. Pappy & Company Breakfast

Gift Set

Papay & Co. | pappyco.com | $45

This Kentucky-inspired breakfast comes with Weisenberger Mills Kentucky buttermilk pancake mix and Pappy Van WInkle

bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup to make the most delicious breakfast in bed.

6. Bourbon Truffles

Art Eatables | arteatables.com | $46

Small-batch truffles for the sweet tooths in your friend groups and in your family are the perfect gift to give. These truffles offer a taste of an entire Bourbon Trail all in one box.

7. Friendship Plant

Pretty Decent Bar | 2235 Frankfort Ave. #107 | $40

The pilea peperomioides are the “friendship

plants” that sprout up through the soil from the mother plant, giving the opportunity to give out new sprouts to friends. This pet-safe plant is perfect for anyone looking to get into taking care of a new green pal.

8. Julep Cup

Stoneware & Co. | 731 Brent St. | $27

Even if you or your friends aren’t the biggest fan of the mint julep, having a neat cup to hold your yearly horseracing drink in can’t hurt. This julep cup captures the fun and excitement of horseracing all around.

9. Zodiac Necklace

PinkTag | 7900 Shelbyville Rd. Suite E20 | $28

A personalized gift for a friend who gives off the energy of their sign, this zodiac necklace is perfect for someone you care about.

10. Cooking Play Set

Milk & Honey | 1301 Herr Ln. #152 | $44.99

If you or someone you know has a young chef that wants to learn to cook, check out this adorable cooking play set that allows creative young minds to run wild.

JACK HARLOW’S “THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME” IV A Funny Thing Happened

BY ERICA RUCKER

Ok, this is a weird way to start a concert review but go with me on this trip.

Some years back, a friend took me to a gathering of women in various stages of business leadership and ownership. The gathering gave us all a place to share our struggles, fears, and at some point, all of us cried together because being women “out front” is tough, and we so often feel like we don’t fit in that space. That was at Maggie Harlow’s house.

Not that long ago, I saw her at a women-in-business event and one of my friends pulled her into a photo with us. It was the first time that I associated her with Jack — and only because someone mentioned them both in the same sentence. I didn’t know THIS Maggie was his mom. I remembered having a pivotal moment in my professional life sitting in her house chopping it up with other women trying to make it in work and life. Damn it, I cried in Jack Harlow’s mom’s living room.

Tonight, I saw Maggie again, sitting with Kentucky’s Gov. Andy Beshear. All her positive energy was flowing directly onto the stage where Jack wrapped the local crowd in a damned classy night of his music.

That all of those intersections with the Harlow family had happened in my own life, looking around the room, it was actually quite moving to see how absolutely loved Jack is. He’s from good people.

Walking into Whitney Hall, The Louisville Orchestra was in place and waited only for conductor Teddy Abrams and Harlow to start the show.

Louisville Orchestra Chief Executive Graham Parker took the stage to share with the audience the benefits of Harlow making his hometown shows a yearly event and how this year’s shows would benefit the free work that the orchestra does in the local community.

Abrams started the show and Harlow appeared on the stage wearing a finely tailored black suit. I admit that I don’t go to many hip hop shows but it was interesting to see this performance with an orchestra and a chorus of eight back up singers.

For artists that typically perform to tracks and loops, using full orchestration and real voices was a magnificent way to

At The Harlow House

showcase Harlow’s tunes which explore themes of relationships, getting famous as a young person, his hometown, and the insecurities of being a young artist at his level.

For all the things that critics have said

about Jack Harlow’s music, it’s clear that the kid is talented, and as life happens, and he grows as an artist, he’s got real potential to expand on the genre he’s in. He’s got an opportunity to lift the craft that has lifted him. His lyrics are young,

as he is young, but wait until he grows. That’s an exciting thing to watch in a performer.

Oh, and Harlow can actually sing.

Several times during the show Harlow showcased his singing talents. Once by serenading Gov. Beshear for his birthday with Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon,” and again, serenading his father with Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”

As he sang, shouts from the crowd encouraged him with I love you-s and to “go on Jack.”

Harlow did go on through a set of his hits, some older cuts from his days as an even younger artist. He had the crowd rapt, singing, and dancing along. Even though he admittedly said this show was out of his comfort zone, he held it together and did what a professional came to do. He entertained a hometown crowd, which is often hard to do in Louisville. For his work, he got standing ovations and quite loud cheers.

Maggie’s boy done good and, even my old ass in the crowd, couldn’t help smiling, and being damned proud that “this kid” is from Louisville.

FRIEND’S FUSION OFFERS FINE PERUVIAN FARE WITH A SMILE

BY ROBIN GARR

Not that many years ago, we didn’t have many Hispanic neighbors around Louisville, and the puny quality of our Mexican restaurant scene reflected that deficit. But times have surely changed!

Nowadays, more than 30,000 Louisville Metro residents boast Hispanic ancestry, according to the U.S. Census and the Statistical Atlas of the United States. More than 40% of those list Mexican ancestry, and another 30% trace their birth or their roots to Cuba, making Louisville one of the nation’s top ten Cuban cities.

Where’s Peru? The ancient home of the Aztecs, tourist destination for Machu Picchu, the Amazon, and the Andes, Peru ranks well down the local list. But more than 500 of our neighbors list Peruvian birth or ancestry, and that’s enough to hold a heck of a party … and to support a few really good restaurants.

I’ve got a couple of new Peruvian eateries on my to-do list. This week, let’s celebrate Friend’s Fusion, a Peruvian dining room that opened just last month in a short strip center across Westport Road from the Ford Kentucky Truck Plant.

That location is no coincidence: For three years or more, owners Saul Terry and Yolanda Barahona have operated their business as a food truck, offering lunch-break Peruvian specialties along with Mexican-flavored tacos, burritos, and more to hungry Fordplant workers.

The restaurant represents the culmination of their dream, and it’s a winner: bright and cheerful, with white walls and red accents evoking the colors of the Peruvian flag, and a colorful wall mural depicting Aztec rock carvings, farms and forests, and historic Spanish colonial cathedrals.

The potato may have originated in Peru, and corn too. With its long Pacific coastline providing a world of seafood and fish, Peru stakes its claim as the originator of ceviche, although that gets plenty of pushback from Ecuador, Chile, and Mexico.

What’s more, Peru is home to a large Chinese and Japanese community that dates back to 19th century immigration. Over the years, fried rice, stir-frying (“saltado”), and the flavors of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic have become integral to Peruvian cuisine.

Friend’s Fusion draws its name from this historic fusion, and its menu reflects all that. Fifteen appetizers, ceviches, and soups range in price from $7 (for tamales with Peruvian aji amarillo spice and pork belly) to $20 (for

Tallarines a la Huancaína con Lomo, a pasta dish with steak and cheesy Huancaína sauce).

Twenty Peruvian and Peruvian-Asian fusion dishes – four of them available only on weekends – are priced from $4.75 (for one steak lomo saltado taco, but we’ll bet you can’t eat just one) to $25 (for bisteck a lo pobre, a classic Peruvian dish of steak, eggs, and rice).

The room is set with undraped tables and simple chairs, but table service boasts good stoneware plates and heavy stainless flatware. Small paper napkins are more basic, but they’re plentiful and get the job done. Service by the host was helpful and friendly, and I was delighted that she eagerly welcomed my awkward attempts to converse with her in Spanish.

Even the complementary chips and salsa get a Peruvian spin, with a bowl of bite-size, thick but crunchy, and intensely corn-flavor chips served with a small dish of gently spicy pink salsa that carried a mild Peruvian aji amarillo flavor.

The food was uniformly delicious without a perceptible flaw.

An appetizer, Papa a La Huancaína ($8), traces its roots to the Huancayo region high in Peru’s central Andes. Beautifully arranged on a white oval plate, this preparation started

with thick slices of perfectly textured, pure white waxy potatoes, neatly arranged atop fresh, dark green romaine leaves, topped with hard-boiled egg slices, pitted Kalamata olives, and snipped scallions, then slathered in Huancaína sauce, a bright-yellow, creamy mix of Peruvian aji amarillo, dairy, and queso fresco.

A ceviche choice, Leche de Tigre ($13), means “tiger’s milk” in Spanish, and it’s easy to imagine a baby tiger growing strong on

this aromatic concoction. A smooth blend of lemon juice, finely chopped onion and celery, yellow Peruvian aji amarillo peppers, and spices, this potent potion is used to “cook” pieces of mahi-mahi fish. The mild, firm fish, the gently spicy tiger’s milk, and two kinds of corn kernels to add texture all fill a tall glass-handled goblet that’s garnished with a large cooked shrimp and two crispy strips of cooked plantain.

A Peruvian-Chinese fusion dish, Arroz

Chaufa, is available with seafood ($18), beef ($16), chicken ($14), a combination ($19.50), or a meatless veggie mix ($11.99). It was colorful and attractive, and it tasted as good as it looked. Perfectly prepared short-grain rice was tinted orange with mild yellow aji amarillo and spicy red rocotto peppers, scented with ginger and soy, and was mixed in a resounding flavor symphony with red, orange, and green peppers, perfectly diced carrots, onions, and fresh spinach leaves. An excellent lunch for two totaled $34.97, plus an $8.25 tip. The friendly Spanish lessons were free.

Friend’s Fusion

4111 Murphy Lane

384-3925

friendsfusionfood.com

Facebook: bit.ly/FriendsFusion instagram.com/friend_fusion2022

Noise Level: Happy South-of-the-Border music on the sound system boosts the fun quotient without hampering conversation. Average sound level was 5dB.

Accessibility: The restaurant appears accessible to wheelchair users, but the front door is heavy, and we couldn’t spot a curb ramp nearby.

Arroz chaufa – fried rice with a Peruvian accent – is a popular dish rooted in Peru’s many Chinese immigrants. It’s available with seafood, beef, chicken, or fresh veggies.

Perfectly tender potato rounds and sliced hard-boiled eggs are bathed in bright-yellow Peruvian aji amarillo sauce and queso fresco for a filling appetizer.

Leche de tigre - “Tiger’s milk” – is the popular moniker for the tangy, tart citrus juice that “cooks” seafood and fish in the country’s traditional seviche.

Bite-size, crunchy, intensely corn-flavor chips come with a gently spicy pink sauce kicked up with mild aji amarillo pepper sauce. Robin Garr

GET COZY WITH RETROSPECTIVE FILMS AT THE SPEED

BY TRACY HEIGHTCHEW

As winter arrives and the desire to retreat to a warm, cozy space grows, movie theaters beckon. A dark room with flickering lights and an immersive story is the perfect spot for an escape. While current studios will tempt you to revisit loud and overwhelming big tent spectacles like “Wicked” and “Mufasa,” the Speed Cinema (2035 S. 3rd St.) is bringing two beautifully restored classics to town.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)

December 21 & 22

Speed Cinema

A classic of 1960s French cinema, “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is one of the most beautiful movies ever made. Saturated with color and filled to the brim with simple, yet moving music, Jacques Demy’s film follows the angelically beautiful shopgirl Catherine Deneuve and her mechanic beau Nino Castelnuovo through a whirlwind romance to the aftermath of the decisions they must make under the pressure of societal pressures. Officially an opera with a continuous score, this is a musical that even folks who claim to not like musicals can dig. But the bigger selling point than the music, or the undeniably mesmerizing faces of the two leads, or the charming recreation of the French shops and streets, is the luscious, inescapable color of this film. For years the only prints available featured muted colors as the film stock wore down, but Demy prepared for this inevitable deterioration

by preparing yellow, cyan and magenta color separation masters on black-and-white negative films, which do not fade. Demy’s wife, the incredible director Agnes Varda (who, ahem, needs a retrospective of her own), led a restoration in the 1990s. The version of “Umbrellas” screening at the Speed Cinema is a glorious 4K restoration that premiered at Cannes this year.

I once had the pleasure of watching a matinee of “Umbrellas” at Chicago’s revered Music Box Theatre all by myself in the middle of a harsh winter day. It was a magical experience, a total immersion into an alternate universe where colors were brighter and love moved from dreamy passion through to bittersweet reality, all reflected in the expressive faces of impossibly beautiful people in the space of 90 minutes. Remembering the last scenes of the film, featuring soft falling snow against a darkening night, I can think of no better film to watch to settle into a wintry hibernation mindset.

Paris, Texas

December 20 & 21

Speed Cinema

As a double feature, “Paris, Texas” and “Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” are a study in opposites. Shot 20 years later in 1984, Wim Wenders’s iconic film is a trip across America featuring the worn face of Kentucky son Harry Dean Staton as a laconic and lost hero of sorts in search of his doomed love Nastassja Kinski. “Paris, Texas” is one of only two films in a long career to feature Staton as the leading man, telling his story above all else, set against a vision of the U.S. as a vast expanse

to be crossed. Compare the ethereal beauty of Catherine Deneuve to the rugged landscape of Staton’s face, or the staged French streets to the empty roads of the American West. These films may be on opposite sides of an aesthetic spectrum, but they are united by a love of color and music, and a cinematography that centers place as the storyteller. While calling “Paris, Texas” cozy is a bit of a stretch, watching this film is indeed immersive and feels like traveling outside of time to a place where journeys end in whiskey-soaked peep show rooms. You’re left nursing your sense of melancholy, which lives on a spectrum with cozy.

Early Notice:

As 2024 turns to 2025, the Speed Cinema is bringing a variety of short film showcases to the screen. Close out the year with 23rd Animation Show

of Shows (December 27, 28, & 29), an annual service provided by animator and curator Ron Diamond, who searches the globe for the most compelling animated films that showcase different approaches to the medium. This year’s lineup features films from Canada, Croatia, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Switzerland, the U.K., and the U.S., with techniques varying from computer-enhanced to hand-painted to stop motion. One eye-catching title: “Santa, the Fascist Years” from Bill Plympton.

Filmmaker Roger Beebe returns to Louisville after a 15 years absence with his new 16mm multi-projector performance Expanded Cinema (January 2). This screening will feature his newest work alongside past favorites, and include a sampling of recent essayistic videos, presented as live-narrated documentaries that explore the world of found images and the “found” landscapes of late capitalism. Watching Beebe’s work is an enhanced experience because he makes the technology of projection itself central, and the overall project is a celebration of 16mm film.

Speaking of 16mm film, mark your calendar now for a special, free Jan. 12, Sunday Showcase featuring the work of the late, great Maya Deren, with most of the shorts to be shown on 16mm. Deren was a daring auteur who died much too young, leaving behind a rich, haunting, and highly influential body of dreamlike works, and unique documentaries. This survey of her major works completed during her lifetime covers 19431948, including the mesmerizing “Meshes of the Afternoon.” Don’t miss it.

Umbrellas Paris Texas Courtesy Photos

BOOKS 2024 BOOKBUYERS ROUNDUP

BY T.E. LYONS

Winter ’s approach should be a time to look forward to stretches when life takes a slower pace. It’s also a time to consider gift-giving for the holidays. Three books that have come out in recent months show some of the range available from Kentucky writers—and each has its own sense of time.

One offers a quickened pace, sharp turns, and multiple points of view that have added a lot of entertainment value to today’s thrillers. Another lets its readers grow into deep understanding of characters with the realistic approach of a coming-of-age scenario. And for a third, there is poetic expression of the harshest of realities, as the nightmare of slavery provokes and inspires the taking up of arms for deadly combat in the Civil War.

Former tennis pro J.H. Markert continues to enjoy a bifurcated career as a novelist—but in recent years he’s put historical fiction on a back burner. Whether cleverly anticipating the whims of mass readership, or just following a (dark) blossoming of his muse, of late he’s enjoying considerable success with thrillers that stray into pure horror story.

“Sleep Tight” (Crooked Lane Books; 336 pages, $29.99) accomplishes in its main goal: exploitation of foundational fears, in

a package that’s so readable it’s practically addictive. Almost all chapters are as concise as an unexpected glimpse in the corner of your eye. (And wouldn’t you know, a few longer

sections—putting a supporting frame to bolster stretched plot logic and psychology of villains—are the only places that sag a bit).

This novel is a return engagement for several elements Markert often brings out. Diabolical killers with backstories that are outlandish but involving. Families fully fleshed out in how everyone responds to understandable stresses or staggering trauma. Heroic or noble figures, often in law enforcement, often women. And, to note because this crosses a line for some readers, children endangered in excruciating circumstances. For “Sleep Tight,” the legacy of an executed murderer leads to a bizarre kidnapping that causes estranged parents to reunite and face their own weaknesses.

“The Thing About My Uncle” (BHC Press; 238 pgs., $16.95) is the first novel from Peter J. Stavros. This Louisville writer has previously delivered high-quality modern fiction in shorter formats. He clearly enjoys a challenge: consider chapbook “Three in the Morning and You Don’t Smoke Anymore,” written in the second-person voice of an insomniac talking to himself. So a first-person bildungsroman would be an understandable next-step stretching of literary muscle.

Rhett, the barely adolescent protagonist, has gotten himself kicked out of school, and his desperate single mother decides to send the boy to the East Kentucky farm of the titular relative. Uncle Theo seems to leap right out of a prime Robert Mitchum film: he’s a figure of gimpy gait and rugged bearing, but with subtle hints of a nimble mind (and a wary one—ready to weigh the need for action).

The man has accrued discipline, undoubtedly picked up from some grueling lessons

learned. It might be something his sensitivebut-gone-astray nephew can pick up on and learn from. But Rhett must first have some unexpected lessons of his own.

This novel has been created with an ambitious eye toward careful balance. It is certainly more than the sum of its literary devices, such as a metaphorical maze of booby traps. A hulking dog named after a famed writer of familial dysfunction. Some sidebar episodes that give the teen breathing room—and readers a chance to deepen perspective without forced dramatics. And a climactic confrontation with a figure whose arrival seems unexpected yet inevitable.

www.kyhumane.org

sections—putting a supporting frame to bolster stretched plot logic and psychology villains—are the only places that sag a bit). This novel is a return engagement for several elements Markert often brings out. Diabolical killers with backstories that are outlandish but involving. Families fully fleshed out in how everyone responds to understandable stresses or staggering trauma. Heroic or noble figures, often in law enforcement, often women. And, to note because crosses a line for some readers, children endangered in excruciating circumstances.

home, today! Come meet her at our Sam Swope Pet TLC - 241 Steedly Drive.

Sleep Tight,” the legacy of an executed murderer leads to a bizarre kidnapping that causes estranged parents to reunite and face own weaknesses.

cat and will happily spend her days cuddled up with you, making biscuits in blankets. She would do best in a home without any other cats, as she loves the spotlight! Want to take Ruth McDougal home? She’s spayed, microchipped, vaccinated, and ready to go home, today! Come meet her at our Sam Swope Pet TLC - 241 Steedly Drive.

Meet Ruth McDougal! This 10-year-old Domestic Shorthair mix is on the hunt for a relaxing retirement home, where she can spend her days basking in sunbeams and watching birds out the window. Could that be with you? Ruth McDougal came to the Kentucky Humane Society as a stray. She is a total lap cat and will happily spend her days cuddled up with you, making biscuits in blankets. She would do best in a home without any other cats, as she loves the spotlight! Want to take Ruth McDougal home? She’s spayed, microchipped, vaccinated, and ready to go home, today! Come meet her at our Sam Swope Pet TLC - 241 Steedly Drive.

The Thing About My Uncle” (BHC Press; pgs., $16.95) is the first novel from Peter Stavros. This Louisville writer has previously delivered high-quality modern fiction in shorter formats. He clearly enjoys a challenge: consider chapbook “Three in the Morning You Don’t Smoke Anymore,” written in second-person voice of an insomniac talking to himself. So a first-person bildungsroman would be an understandable next-step stretching of literary muscle. Rhett, the barely adolescent protagonist, gotten himself kicked out of school, and desperate single mother decides to send boy to the East Kentucky farm of the titurelative. Uncle Theo seems to leap right of a prime Robert Mitchum film: he’s a figure of gimpy gait and rugged bearing, but subtle hints of a nimble mind (and a wary one—ready to weigh the need for action). man has accrued discipline, undoubtpicked up from some grueling lessons

learned. It might be something his sensitivebut-gone-astray nephew can pick up on and learn from. But Rhett must first have some unexpected lessons of his own.

There’s repetition of signpost phrases and sensory details, like blazes that lend familiarity along a trail. This lends to the realism of Rhett’s narrative (age-appropriate but not turning the novel into a YA title), but at a cost: some of his observations and reactions seem over-presented. It’s a minor quibble.

How much introduction does Frank X Walker need? Poet Laureate of the commonwealth, founder of Affrilachian poetry as a movement, and educator and historian par excellence. This Kentucky treasure offers up a new book of historical verse, and his choices for structure and execution of individual and assembled pieces are sterling.

“Load In Nine Times” (Liveright/Norton; 144 pgs., $26.99) is a chronological history tracing roles and viewpoints of African Americans (and many that were stamped upon them, true to the time) from pre-Civil War to a view beyond Reconstruction.

Impactful pieces are all over these pages.

Say hello to Diesel! This 2-year-old Boxer mix came to the Kentucky Humane Society as his previous owner could no longer care for him. Diesel loves to spend his time outside romping around and would do best in a home where he can get all his energy out! Diesel would love to have a meet and greet with any potential roommates, both canine and human, prior to adoption, as Diesel is a great vibe checker. Diesel has so much love to give to a forever family - could that be you? Come adopt Diesel today! He's neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and ready to go home. Come meet him at our Sam Swope Pet TLC - 241 Steedly Drive.

Come adopt Diesel today! He's neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and ready to go home. Come meet him at our Sam Swope Pet TLC - 241 Steedly Drive.

Say hello to Diesel! This 2-year-old Boxer mix to the Kentucky Humane Society as his previous owner could no longer care for him. Diesel loves to spend his time outside romping around and would do best in a home where he can get all his energy out! Diesel would love to have a meet and greet with any potential roommates, both canine and human, prior to adoption, as Diesel is a great vibe checker. Diesel has so much love to give to a forever family - could that be you? Come adopt Diesel today! He's neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and ready to go home. Come meet him at our Sam Swope Pet TLC - 241 Steedly Drive.

“Damned Northern Aggressors” are spat on in the voice of a farmer seething to see the proudly marching results of Union recruitment: what were once his slaves are becoming the U.S. Colored Infantry. But the Union is hardly consistent in treatment of the emancipated (“Who else gonna collect they fallen? They didn’t want us to shoot they guns, but didn’t mind if we carried the bullets.”) And once the bravery of Black soldiers is recognized? “Marvel at how valiantly untrained men die.”

The historically prominent (Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln) are just part of the parade here. All figures have an important say through a weave of comprehension

based on an amazing amount of research, as shown in the book’s endnotes. The range of voices is dynamic; the brief glimpses given off by individual lines strike like lightning bolts compared to the mannered prose this history might receive from other hands.

Ruth McDougal Diesel

J.H. Markert

Courtesy photo

Peter J. Stavros Crourtesy photo

Frank X Walker Patrick Mitchell

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of December 4

ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Blaming others for our problems is rarely helpful. If we expend emotional energy focusing on how people have offended and hurt us, we diminish our motivation to heal ourselves. We may also get distracted from changing the behavior that ushered us into the mess. So yes, it’s wise to accept responsibility for the part we have played in propagating predicaments. However, I believe it’s also counterproductive to be relentlessly serious about this or any other psychological principle. We all benefit from having mischievous fun as we rebel against tendencies we have to be dogmatic and fanatical. That’s why I am authorizing you to celebrate a good-humored Complaint Fest. For a limited time only, feel free to unleash fantasies in which you uninhibitedly and hilariously castigate everyone who has done you wrong.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What you are experiencing may not be a major, earth-shaking rite of passage. But it’s sufficiently challenging and potentially rewarding to qualify as a pivotal breakthrough and turning point. And I’m pleased to say that any suffering you’re enduring will be constructive and educational. You may look back at this transition as a liberating initiation. You will feel deep gratification that you have clambered up to a higher level of mastery through the power of your intelligent love and feisty integrity.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are now about halfway between your last birthday and next birthday. In the prophecy industry, we call this your Unbirthday Season. It is usually a time when you receive an abundance of feedback— whether you want it or not. I encourage you to want it! Solicit it. Even pay for it. Not all of it will be true or useful, of course, but the part that is true and useful will be very much so. You could gather a wealth of information that will help you fine-tune your drive for success and joy in the months to come.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Legend tells us that the Buddha achieved enlightenment while meditating beneath the Bodhi Tree in Bihar, India. He was there for many weeks. At one point, a huge storm came and pelted the sacred spot with heavy rain. Just in time, the King of Serpents arrived, a giant cobra with a massive hood. He shielded the Buddha from the onslaught for the duration. Now I am predicting that you, too, will receive an unexpected form of protection and nurturing in the coming weeks. Be ready to open your mind about what help looks and feels like. It may not be entirely familiar.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In written form, the Japanese term oubaitori is comprised of four kanji, or characters. They denote four fruit trees that bloom in the spring: cherry, plum, peach, and apricot. Each tree’s flowers blossom in their own sweet time, exactly when they are ready, neither early nor late. The poetic meaning of oubaitori is that we humans do the same: We grow and ripen at our own unique pace. That’s why it’s senseless to compare our rate of unfoldment to anyone else’s. We each have our own timing, our own rhythm. These ideas are especially apropos for you right now, Leo.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I hope you will hunker down in your bunker. I hope you will junk all defunct versions of your spunky funkiness and seek out fresh forms of spunky funkiness. In other words, Virgo, I believe it’s crucial for you to get as relaxed and grounded as possible. You have a mandate to explore ultimate versions of stability and solidity. Shore up your foundations, please. Grow deeper roots. Dig down as deep as you can to strengthen and tone your relationship with the core of your being.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Every one of us is a hypocrite at least some of the time. Now and then, we all ignore or outrightly violate our own high standards. We may even engage in behavior that we criticize in others. But here’s the good news for you, Libra. In the coming weeks and months, you may be as unhypocritical as you have ever been. According to my analysis of the astrological, omens, you are likely to be consistently faithful to your ideals. Your actual effects on people will closely match your intended effects. The American idiom is, “Do you practice what you preach?” I expect the answer to that question will be yes as it pertains to you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Author George Orwell advised us that if we don’t analyze and understand the past, we are likely to repeat the mistakes of the past. Alas, few people take heed. Their knowledge of our collective history is meager, as is their grasp of recurring trends in their personal lives. But now here’s the good news, dear Scorpio: In the coming months, you will have exceptional power to avoid replicating past ignorance and errors—IF you meditate regularly on the lessons available through a close study of your life story.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In his song “Voodoo Child,” Sagittarian musician Jimi Hendrix brags, “Well, I stand up next to a mountain / And I chop it down with the edge of my hand.” I encourage you to unleash fantasies like that in the coming days, Sagittarius. Can you shoot lightning bolts from your eyes? Sure you can. Can you change water into wine? Fly to the moon and back in a magic boat? Win the Nobel Prize for Being Yourself? In your imagination, yes you can. And these exercises will prime you for an array of more realistic escapades, like smashing a mental block, torching an outmoded fear, and demolishing an unnecessary inhibition or taboo. To supercharge your practical power, intensify your imagination’s audacity.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The name of my column is “Free Will Astrology” because I aspire to nurture, inspire, and liberate your free will. A key component in that effort is to help you build your skills as a critical thinker. That’s why I encourage you to question everything I tell you. Don’t just assume that my counsel is always right and true for you. Likewise, I hope you are discerning in your dealings with all teachers, experts, and leaders—especially in the coming weeks and months. You are in a phase of your cycle when it’s even more crucial than usual to be a good-natured skeptic who poses exuberant, penetrating questions. To serve your soul’s health, refine your practice of the art of creative rebellion.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be like a beautifully made fountain that people love to visit, Aquarius. Not like a metaphorical geyser or stream or waterfall out in the natural world, but a three-tiered marble fountain. What does that entail? Here are hints. The water of the fountain cascades upward, but not too high or hard, and then it showers down gently into a pool. Its flow is steady and unflagging. Its sound is mellifluous and relaxing. The endless dance of the bubbles and currents is invigorating and calming, exuberant and rejuvenating. Be like a fountain.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Around this time of year, persimmon trees in my neighborhood have shed their leaves but are teeming with dazzling orange fruits. Pomegranate trees are similar. Their leaves have fallen off but their red fruits are ready to eat. I love how these rebels offer their sweet, ripe gifts as our winter season approaches. They remind me of the current state of your destiny, Pisces. Your gorgeous fertility is waxing. The blessings you have to offer are at a peak. I invite you to be extra generous as you share your gifts with those who are worthy of them— and maybe even a few who aren’t entirely worthy.

Homework: What can you make or do in 2025 that you have never made or done before? Start dreaming.

QUICKIES

BY DAN SAVAGE

Hey Dan: What’s the sexiest holiday food to eat off someone’s body?

While food can be sensuous, you don’t eat food off someone’s body unless you’re fucking or about to fuck… and fucking on a full a stomach is uncomfortable, which is why I’m always urging people to #FuckFirst” on Valentine’s Day (and their wedding days, birthdays, anniversaries), and fucking on a slowly filling stomach really isn’t much better.

Like many people, I made the mistake of incorporating food into foreplay when I first became sexually active. Putting whipped cream on our tits made me and my first boyfriend feel like we were doing something naughty and sophisticated without either of us having to make ourselves vulnerable, e.g., without either of us having to open up about our actual kinks. And as we both quickly learned, whipped cream quickly liquifies as it rises to body temperature, and then you look and smell like an infant barfed all over you — which is not something anyone you wanna fuck could find sexy. Anyway, everyone should enjoy holiday food and holiday sex — but not at the same time, and not in that order.

Hey Dan: No question here, Dan, just wanted to say we fucked first and ate later. Thanks for that great piece of advice!

You’re welcome!

Hey Dan: How can I come hands-free? I’m a cis male.

Like squirting or rolling the edges of your tongue to make a little tube, coming “hands-free” is not something everyone can do. And most of those “hands-free” orgasms you’ve seen in porn? They weren’t entirely “hands-free.” Most of those guys are brought to the edge of orgasmic inevitability with a hand — their own or someone else’s — before being fucked over the edge.

Hey Dan: Any tips for quickly preparing your butt for anal?

You could do what we used to do before douching became standard: take a dump and cross your fingers. It wasn’t a perfect system (douching caught on for a reason), but it worked reasonably well — meaning, it succeeded more often than it failed. You should also prep with lube — lots of lube — and prep with PrEP. And remember: in addition to protecting you from all the sexually transmitted infections PrEP doesn’t (PrEP only protects you from HIV), condoms also keep shit off your dick!

Hey Dan: How do we sneak in some quick sex while we’re staying with the whole family?

You offer to do a coffee run for the whole family, you head to the nearest “drive-through” Starbucks in the miserable suburb where you were raised, you park your car and go inside. You place your order at the counter, you head for the restroom — which is empty and clean, as very few people get out of their cars — and then you have sex (quickly!) standing up while your family’s enormous coffee order is being prepared.

Hey Dan: Please keep this anonymous: I’m a gay 41-year-old man. I enjoy hookups but loose sexual interest when there’s affection and a connection. Am I doomed?

If you want a committed relationship that’s romantic and sexually exclusive — or romantic and sexual but not necessarily sexually exclusive — you’re probably doomed, as it doesn’t sound like you’re wired for that. You could attempt to rewire yourself, of course, but the attempt could take years and there’s no guarantee the attempt would be “successful.” (And if you’re not broken — if this is just how you’re wired, i.e., how your sexuality functions — then there’s nothing about you that requires fixing.) But if could be happy in a committed romantic relationship that’s intimate and loving but not sexual — because the man you’re with is wired the same way you are or he’s asexual but homoromantic — then you’re not doomed.

Hey Dan: What are the best Christmas-themed positions?

Christmas isn’t sexy. You can have sex on Christmas — because of course you can (and not just in the bathroom at Starbucks) — but mistletoe shouldn’t be hung over ballsacks and Santa hats shouldn’t be worn at swingers’ parties. And just as we all eventually learn that whipped cream isn’t a sex toy, we all eventually learn that mixing up “positions” isn’t adventurous or kinky. We find the positions that work for us and our partners — the ones that hit just right — and they become our go-tos. (Ideally, they become our work-uptowards after a lot of foreplay.) So, whatever positions work for you and your partner when it’s not Christmas are the same positions that will work for you and your partner when it is Christmas. P.S. When people talk about “positions,” they mean positions for penetrative sexual intercourse (usually PIV, sometimes PIB), e.g., missionary, doggy, wheelbarrow, cowgirl/boy/ hand, etc. So, if you’re the kind of person who thinks about sex as a range of possible “positions” for penetrative sex, taking PIV and PIB off the menu — doing something else for once — is the single best way to discover something new.

Hey Dan: My partner has a fantasy of us with a trans woman. We want to be totally respectful but it’s not a dating situation. (He wants to try it, but only as a one-time thing.) So, we thought it would be best to do this with a professional. A friend suggested we might have some luck by posting Grindr. We have no real idea how to make this happen without being jerks or getting arrested! Help!

Please don’t approach random trans women on Grindr and offer to pay for sex. There’s nothing wrong with doing sex work, of course, and there are trans women out there who do it, but trans women — even some trans sex workers — resent the assumption that all trans women are sex workers. Instead, follow trans women who are open about being sex workers on social media and then, after getting a sense for who they are as people, respectfully approach them — as people — and inquire about their availability and interest.

Hey Dan: A sub wants to drink allllll of my pee. And not just a little taste — he wants to drink every drop, over a few hours. I’m on an SSRI and while I assume he’d be getting a negligible dose of my meds, I don’t actually know that for sure because WebMD just isn’t cutting it this time. Can you help?

I don’t know for sure that your sub has nothing to worry about — trace amounts of SSRIs can be detected in urine samples — but I feel confident stating that if trace amounts of SSRIs in urine posed a health a risk to piss drinkers… yeah, I would’ve heard about it by now. Also, you’re not talking about that much piss — you can produce at most 24 in three hours — which makes your sub about as likely to overdose as he is to drown.

Hey Dan: Can you get hemorrhoids from rough vaginal sex?

“Hemorrhoids are a natural part of our anatomy and it’s only when they become inflamed or start to protrude that they become noticeable,” said Dr. Rachel Gelman. “Typically, things like constipation or anything else that places a lot of downward pressure on the pelvic floor is associated with hemorrhoid dysfunction. And while linking vaginal sex with hemorrhoids is bit of a stretch — pun intended — if someone had underlying pelvic floor dysfunction and penetrative sex was aggressive enough, that could over time result in rectal issues or bowel dysfunction and lead to hemorrhoids.”

Dr. Rachel Gelman is a pelvic floor specialist and a sexuality counselor. You can follow her on Instagram and Threads @pelvichealthsf and learn more about her work — and pelvic health in general — at her website pelvicwellpt.com.

Hey Dan: Being around family is a turn-off for me. Any suggestions?

Don’t move back in with mom and dad, if you can help it, and head to the nearest drive-through Starbucks when you’re feeling desperate.

Hey Dan: How do I get my boyfriend to eat out another girl in front of me? He says he doesn’t think he can do it unless we do it together. But that’s not exactly what I’m looking for. (It’s what I want for Christmas.)

I’m guessing you’re a straight woman — you wanna watch your boyfriend go down on “another woman” but you don’t wanna go down on that woman yourself — which means there’s a chance your boyfriend doesn’t wanna go down on another woman and setting “after you” as a

condition allowed him to say no without seeming like an unadventurous prude. There’s also a possibility he thinks this is a trap — he might worry you’ll be angry if he seems too eager to take you up on this offer — and he’ll modify his position if you keep asking.

Hey Dan: How do you navigate dating exes for friends or friends of exes in a healthy and respectful way?

You owe a friend the courtesy of a heads up after you start dating one of their exes. If you’re friends with an ex, you owe your ex — as a friend — that same courtesy. But that’s all you owe them.

Hey Dan: Ball punching and squeezing: At what point does it get dangerous?

When a guy says he wants you to punch him in his balls as “hard as you can,” what he means is, “I want you to punch me in the balls as hard as my balls can take it while we both pretend you’re punching me in the balls as hard as you can.” So, ball punches are always pulled bunches. As for squeezing, increase pressure gradually and ease up when he really starts to squirm. That said, there’s always a risk of a testicular rupture when you get rough with someone’s balls.

Hey Dan: Are we still coming out at Thanksgiving?

Gay people who wanted to come out to the whole family at once — to get it all over with — often came out at Thanksgiving, even at the risk of “ruining” the holiday. Also, gay people who worried that a family member reacting violently often came out at Thanksgiving because there was a certain safety in numbers, e.g., your violently homophobic dad was less likely to beat the shit out of you in front of your grandmother and aunts and cousins. Nowadays, you can come out to the whole family on a group text and dads are whole a lot less likely to beat the shit of their gay kids, which means coming out on Thanksgiving — while still a thing some gay people do — isn’t a thing as many gay people do.

Hey Dan: How do you dispose of used poppers? What am I supposed to do with all these little bottles?

You’re supposed to take your used and/or expired poppers to a waste disposal site that processes household chemicals that shouldn’t be poured down the sink or leach into a landfill when the bottles break. Or you can do what most gay men do and let those little brown bottles accumulate in your nightstand until you die and stick whoever has the sad task of emptying your apartment with figuring out how to dispose of them.

Read the full column online at savage.love.

Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan!

Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

NOTHING BUT BLUE SKIES

BY REBECCA GOLDSTEIN AND ARIELA PERLMAN

Rebecca Goldstein is a research scientist living in the Bay Area with her wife, Ariela Perlman, an educational therapist. This is Rebecca’s 18th puzzle for The Times and Ariela’s first. Ariela set Rebecca down the path of crossword constructing back in May 2020, when she (strongly) suggested Rebecca find a hobby to fill some newly found free time. This puzzle’s theme was inspired by a surprise 40th-birthday gift from Ariela.

Across

1 James for whom a NASA telescope is named

5 The other way around

14 Work the land

18 M.I.A.

19 Pasted pasta

21 Amazon streaming content?

22 Try again

23 Line before takeoff

24 Actress Russell

25 Soave or Sangiovese

27 Detector of lies, informally

29 Apt rhyme for ‘‘fling’’

30 Mandarin : xièxie :: Japanese :

37 Litter of a cockapoo and a puggle, say

38 Part of Q&A: Abbr.

39 Neighborhood seen from a 93-Across?

41 Mum’s word?

42 Huff

43 Movie in which the Wet Bandits get ‘‘scammed by a kindygartner’’

44 Herbal essences

46 Helpful toehold for a French learner, say

48 Record of the year

49 Antiquated laundry receptacle 52 Touch

53 Part of a strong hand

55 Typo catchers, in brief

56 ‘‘The Penguin’’ airer

57 ‘‘And what’s he then that says I play the villain?’’ speaker

58 One of the Torah’s four foremothers

59 Starchy root

61 Recipe verb

62 Partner of glitz

63 Feline hybrid

65 Dwelling seen from a 93-Across?

69 Chicago’s Lake Drive

70 Breanna of the W.N.B.A., to fans

72 Co-worker’s ‘‘Send something over’’

73 Self-sacrificial sort

74 Memo heading

76 Santa’s staff

77 Coupon clipper’s acronym

78 Lively get-togethers

82 Article in Alsace

83 Soaks up some sun

87 See to

88 Aptly named plug-in hybrid

90 Participant in the annual ‘‘S.N.L.’’ Christmas joke swap

91 Glass artist Chihuly

92 Biblical sanctuary

93 Whimsical method of transportation depicted in this puzzle’s grid

98 Abbreviated entreaty

99 Fresh cut

101 Pull all the strings, so to speak

102 Some luxury cars

104 Girl seen from a 93-Across?

107 Upper underwear

108 Vehicle seen from a 93-Across?

111 Enthusiastic assent

112 Concerning ‘‘speck’’ in a sugar bowl

113 ‘‘Perish the thought!’’ 115 Lumpy-looking fruit 116 Activist Yoko 117 Bit of swag that may be screen-printed 118 Super Mario Bros. console 119 Reason to see a dermatologist

120 Push (around)

121 Sports division?

122 Nosh

123 Bit of quinoa

Down

1 Jesmyn ____, first woman to win two National Book Awards for Fiction

2 Pour things?

3 Crossed arms, furrowed brows, etc.

4 Seminal protest song written at a Greenwich Village cafe

5 Use a pen, say 6 R.N.’s workplace 7 Maximum

8 Swing

9 From, in Frankfurt 10 When the credits roll

11 Small stream

12 One may be circular

13 Like over half the residents of Dearborn, Mich., the largest U.S. city with this distinction

14 Refuse to sully oneself

15 ‘‘So they tell me’’

Spinners, jigs and flies

Den

Asian bean variety

Texted reply of gratitude

App with pics

Nonnegotiables

‘‘I love,’’ in Lima

Hindu god of rights and responsibilities 32 ‘‘The L Word’’ creator Chaiken

Saliva secreter

Bronze statue outside of 30 Rockefeller Plaza 35 Jack, for one 36 Take responsibility for

39 Tom’s partner

40 Rookie

42 ‘‘Fair enough’’

45 Cloying

46 Decisions

47 Picture you carry everywhere, for short?

50 Company with a yellowstick-figure mascot known as the ‘‘Running Man’’

51 Matt of ‘‘Magic Mike’’

54 HOMES component

56 Attachment to an air pump

60 ‘‘My treat’’

61 Tushies

64 Outer edge of Brie

66 Everyone in Georgia?

67 ____ mind

68 Shouts from fútbol fans

69 Gives in to gravity

71 Cynthia of 2024’s ‘‘Wicked’’

73 ‘‘Truth alone triumphs,’’ for India

75 Awards quartet

77 Counterpart of un abrazo

78 and Jan Berenstain co-creators of ‘‘The Berenstain Bears’’

79 One of Mario’s catchphrases

80 Pots for pens

81 Ice belt?

83 Invaluable source of information, metaphorically

84 Give an artfully evasive answer

85 Like Swiss Army knives

86 Scottish loch

89 ‘‘Fake it you make it’’

90 Singer in the ’24 documentary ‘‘The Greatest Love Story Never Told’’

93 Consecrated

94 Moroccan metropolis

95 Rose of ‘‘Bridesmaids’’

96 Stone for some ear gauges

97 Cosmetic product whose name is a portmanteau of its result

100 Purveyors of pastrami and pickles

103 Optic layers

105 Seemingly forever

106 Of sound mind

109 ‘‘The of You’’ (2024 rom-com)

110 Creator of the G.O.P. elephant

111 Kennedy for American, e.g.

114 A Kennedy

LEO Weekly, December 2, 2024

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QUICKIES

NOTHING BUT BLUE SKIES

Answers