STAYCATION

Welcome to Lexington, Kentucky’s Annual Summer Guide for 2023.

There’s indoor fun, outdoor fun, old and new.

Lexington is such an embarrassment of riches in the summertime, it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening and when.

Yes, we do all have 479 digital reminders at our literal fingertips all day everyday (and this Guide is available digitally as well), but sometimes you just want to plan the entire Summer of options.

Long before a pandemic entered the lexicon and kept everyone at home, Lexington has always been brimming with summer staycation options. Once again, the city is anything but sleepy this summer.

From live music to movie series and dozens of Fairs and Fests, Lexington has something for everyone, in every neighborhood, every day this summer.

*As always, times and dates are subject to change. Confirm with the venue.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

JUN 16

JUN 17 L&N Day, Berea

JUN 17 Paint the Town, downtown Lex

JUL 7 Berea Craft Festival

JUL 15 Concours d’Elegance, Keeneland

JUL 15 GonzoFest, Louisville (10th and final year)

AUG 5 Shaker Village Craft Fair

AUG 12 Picnic with the Pops (Disco), Keeneland

AUG 19 Woodland Art Fair

Lexington’s annual downtown plein air painting event, Paint the Town, is Jun 17. Artists will spend the day painting cityscapes throughout downtown Lexington.

The 2023 Keeneland Concours d’Elegance will feature Cadillac as the Featured Marque and will include two classes of Cadillacs.

Eat And Drink

JUN 10 Beer Cheese Festival, Winchester

JUN 16

SoulFeast Week, Lexington

JUN 17 Kentucky Wine and Vine Fest, Nicholasville

JUN 24 Annual Ashland Lawn Party, Ashland Henry Clay Estate

JUL 20

SEP 14

SEP 15

Lexington Restaurant Week

Bourbon and Beyond, Louisville

Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bardstown

Bourbon & Blues Festival, Midway

JUN 24 Lexington Pride Festival

JUL 4 Lexington’s July 4th Festival

AUG 12 Small Town America Festival, Mt. Sterling

SEP 8 Festival of the Horse, Georgetown

SEP 16 Midway Fall Festival

Home And Garden

JUN 17 Historic Botherum Tour

JUN 24 Open Gates to Bluegrass Living Garden Tour

JUL 22 Grand Tour of Homes

JUL 29 Bluegrass Iris Society Iris Sale, Lexington Green

AUG 26 Tour of Remodeled Homes

Horse

JUNE Polo practices and matches begin, KY Horse Park

JUL 10 Lexington’s Junior League Horse Show begins, KY Horse Park

JUL 14 Breyerfest, KY Horse Park

JUL 29 Hats off to Kentucky Horses Day, KY Horse Park

JUL 23 Live Racing, Red Mile (thru Sep 19)

SEP 1 KHP Foundation Battle in the Saddle, KY Horse Park

SEP 8 Festival of the Horse, Georgetown

SEP 11 Keeneland’s September Yearling Sales begin

OCT 6 Keeneland Fall Meet begins

OCT 25 National Horse Show, KY Horse Park

LIVE MUSIC BIG BAND & JAZZ

Big Band & Jazz is Lexington’s longest running and outdoor concert series held weekly from 7-8:30 pm at Moondance in June and Ecton Park in July.

Moondance Amphitheater

JUN 6 Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra

JUN 13 Tim Lake and the Blue Jazz Persuaders.

JUN 20 Brett Evans Trombone Jazz Ensemble

JUN 27 Lexington Summer Concert Band

Ecton Park

JUL 11 DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra

JUL 18 Walnut Street Ramblers

JUL 25 Miles Osland Little Big Band with Vince DiMartino

AUG 1 Ross Whitaker Quintet

AUG 8 Marlin McKay Quartet

AUG 15 Osland/Dailey Jazztet

Northside Nights

Northside Nights return for a second year at Castlewood Park. Thursdays at 6:30 pm on the lawn of the Loudon House at Castlewood Park. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets for seating and enjoy a fun evening of great R&B, soul, funk and dance music. All concerts are held every other Friday, from July 14 to Aug. 25, at Castlewood Park.

JUL 14 Rhythm and Soul

JUL 28 1 SoundBand

AUG 11 Honeychild

AUG 25 Tim Talbert Project

Southland Jamboree

Southland Jamboree at Beaumont Center’s Moondance Amphitheatre are on Thursdays at 7 pm.

JUN 1 Fast Track

JUN 8 Ida Clare

JUN 15 Wildfire Griffins

JUN 22 The Daltons

JUN 29 Branchwater Kin

JUL 6 Gibson Davis & Copper Valley

JUL 13 Wolfpen Branch

JUL 20 Dove Creek

JUL 27 Kentucky Just Us

AUG 3 Rickey Wasson Band

AUG 10 Old Towne Project

AUG 17 Hammertowne

AUG 24 Fenced In

AUG 31 EKU Bluegrass Band

SEP 7 (Rain date)

Summer Nights In Suburbia

Summer Nights in Suburbia brings a wide variety of local and regional acts to Moondance Amphitheater each summer. Attendees are invited to enjoy the free concerts, bring their own picnics, or purchase food and drinks from local vendors. Moondance Amphitheater, an outdoor performance venue with a tiered grass lawn, offers an outdoor space for Lexington residents to enjoy a variety of performances each summer. Summer Nights shows begin at 7 pm.

JUN 9 Bedford

JUN 23 Run Katie Run

JUL 7 The Minks

JUL 21 Born Cross Eyed

AUG 4 Milenio Salsa Band

AUG 18 Honeychild

SEP 1 Baja Yetis

Thursday Night Live

Central Bank Thursday Night Live returns to Fifth Third Bank Pavilion in downtown Lexington on Thursday evenings from 5-8 pm.

JUN 1 Five Below Band

JUN 8 Positive Movement Band

JUN 15 Paul Childers

JUN 22 The Johnson Brothers

JUN 29 Vanguard

JUL 6 Lauren Mink Band

JUL 13 The BANDj Experience

JUL 20 Kimberly Carter & Carryin’ On

JUL 27 Nightflyer (Eagles Tribute Band)

AUG 3 64West

AUG 10 Tim Talbert Project

AUG 17 The Twiggenburys

AUG 24 Kenny Owens & Group Therapy

AUG 31 Mercy Men

SEP 7 Hi-5

SEP 14 Witness Protection

SEP 21 Canvas

SEP 28 Rebel Without a Cause

OCT 5 Mojo Tones

OCT 12 Rags and Riches

CONCERTS, TOURS & MUSIC FESTIVALS

JUN 1 The Great American Brass Band Festival, Danville

JUN 3 Railbird (Sat & Sun), new venue at Red Mile

JUN 5 Boz Skaggs, Lexington Opera House

JUN 10 Bourbon and Blues Festival, Red Mile

JUN 15 George Strait, Kroger Field

JUN 22 Thomas Rhett, Rupp

JUL 18 Melissa Etheridge, Lexington Opera House

AUG 12 Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lexington Opera House

AUG 18 Big Stomp, Louisville

AUG 24 Sam Bush Band, Lyric Theatre

Transitions: Railbird Festival returns in 2023 with a new location at Red Mile. The Midway Bourbon and Blues Festival is at Francisco’s Farm, replacing the Francisco’s Farm Art Fair.

Summer Movies

Film Fests

JUN 2 Lunafest, Lyric Theatre

Freaky Fridays

The Kentucky Theatre has launched Freaky Fridays to satisfy your cravings for cult film, once a month, at 10 pm.

JUN 16 Police Story (1985)

JUL 21 Tetsuo: the Iron Man (1989)

AUG 18 KOYAANISQATSI (1982)

SEP 22 House (1977, Japanese Horror)

Free Friday Flicks at Jacobson Park

Friday Flicks offers an evening of activities and a movie beginning Fridays in June. Pre-movie activities include children’s games, free temporary tattoos, petting zoo, non-profits, and a preshow themed around that night’s movie. Activities begin at 7 p.m. with the movie starting at dark.

JUN 2 Turning Red

JUN 9 Lightyear

JUN 16 The Bad Guys

JUN 23 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

JUN 30 Minions: The Rise of Gru

Summer Classics

For almost two decades, The Kentucky Theatre has screened classic films every Wednesday (matinee and evening) from late May until early September. Over the years, this summer series has proved to be a perennial favorite. Each movie will include a Wednesday matinee and a Wednesday evening show.

JUN 7 Raging Bull (1980)

JUN 14 Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

JUN 21 The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

JUN 28 His Girl Friday (1940)

JUL 5 Rebel without a Cause (1955)

JUL 12 Jaws (1975)

JUL 19 The Maltese Falcon (1941)

JUL 26 Pinocchio (1940)

AUG 2 The Princess Bride (1987)

AUG 9 Adam’s Rib (1949)

AUG 16 Goodfellas (1990)

AUG 23 The Last Picture Show (1971)

AUG 30 Monty Python & the Holy Grail (1975)

Sporting Club. The team has seven home games for June, July, and August. Matches are played at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown, mostly on Saturdays or Sundays.

Professional baseball is back in the Bluegrass with the Lexington Counter Clocks making their debut in 2023.

Run For It

JUN 3 Funnel Cake 5k (Frankfort)

JUN 10 Run for the Nun 5k, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

JUN 17 Wild Hearts

Superhero 5k

JUN 24 Donut Dash 3k

JUL 4 Bluegrass 10,000

AUG 12 Midsummer Night’s Run

TNL Five Below Band, Fifth Third Pavilion

SOUTHLAND JAMBOREE Fast Track, Moondance

DRINK

Bourbon &

CONCERT

Boz Scaggs, Lexington Opera House

HAPPY GLOBAL RUNNING DAY!

MUSIC Railbird wraps up, Tyler Childers, Red Mile

TOUR Tour the Lexington Cemetery, meet at Henry Clay Monument 2 pm (tickets for sale by Mary Todd Lincoln House)

BIG BAND JAZZ

Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra, 7 pm, Moondance

BIZ Happy ten year

TNL Positive Movement Band, Fifth Third Pavilion

SOUTHLAND

JAMBOREE Ida Clare, Moondance

FAIR Lions Club Bluegrass Fair begins (thru Jun 18), Masterson Station Park

KIDS Friday Flicks presents Turning Red, 7 pm, Jacobson Park

FILM LunaFest:

Films By and About Women, 7 pm, Lyric Theater taste the first official funnel cake of the season, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Fair

KIDS Friday Flicks presents Lightyear, Jacobson Park

KIDS Lego BrickUniverse, Sat & Sun, Central Bank Center

DANCE Swingin’ On Main, 7 pm, Triangle Park

MOVIES Hollywood Classics, Raging Bull 1:30 pm and 7:15 pm, Kentucky Theatre

MUSIC Summer Nights in Suburbia presents Bedford, 7 pm, Moondance Amphitheater

DRINK “Wine Down” for Women, 9 am, Harkness Edwards Vineyards

EAT Bluegrass Stockyards BBQ Fest, noon-8pm

WALK Tree Walk, 2 pm, McConnell Springs Park

11 18

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

12 19

BIG BAND JAZZ Tim Lake and the Blue Jazz Persuaders, Moondance

READ Willie Edward Taylor Carver, Jr. signs Gay Poems for Red States, 7 pm, Joseph-Beth

13 20

OBSERVE JUNETEENTH!

EAT SoulFeast: Black Restaurant Week

Movies

Hollywood Classics, Fiddler on the Roof, 1:30 pm and 7:15 pm, Kentucky Theatre

READ Nancy Horan discusses and signs the House of Lincoln, 7 pm, Joseph Beth

CONCERT Tyler Hubbard with Shane Profitt & Kylie Morgan, Lexington Opera House

DRINK West Sixth Beer Garden

Pop-up, 4 pm, Woodland Park

SOUTHLAND

JAMBOREE Wildfire, Moondance

TNL Paul Childers, Fifth Third Pavilion

CONCERT George Strait, Kroger Field

GREEN

Kentucky River CleanSweep, 8:30 am, meet at the Boat Ramp off Old Richmond Rd

FEST Soulteenth Fest, noon, Moondance Amphitheater

BIG BAND JAZZ Brett Evans Trombone Jazz Ensemble, Moondance

MOVIES Hollywood Classics, Empire Strikes Back, 1:30 pm and 7:15 pm, Kentucky Theatre

EVENT Summer Solstice Celebration, Evans Orchard

TNL The Johnson Brothers, Fifth Third Pavilion

SOUTHLAND JAMBOREE

The Daltons, Moondance

CARS Maserati Mingle, 5 pm, Summit at Fritz Farm

EVENT Juneteenth Celebration, Lyric Theater

MOVIES

Hollywood 1:30 pm and 7:15 pm, Kentucky Theatre

COMEDY Ross Mathews, Lexington Opera House

KIDS Friday Flicks presents

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, Jacobson Park

MUSIC Summer Nights in Suburbia presents Run Katie Run, 7 pm, Moondance Amphitheater

MUSIC Lakeside Live returns to Lexington Green

RUN/ WALK North Lime Donut Dash 3K, 8 am, Wellington Dog Park

EVENT Ashland Lawn Party, Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate

EVENT Lexington Pride Festival, Central Bank Center

14 15 16 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

RUN Quarterly All Comers, 5 pm, John’s Run Walk Shop

TNL Vanguard, Fifth Third Pavilion

SOUTHLAND

JAMBOREE Branchwater

Kin, Moondance

MUSIC Straight No Chaser: The Yacht Rock Tour, Lexington Opera House

Around The Corner

JUL 4 Bluegrass 10k

JUL 10 Junior League Horse Show

JUL 15 Keeneland Concours d’Elegance

6 pm, Jacobson Park

KIDS Friday Flicks presents Minions: The Rise of Gru, Jacobson Park

AUG 12 Midsummer Night’s Run

AUG 19 Woodland Art Fair

Airport Opens a Mothers’ Nursing Suite

Blue Grass Airport has opened a Mothers’ Nursing Suite as a new amenity in the airport terminal. Located post-security in the Concourse B gate areas, this new suite includes comfortable gliding and rocking chairs.

Eric Frankl, president & CEO of Blue Grass Airport said, “The addition of this suite will provide a great experience for nursing mothers flying to/from Lexington,” adding, “We realize that it can be challenging for mothers when they travel, and we hope this new facility will ease that process and provide them with a comfortable and private location.

Summer Heat Advisories

Lexington’s Division of Emergency Management is reminding the public that: “About 40 children a year die from heatstroke, either because they were left or became trapped in a car. That’s about one child every ten days killed in a hot car. As of May 2023, four children have died due to being forgotten in parked cars.”

Heatstroke Facts

The majority of hot car deaths — 53% — happen because someone forgets a child in a car. You may be asking yourself: How does this happen? Families who lost a loved one thought the same thing at one point, but then the tragedy happened to them. Hot car deaths don’t just occur in the summer heat. On average, the first vehicular heatstroke of the year happens in March, according to Jan Null, who has been tracking such deaths since 1998. Among the trends he discovered over the years:

• About 46% of the time when a child was forgotten, the caregiver meant to drop the child off at a daycare or preschool.

• Thursdays and Fridays — the end of the workweek — have had the highest deaths.

Health Calendar

THU JUN 1

Join Kentucky Blood Center on June 1 from 8 to 11:30 a.m. for the North Lime Coffee & Donuts Blood Drive in Lexington, Kentucky. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome.

FRI JUN 9

Central Bank Center is partnering with Kentucky Blood Center to boost the summer blood supply. Donors in and around downtown Lexington are encouraged to donate blood at Central Bank Center anytime from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 9.

SAT JUN 10

Walk to End Epilepsy, 9 am, Kentucky Horse Park.

Check The Back Seat

Join the McConnell Springs Steps Challenge. How many steps do people walk while at McConnell Springs? That’s the question. When you come out on this day use your own pedometer or borrow one from the front desk and tell the staff how far you walked.

THU JUN 22

Join the Bluegrass HealthCare Coalition at Noon at the Lexington Health Department. Mission: helping Lexington be well. “Vision: We will move Lexington toward being one of the healthiest communities in the nation. Values: Caring, Accountability, Respect, Equity, Service.”

TUE JUL 4

Parents and caregivers, get in the habit of always checking the back seat of the car before locking the doors. Remember: Check the Back Seat.

• Place a briefcase, purse, or cell phone next to the child’s car seat so that you’ll always check the back seat before leaving the car.

• Keep a stuffed animal or another toy in your child’s car seat when it’s empty. Move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat.

• Set a rule for your childcare provider; have them call you if your child doesn’t arrive as scheduled.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The Bluegrass 10,000 and Fun Run invites you to the 47th annual race! The 10K foot race begins at 7:30 a.m., and the wheelchair race begins at 7:25 a.m. on Tuesday, July 4 in downtown Lexington. The course is now USATF-certified. The Fun Run is a 1-mile course running through downtown, into Thoroughbred Park, and joining with the Bluegrass 10,000 for the finish.

Don’t forget Dad on Father’s Day; make your reservations early. June is filled with patios, farmers markets, too many coffee additions to count, and a new hotel launching with a Wendell Berry quote, “What I stand for is what I stand on.”

Births

The Gingko Tree Cafe has opened for the season at Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate. The Distillery District’s new hotel, The Manchester, includes a ground floor bar and lounge, Granddam, and a rooftop bar, Lost Palm.

Taco John’s is opening at Brannon Crossing. Vallozzi’s is opening in Versailles. Vallozi’s currently has two Pennsylvania locations, one in Pittsburgh and one in Greensburg. The menus include family traditions like homemade pastas, Helen’s gnocchi, pizza, steaks, and seafood, along with tapas treats like Italian meats and cheeses flown in from Italy weekly and served from their Fresh Mozzarella bar. Julian Velozzi says he’s “very excited to be taking Vallozzi’s on the road.”

Obits

Magee’s Bakery, established in 1956, was suffering from staffing shortages for some time. On Thursday of Derby week, a “temporarily closed” sign was posted on the door of their Main Street location, and on their facebook page, announcing they would be closed through the weekend due to being “two bakers down.” By Friday, a facebook post from Magee’s, signed by sibling owners Beverly and Greg Higgins, confirmed a more permanent exit, “After 67 years of baking at 726 E. Main Street,