Middletown Magazine August 2024 by Towne Post Network, Inc.

Sea to Believe It

OSTERIA ITALIAN SEAFOOD MAKING A SPLASH

+ Waves of Excellence

Carl Brashear Demonstrated Uncommon Courage, Determination and Perseverance

Retrospective

Speed Art Museum Unveils Exhibition

Highlighting the Pioneering Work of William M. Duffy

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Lewis Prince Is Enjoying Life Post-Retirement in the World of Antiques and Collectibles

PUBLISHER

COREY BOSTON corey@townepost.com (502) 407-0185

KEY CONTRIBUTORS

HEATHER CREGGER

KEVIN GIBSON

GAVIN LAPAILLE

JACLYN OSMAN

MELISSA STALB

CARRIE VITTITOE

JULIE YATES

Enjoyable and Educational Day Trips From the Louisville Area

Speed Art Museum Unveils Exhibition Highlighting the Pioneering Work of William M. Duffy

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VINTAGE VIBE

LEWIS PRINCE IS ENJOYING LIFE POST-RETIREMENT IN THE WORLD OF ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES

Writer / Julie Yates

Red Barn Antiques & Art Emporium, and Prince Home - Antiques, Art, Collectables and Decor, sit side by side on Old Shelbyville Road in Middletown. More than a century old, the structures house sister businesses owned by Lewis Prince and his wife of over 49 years, Linda. Prince had a whirlwind corporate career that included developing cutting-edge technical advances of the time. In retirement, Prince took a 180-degree turn to enter the world of antiques and collectables. One thing has stayed steadfast; the couple has continued to have a heart for the history and philanthropic causes of the Louisville area, as evidenced by their desire to give back to the community.

Before Prince retired at age 63, he worked for well-known, major corporations and lived in several different states. Originally from Georgia, Prince served in the Army for six years. He was stationed in Germany, Korea and Turkey. Afterward, his brotherin-law lured him to Bowling Green by offering a job, but instead Prince opted for college in Louisville.

“I used the GI bill to go to college,” he says. “I applied on a Wednesday, got accepted on Monday and started the next week. My brother-in-law wanted me to work for him while I was taking classes, but I wanted to do it right and just focus on school. I got degrees in sociology and political science because I thought I would go to law school, but instead I began working for the Burroughs Corporation in 1974.”

At that time the Burroughs Corporation supplied accounting machines to major banks. A pioneer in data processing, the company developed the technology to read magnetics for ledgers and checks. In the late 1970s Burroughs was instrumental in developing computer systems. Prince was a project manager for a line of products and spent 13 years with the company, traveling all over the world and working both in Louisville and Detroit.

Next, Prince relocated to New Jersey and went to work with AT&T for four years. While in New Jersey, he partnered with a group that bought a company that sold pagers to large national companies and their

employees. Eight years later it went public and sold it for more than $30 million. The group then began buying up small internet companies. They consolidated them into a data processing center, which he later sold. His last business endeavor was a company that produced and sold telescoping ladders to establishments such as Sam’s Club and QVC.

“I retired to play golf but I got bored, so I bought the Red Barn,” Prince says. “The barn has special meaning for us. It was built on cinder blocks in 1904. It has two big doors and they used to work on Model A cars inside it. Our uncle died at age 97 about nine years ago. He told us he used to sit in front of the building and drink an RC Cola while he watched cars go by.”

“The little house next door came with the purchase,” he adds. “It became Prince Home. We don’t control what merchandise is in the Red Barn but everything in Prince Home is our stuff. When we opened the Red Barn, we came up with the idea of renting out shelves as well as booths. Shelves are a good way for someone to start

out for a minimal amount, and we don’t tell them what to put on it.”

The inside of Red Barn Antiques & Art Emporium is full of diverse objects and furniture, some vintage and others just kitsch. In one corner there is a wooden phone booth, and an ornately painted Singer sewing machine, and lots of toys sit a few steps away. Visitors can find children’s books, Hanna-Barbera dolls, mugs, buttons, Beanie Babies, M.A. Hadley pottery, records and more.

The layout next door at Prince Home is divided up into rooms. There is a dining area and kitchen, she shed and man cave, and a collectibles and jewelry room. Items are grouped appropriately. There are plenty of dishware, prints, paintings and even an old phone or two. Shoppers can find vintage Kentucky Derby memorabilia including an official Kentucky Derby mint julep glassprized collectibles since the 1940s.

“As seasons change we transfer stuff in and out of storage,” Prince says. “It’s hard to predict what people will buy. Big things take

a while to sell. Sometimes we donate large pieces of furniture to Goodwill or another charity to make space for other things. Our merchandise comes from estate sales, online auctions or people downsizing from houses in the neighborhoods. We recently acquired 40 paintings, some dating back from the 1890s.”

Estate sales are the source of an extensive selection of costume jewelry. Prince estimates that there are between 30,000 and 40,000 pieces in inventory between both stores. Some customers buy it and use it for

their own art creations. Linda sells a portion of it through her Etsy shop, LDBling. These items are not found on display, but visitors to the little house can ask a sales associate to view them. Likewise, if someone is from the Louisville area, they can save shipping costs and get a 10% discount on specific items if they pick up their LDBling purchases at the brick-and-mortar store.

“Our customers range from their 20s to late 70s and hear about us through word of mouth,” Prince says. “Some people come in looking for art deco, pieces from the early 1940s through 1950s, or for something specific. A couple ladies are from Japan and one is from Turkey. They buy things and ship them back home. One heartwarming thing that happened is when a son bought a key for his 75-year-old father. His dad had lost a key a mayor had given him many years ago, and this one looked just like it. They son relayed back that it gave his father so much joy to get it.”

Set designers from the movie industry are also customers. Due to a Kentucky tax incentive, there have been several recent films shot in the Louisville area. Prince says staff from a movie came in several months back to purchase objects. Sometimes he loans them out, but if they pay for things, he is willing to rebuy them.

“Linda and I believe in giving back,” Prince says. “We help where I can, and it means something special to us to get involved in causes. It can be as simple as supporting a concert pianist who performs in prison, to my wife giving away thousands of Beanie Babies at Christmas. We contribute to lots of charities and organizations such as Brightside Gallopalooza, which beautifies the streets of Louisville with local artists’ painted horses.”

“I get up in the morning and feel good,” he adds. “I still play 18 holes of golf on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and try to walk 10,000 steps a day. I’ve had a full life

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Handy Hotspots

ENJOYABLE AND EDUCATIONAL DAY TRIPS FROM THE LOUISVILLE AREA

Writer / Carrie Vittitoe

If you don’t have the desire to sit in the car for four or more hours for a full-fledged vacation to Chicago or St. Louis, the beaches of Alabama or Florida, or the mountains of North Carolina, there are plenty of interesting places to visit, some two hours or less from Louisville. It can be delightful to find and explore the unique, under-the-radar spots that not everyone knows about or visits regularly. There’s something magical about finding a hidden travel treasure.

ROSE ISLAND - CHARLESTOWN, INDIANA

A little over 30 minutes from Louisville is Rose Island in Charlestown State Park, which was an amusement park and resort in the 1920s. It featured cottages that looked over the Ohio River, a swimming pool, a dance hall, and a miniature golf course. Flooding in 1937 damaged the structures beyond repair, so what is left is a strange and lovely reminder of what life might have been like for families who came and stayed at Rose Island.

Trail #3 at Charlestown State Park takes you down a steep, paved pathway to a bridge that gains you entrance to the ruins at Trail #7. You can meander through the park on your own, but Charlestown State Park sometimes offers guided tours of Rose Island, which helps to show some of the smaller ruins that you might miss on your own. Definitely get some photos of the archways at the Walkway of Roses.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN BIRTHPLACE

NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARKHODGENVILLE, KENTUCKY

While you can drive to Washington, D.C., to see the huge Lincoln Memorial, a much shorter trek takes you to the first Lincoln memorial in Hodgenville, which is built up on a hill above the place believed to be Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace. The Beaux-Arts monument is full of symbolic elements, including 56 steps that represent the 56 years of the president’s life. Within the memorial building is a one-room log cabin like the one Abraham Lincoln was born into in 1809.

In 1811, the Lincoln family moved to Knob Creek, along Highway 31 in Hodgenville, where a cabin now stands. Nearby is a meadow and the creek itself, where you can stand and imagine the 16th president as a young boy throwing stones into the water. Having stood there myself, it provides a real sense of awe and wonder. If you are taking young children on this adventure, consider getting the picture book “Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale” by Deborah Hopkinson to build some context before they visit. The Louisville Free Public Library has several copies available to borrow.

who died from milk sickness in 1818.

After you’ve taken in the historic sites, there is still more to do in the state park, which features a nature center and various hiking trails, including the Lincoln Boyhood Nature Trail and the Lincoln Park Loop Trail. There is also swimming, fishing and paddle boat rentals.

Kentucky, and Rabbit Hash, Kentucky

If animals are your thing, a little over an hour’s drive from Louisville

LINCOLN STATE PARK AND ABRAHAM LINCOLN BOYHOOD NATIONAL MEMORIAL - LINCOLN CITY, INDIANA

If you want more presidential history, you can head a little over an hour north of Louisville to where the Lincoln family moved when Abraham was 7 years old, in 1816. The visitors center has numerous exhibits and a film, and there is a huge memorial plaza with sculptured panels that you can explore outside. Visitors can see the gravestone of Lincoln’s mother, Nancy,

Big Bone Lick State Historic Site - Union,

will take you to Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, where you can see the herd of bison that lives there. Fossilized remains of mammoths and giant sloths were discovered at the site in the 1700s, which is why it is called the birthplace of American vertebrate paleontology. Its visitors center provides information about this history. There is also a walking path that takes visitors to the salt springs, where animals regularly visited and where Native Americans and European settlers came to hunt.

If quirky little towns interest you, it is an easy 14-minute jaunt from Big Bone Lick to Rabbit Hash, located in Boone County. Check out the General Store, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and then go further back in time to the Rabbit Hash historic district where you can find lots of quirky odds, ends and antiques.

CLIFTY FALLS STATE PARK AND HISTORIC MADISON, INDIANA

If hiking and natural elements are your jam, Clifty Falls would be a great place to spend a day, especially after a good rainfall. With four major waterfalls (Clifty Falls, Little Clifty Falls, Tunnel Falls and Hoffman Falls), there is plenty to see. If you visit in the summer, you can hike a bit and then spend time at the swimming pool. The state park offers regular hikes to some of the waterfalls, as well as guided tours of Brough Tunnel, which was once built to be a railroad tunnel. The tunnel is closed during the fall and winter months to protect hibernating bats.

While you’re up that way, take the 10-minute drive from Clifty Falls State Park to Madison, Indiana, where you can tour the Lanier Mansion, which was completed in 1844 and is a gorgeous example of Greek Revival architecture. The historic mansion is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Broadway Fountain in downtown Madison is gorgeous, and there are several other historic homes worth seeing, including the Francis Costigan House and the Jeremiah Sullivan House.

COLUMBUS, INDIANA

The small town of Columbus, Indiana (on the opposite side of Interstate 65 from Bloomington), is chock-full of public art. If you wander through the town, around any corner you may find an unexpected surprise, such as a Henry Moore sculpture. There are three Dale Chihuly installations at various spots in Columbus as well. My personal favorite is “Eos” by Dessa Kirk, which you can find at the intersection of Brown and Lindsey streets. More outdoor beauty can be found at Mill Race Park, which includes a covered bridge and a huge reflecting pool.

Families with younger children will enjoy the Commons indoor playground as well as kidscommons, which is a quirky children’s museum. Kids of all ages will enjoy Zaharakos, where you can get an ice cream soda; be aware that the real treat is seeing the mahogany backbar and 1908 orchestrion that still plays music. Dating from 1900, the store is something you definitely want to see if you put Columbus on your itinerary.

BEREA, KENTUCKY

A smidge under two hours from Louisville is Berea, where you can hike the Pinnacles, considered by some to be some of the best hiking in the state (and not as crowded as the Red River Gorge area). After working up an appetite, you can sit down for a spell at the historic Boone Tavern Hotel & Restaurant, but if Asian cuisine is your thing, I highly recommend Noodle Nirvana. Those who love to shop will find plenty to satisfy them at the Artisan Village - pottery, fabrics, woodworking and woven goods.

WAVES OF EXCELLENCE

CARL BRASHEAR DEMONSTRATED UNCOMMON COURAGE, DETERMINATION AND PERSEVERANCE

Writer / Carrie Vittitoe

Imagine your favorite superhero. Maybe yours carries a hammer that only he can wield (Thor) or wears a specially designed suit made of vibranium, which is only found in Wakanda (Black Panther). Or is the superhero you’re picturing carrying her signature Lasso of Truth (Wonder Woman)? Whether you’ve been a diehard Marvel or DC fan your entire life, or only recognized the existence of superheroes from the spate of films of the last 15 years, we all have a superhero we find especially inspiring.

A real-life Kentucky superhero whose name you should know is Carl Brashear, who was born in Tonieville, Kentucky, in LaRue County, in 1931. His parents were sharecroppers, so much of his life was spent helping with the land and animals, which he did along with his seven siblings. During his elementary years, like a lot of rural children, he attended a one-room schoolhouse, but because he was black, Brashear’s school was further away, lacked transportation, and was in disrepair compared to the school attended by white children. Brashear didn’t love school, perhaps in part for these reasons, and by

from enlisting or only allowing them to become messmen, stewards and cooks. Fortunately Brashear made a positive impression on an officer, which helped him transfer to boatswain’s mate after serving one year as a steward, providing hospitality and cleanliness.

A boatswain’s mate might sound like a term straight out of “Moby-Dick” and may not mean much to landlubbers, but it entails, among other things, keeping lookout, repairing ship equipment, as well as operating communications equipment, small boats, tugs and barges. During his time as a boatswain’s mate, Carl saw a Navy diver at work and knew that this was the path for him. Unfortunately, the Navy wasn’t eager to have black divers despite Brashear’s requests.

By 1954, however, the Navy had a change of heart and he found himself on his way to Bayonne, New Jersey, to complete training as a salvage diver, which would give him the skills to complete search and rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations. Despite half of his diving class failing or dropping

out, suggesting the difficulty of the class, Brashear completed the course and saw a brighter future for himself.

He spent many years as a salvage diver and continued to acquire new skills, including a scuba diving certification, but his ultimate goal was to become a master diver. He completed his GED and took a course to become a first-class diver, but, unfortunately, Brashear failed out of this course. For a man used to diving beneath the ocean’s waves, this felt like hitting the ocean’s floor. However, he wasn’t the type of man to just give up; he switched his plan and headed to Hawaii for second-class diving school, where he succeeded.

In 1961 Brashear returned to the fleet as a second-class diver and was able to participate in some fairly historic moments, including

ACCOUNTING

assessing what was left of the USS Arizona, the battleship that was sunk during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He was then sent to the Indian Ocean, where he captained ships as part of Operation Dominic, which tested nuclear weapons.

By 1963 he decided to return to first-class diving school, and used everything he had learned over the previous several years to not only pass the class, but also help out a struggling colleague who was in danger of failing the class.

Of course, in every superhero story there is a point where something monumentally bad happens that threatens to completely destroy the protagonist. For Brashear, this was an accident aboard the USS Hoist in 1966. While on a mission to search for a missing hydrogen bomb off the coast of Spain, a steel pipe broke loose from

Carl M. Brashear Radcliff Veterans Center

the boat and tumbled down the deck of the ship. Brashear pushed a fellow sailor out of the way, leaving him in the path of the steel pipe, which left his lower left leg with severe compound fractures. No one knew if he would ever walk again, which meant his career as a diver was likely over.

Brashear had worked too hard for too long to not dive, so he asked the doctors to amputate because he wanted to get back in the water as soon as he could. As it turned out, an infection made amputation necessary. Brashear learned as much as he could about wearing prosthetics and quickly

adapted to an artificial leg.

Despite such a profound change to his health, he insisted that he could and would dive once again. With the approval of the Navy, he began a one-year trial period during which he was tested and monitored to ensure he was physically able to dive safely By the end of that 12-month period, Brashear resumed his position as a diver.

By early 1970, Brashear qualified as a saturation diver (which allows a diver to live and work underwater before being able to resurface in a short decompression period) and was soon given what he had long dreamed of: the opportunity to take the master diver course. He was assessed, stressed and challenged by instructors for five weeks to ensure he had the know-how and temperament to deal with virtually any situation that might occur underwater. In June 1970, Carl Brashear became the first African American master diver in the history of the United States Navy, an honor

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he held and loved for the next nine years.

Because of Brashear’s achievements, it made sense that the state of Kentucky would honor him in some way. “It was through his determination, perseverance and bravery that Brashear overcame many obstacles to become one of Kentucky’s true heroes, and the reason the Center was dedicated in his name,” says Sue Popplewell, executive director at the Carl Brashear Veterans Center in Radcliff. “There was a dedication ceremony held at the Center on November 9, 2017.”

Built on a 19-acre campus, the Carl M. Brashear Radcliffe Veterans Center consists of four neighborhoods that hold three households for 10 veterans each. Popplewell says what makes these households unique is that all veterans have private rooms with private baths, which most long-term care facilities do not offer. “Each neighborhood has a covered porch, enclosed courtyard and private entrances,” Popplewell says. “The

Community Center includes rehabilitative services, administrative staff, and a great room for large or small functions.” There is also a community center with a main kitchen, laundry and chapel.

The Veterans Center has taken Brashear’s inspiration of excellence and achievement to heart. “In 2023 we were awarded the Best of Kentucky Nursing and Rehabilitation Award for quality service,” Popplewell says. All four of the state veterans homes in Kentucky won an Abraham Lincoln Pillar of Excellence Award from the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs in 2023 for their “Lest We Forget” songwriting project with Tamara Stewart, an Australian singer-songwriter who is also a trauma recovery specialist.

At the start of 2024, all four state veterans homes won another Abraham Lincoln Pillar of Excellence Award, this time for their Red Carpet Welcome Home Ceremony. “In this ceremony, we welcome each

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veteran that is admitted to our centers by rolling out the red carpet and bringing the veteran in, either walking, by wheelchair, or stretcher, along the red carpet with his/ her family alongside to meet the staff,” Popplewell explains. “They may not have been welcomed home when they returned from service, so we want to welcome you home now.”

As a way to bring attention to the importance of veterans centers in Kentucky and help support veterans in need, a “Lest We Forget” concert will be held on November 8, 2024, at 7 p.m. at the State Theater in Elizabethtown, featuring Tamara Stewart. “Miss Stewart does a phenomenal job sitting down with our veterans and writing their stories,” Popplewell says. The lyrics are transformed into songs and then performed at these concerts. It is an evening of healing and pride that Popplewell, on behalf of the Veterans Center, invites everyone to come witness and support.

SULLIVAN’S CONCRETE COATING

Writer / Melissa Stalb

It’s not uncommon to notice the concrete floor in a garage or pool deck beginning to deteriorate. Activities like changing the oil in a car, pets scratching, or children playing can leave spills, stains, and ordinary wear and tear on the surface.

Commercial facilities see wear and tear even more, often prompting maintenance staff to look for other options.

Sullivan’s Concrete Coating in Louisville offers a aesthetically pleasing solution, with slip-resistant and sanitized surfaces.

Shannon Sullivan retired in 2018 and began looking into concrete coating, a durable and attractive alternative to the typical concrete seen in many residential homes and commercial buildings.

“We do a lot of basements, garages, sidewalks, porches and pool decks,” Sullivan said. “We also have crews big enough to take on commercial jobs, and we do common areas in schools, locker rooms, jails and restaurants.”

Opening just prior to 2020, Sullivan chose the most advanced industrial coating through Penntek, and said the pandemic led to a need we might not have seen otherwise.

“The coating is antibacterial,” Sullivan said. “Everyone is much more aware of germs these days, so using this material in food areas, countertops, tabletops at the pool and places like that became important. Two layers of topcoat on the counters make it glass smooth, which is great for restaurants.”

Not only is it antibacterial, but it also leaves spills and grime on the surface, making the cleanup easier and sanitary.

“Nothing roots into the coating,” Sullivan said. “It’s chemical and salt resistant. The product clings to the surface with a chemical reaction and it’s a premium, 99.5% solid polyurea,” Sullivan said. “You can use some dish soap, wipe it clean and you’re done.”

Sullivan said many people are using their garages, basements and backyards as gathering spaces for get-togethers, and not only is the cleanup easy, but it also provides an aesthetically pleasing look, versus what used to be drab concrete. The coating, particularly on a floor that might attract dirt, grease and grime like the garage, drastically improves the appearance. It even prevents future damage and could potentially increase your home value.

In addition, it comes with a lifetime manufacturer warranty, so even if Sullivan retires, the manufacturer will still honor the warranty.

“We make sure our product is going to be good for this concrete,” Sullivan said. “Otherwise I’ll walk away. We provide the [material safety data sheets] to all of our

customers, showing where the product is made and all the information needed. I think our reviews speak for themselves.”

The family-like company atmosphere can be felt by customers, and they know they are taken care of to the best of Sullivan’s ability.

“I’ve been blessed to meet so many people,” Sullivan said. “We have wonderful customers and both of my sons work in the company as well. My nephew works here. You have these young guys with great personalities and it makes the workplace that much more pleasurable.”

Sea to Believe It

OSTERIA ITALIAN SEAFOOD MAKING A SPLASH

The brain of Jared Matthews is always buzzing with new restaurant concepts he hasn’t tried yet. Luckily for Louisville, Matthews continues to turn those thoughts into reality on a regular basis.

Osteria Italian Seafood is the newest brainchild from Matthews, specializing in fresh seafood dishes with Italian influences. Osteria joins other local establishments

Writer / Gavin LaPaille

Matthews owns, including Lou Lou on Market and The Fox Den.

“My brain doesn’t turn off,” Matthews said. “I have five different concepts in my head right now. My wife is who keeps me grounded, or I’d be opening two restaurants a year. I’ve had the fresh seafood concept in my mind for a couple of years, and just had to have the right spot.”

Osteria took over the space formerly home to Napa River Grill on 1211 Herr Lane in Westport Village. Matthews had conversations with the Napa owners when he learned they were looking to sell, and fell in love with the location.

“I had just opened up Lou Lou on Market about six months before I had the

River location,” Matthews said. “One of the owners lives in my neighborhood and he asked if I would have any interest in buying Napa River Grill. I’m always interested in a business conversation. We had a meeting and I love the space and the location. I didn’t have any interest in keeping it Napa River Grill, but my parents used to go there all the time and they loved it. Napa was great but I thought it had run its course. I loved the spot and I always wanted to do a fresh seafood restaurant in Louisville because I thought there was a lack of that. I wanted to do fresh seafood because we have that UPS hub that can get us fresh fish. It worked out that we can get fresh fish within 48 hours.”

Matthews says he took over the Napa restaurant in June of 2023 with the intention of turning it into Osteria with a “coastal vibe.” In September the restaurant shutdown for two weeks, reopening with its new theme and name while blending in many of the favorites from the previous location. Matthews hired the same company he has worked with in the past to paint a large octopus mural inside the space, while also highlighting the creative ability from staff members with a painted chalkboard. Osteria also features most of the same kitchen staff as Napa, including Executive Chef Seth Butkus.

“The cuisine is exactly what the name says: fresh seafood with an Italian twist,” Matthews said. “We make all of our pastas in-house daily. It worked out that me and Seth really clicked. We traveled around and put a plan together. His

Director of Operations Miles South & Jared Matthews

whole kitchen staff was great and everyone stuck around. We did a reinterview process with my company and it all worked out. Seth’s dad, Bennett, makes all of our soups and he’s unbelievable. He’s from Rhode Island is the reason Seth got into cooking. It’s a neat aspect of our restaurant that we have a father-son duo in the kitchen.”

Osteria’s menu includes fresh-baked pasta and seafood, with classics such as baked shrimp scampi and ahi tuna wontons, as well as new favorites such as lobster bisque, seared scallops and margherita pizza. The menu also includes pastas such as ricotta gnocchi alla Bolognese and lasagna rotolo.

Osteria is open daily for lunch and dinner, and promotes daily chef specials, happy hours and other special events. Osteria also features private rooms, online reservations, and catering, giving guests a variety of options to check out their offerings. Matthews is excited for the warmer weather and the potential the Osteria space offers its

guests, including an extensive wine list and live music.

“We have a nice patio,” Matthews said. “Coming up in the spring and summer, we’re going to be running a great cocktail menu. We are going to redo our lunch menu so it’s going to be an Italian cafe. A lot of coffee, drinks and brunch items.”

As the owner of several other popular restaurants locally, Matthews has built up a following of guests who enjoy partaking in his newest creations, but he also has been able to maintain guests from the previous Napa restaurant.

“We built up a pretty good following with our restaurant group and there are a lot of Napa regulars that have stuck around,” Matthews said. “I don’t think there’s one person who isn’t excited about what we did. The space needed some attention, and people are excited about that and it’s going over well. The people who come seem to

love it. It’s a niche setting in Louisville with the fresh seafood and I think we hit it well.”

One of the main objectives Matthews strives for is to give his guests a great experience, not just in the Osteria location, but in all of his projects.

“My big thing with all my businesses, I want service to be top notch,” Matthews said. “I want it to be an experience at all my places. Anywhere you go, I drill that into my employees’ heads. People are trying to forget about their problems and whatever life is throwing at them, so I want our servers to help with that. I want them to be knowledgeable about our product, kill them with kindness and knock their socks off with really great service.”

Matthews has seen a number of his projects open up in the St. Matthews area. As a resident of St. Matthews as well as a business owner, he sees the potential and benefit of being in that area and is also

looking to expand into other communities.

“I love the St. Matthews area, but it’s just worked out that way,” Matthews said. “I do want to expand out to Middletown area. I would love to do another Lou Lou out there, I just haven’t found the right spot.”

Matthews has a new director of operations for all of his restaurants, assisting him in some of the day-to-day operations of running Osteria and other locations. He also has a small investor in a longtime friend who has helped Matthews over the years during his journey.

“We got together a really good team, which made my wife feel better about the project,” Matthews said. “It’s definitely a big help.”

While working in the restaurant industry can be challenging, Matthews said he can’t see himself doing anything else.

“I’m a Christian, so being able to serve

people every day is what I was called to do,” Matthews said. “I love to give that back to the people. I’ve been in the restaurant industry my whole life, from working in pizza places when I was in high school to bartending and now owning. Restaurants are my passion and love. There are easier ways to make money, but I do this because I love the industry and all it has to offer.”

Visit osterialouisville.com for more info.

INTRODUCING NEW SERVICES

Are you looking for a Family Home Provider [FHP]?

Look no further!

Zoom Group [ZG] is thrilled to announce the launch of our new Residential 2 and Respite Services.

ZG welcomes residents and residential referrals.

Or join our team of dedicated FHPs.

AUGUST CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS 1. Budding socialite

Inconclusive

Foot division

Word of support

One with a glazed look?

Something to walk on

Playing pieces

16. Do some cutting, maybe

Aspen forecast

Adversary of Bugs

Shared airs

Chesterfield, e.g.

Outlet

Conned

Knuckleheads

SENIOR PRIDE

THOSE 60 AND OLDER CAN TREAD THE BOARDS WITH YOUNG HEARTS

THEATRE

Writer / Carrie Vittitoe

It is no small feat to keep an organization operational for 45 years. Of course, when your members have 70-, 80- and 90-odd years of life under their belts, four-plus decades is just a blink of an eye. It’s all about perspective, really, and the perspective of the women and men who make up Young Hearts Theatre is that singing, dancing and camaraderie aren’t just the purview of the young.

Young Hearts Theatre began in 1979 under the direction of George Partridge, a man whose heart was deeply embedded in the dramatic arts, having produced and directed shows at Bowman Field during World War II that featured both servicemen and civilians. In forming Young Hearts Theatre, he wanted to create an opportunity for people aged 60 and older to sing, dance, act and entertain others.

He soon began collaborating with Eloise Terry, a veteran of WHAS television and radio and a ballroom dancer, with whom he had worked coordinating USO

shows. When Partridge’s health began to diminish, she became the director and choreographer of Young Hearts Theatre. Though Terry passed away in 2019 (at age 103!), her memory lives on among current members who now take turns directing and choreographing shows. Two current members, Willa Fougnie and Carol Fessler, even co-wrote a show in Terry’s honor called “A Toast to Eloise,” which was performed the year she died.

Any group that has been around for close to 50 years has undergone change. The rehearsal location has changed since its inception, as has the number of shows performed each year. In the first 13 months of the group’s existence, it put on 26 shows at various locations throughout Louisville. Eventually the group changed focus to perform a new show every other month (except during winter months); now they perform twice a year. The mission of the group, however, hasn’t altered at all: to entertain audiences for free, especially

seniors who are on a fixed income.

The group’s leadership is a 12-member board (each of whom serves a three-year term), which makes decisions for the group to align with their status as a charity and their mission. The board decides which shows get produced and when.

Fougnie, who turns 92 years young in August and is the group’s music director, says group members can write shows and submit them to the board for review. If a show gets board approval, it can be produced, and “if it’s a good show, we may do it again,” she says. Fougnie herself has written or co-written at least six shows for Young Hearts Theatre over the years.

While some of the group’s performances are variety shows, many others follow a narrative with music interspersed. The songs are selected by the writer and efforts have to be made to get permission to use them, although many of the songs they use for

shows no longer have copyrights because they are so old.

Young Hearts Theatre’s next performance is called “The Church at Hidden Creek,” a funny musical written and directed by 87-year-old Fessler, another longtime member of the group. Fessler actually wrote the show in 2013, and because it was so well-received, the Young Hearts team decided to put it on again.

Fessler has a lifelong interest in performance and says she actually met her husband in 1959 while both were doing theater. Throughout their married life they performed separately and together, and joined Young Hearts Theatre in 2007. One of the things she says she likes most about being involved with Young Hearts, and especially about writing and directing shows, is that “it keeps your mind going. It keeps you sharp. You have to lay out where actors are going and what they’re doing.”

She isn’t the only person in Young Hearts Theatre to get a cognitive benefit from the performances. The members are not only memorizing songs, but they are also memorizing their respective lines, as well as where they are supposed to stand and move while on stage. It takes a lot of focus and mental acuity to do this.

When the group meets to block each act in preparation for a show, it takes a bit of imagination to get a sense of exactly what the show might look like on stage because they don’t practice on a stage until the week of the show. All meetings are held twice a week for three hours at Hikes Point Christian Church, except during openingweek rehearsals. At a recent practice, some 25 members gathered with their binders in hands, listening as Fessler instructed them on where they need to be on stage, and offering help on their lines.

This year’s show, “The Church at Hidden Creek,” is about a congregation getting a new preacher, and it has some real zingers, including a line about obedient women being in all corners of the world. This is followed by the observation that “God made the earth round.” Congregants also accuse someone of “gluteny” as opposed to “gluttony,” a verbal faux pas sure to get laughs.

Richard Ray, age 73, has been associated with Young Hearts Theatre since its inception, in part because his mother was one of the original members. For him, Young Hearts has really been a family affair

because his older sister was also involved with the group. While he loves to sing, he also serves as producer of “The Church at Hidden Creek,” which means he is the tech guy. “I handle the tech stuff - the sounds and lights to get the effect the director wants,” he says. While he did some theater in high school, he says he is really very introverted, but something happens when he’s on stage. “You can be someone else,” he says.

Barbara Sutherland, age 83, has been performing with Young Hearts Theatre for about four years and says she loves the social aspect of the group. While she minored in music in college and sings in her church choir, being around others is the main draw for her. “I’m one of those people who don’t like to be sitting at home,” she says. “I like to keep moving.”

Movement is part and parcel of a Young Hearts Theatre show. During practices, members are standing, sitting and moving around the space, and while they may not be moving fast, they are moving for six or more hours a week while getting a show ready. During a recent meeting for an upcoming show, there was time on the schedule allotted for practicing clogging, which will be included in the show.

In addition to putting on a show twice a year, Young Hearts Theatre also sponsors a scholarship, called the Eloise Terry Scholarship. This financial-need diversity scholarship helps ensure that a child who wants to attend Sacred Heart School for the Arts classes can do so. This feat is

pretty amazing given that the group never charges for tickets to its shows. Fougnie says the group “survives through donations,” which help cover the costs of insurance, a storage unit for costumes and props, and other expenses associated with putting on performances.

While the group’s goal is to give seniors a chance to see a fun show for free, the performances are family friendly, which is often why audiences are so generous with donations at the conclusion of a performance. In the past several years, shows have run the gamut, from vaudeville variety shows to cabaret to a production called “Westward Ho!” A particularly wellloved show called “The Frisky Fifties” was performed in 2022.

Young Hearts Theatre doesn’t require that any member have a background in music, dancing or theater; it’s a plus if they do, but it isn’t necessary. Members may have taught drama in their professional lives, performed with other amateur groups, or simply enjoy musical performance. Most everyone involved with Young Hearts Theatre would say the most essential factor isn’t what they bring to the group, but rather what they get from participating: an opportunity to tap into their joie de vivre!

If you are interested in joining Young Hearts Theatre, you can contact them via their website, youngheartstheatre.info, or find them on Facebook. To see a show, be sure to head to Ursuline Arts Center between August 8 and 11 for the 2 p.m. matinees.

GUARDIAN SAVINGS BANK

Writer / Gavin LaPaille

Residents of Louisville have a new option for their checking and savings accounts. Guardian Savings Bank, known as one of the top-performing savings banks in the tri-state area, opened its first Louisville location in September of 2023, providing its excellence service and high rates to a new market. So far, customers seem to be impressed.

“They couldn’t believe our rates are this good,” Branch Manager Crystal White said of customers. “People had never heard of us, so they weren’t sure if we were a real bank. They would make a trip over to come see us, just to make sure we existed before opening accounts. We often hear we have the best rates in the market. We’re known in the markets we serve for meeting or being above the competition.”

The new Guardian location is open Monday through Saturday. Guardian focuses on home mortgage loans and checking and savings accounts for their customers.

Mortgage loans offered consist of conventional conforming and nonconforming loans, along with FHA

and VA loans. Guardian is also a leader in construction, lot, investment and apartment loans. There are 15-, 20- and 30-year loan types, with all Guardian locations doing more than $800 million in mortgage loans last year alone.

The checking and savings accounts offered feature low minimum balance requirements, online and mobile access, and debit cards.

“We have an older way of doing business,” White said. “We’re not a full-service bank. We don’t have personal or auto loans. We’re more interested in our depositors than our residential lending. We’re not a fee-heavy bank; that’s not how we make our money. We are known for our specialty products and portfolio lending.”

With other locations in Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and Lexington, Guardian has been providing top-notch service for its customers since 1895. White sees a number of advantages expanding into Louisville.

“This side of Louisville is great,” White said. “It’s a beautiful area. People have interest in investing into us, once they become a

customer, to make sure the bank succeeds. That isn’t coming from the staff. That’s coming from the customers. They have an excellent experience and can’t wait to tell others about it. Most of our business is referral-based.”

Interested customers can visit the branch to get started and be sure to receive personalized service.

“As a smaller bank, we maintain a more personal touch,” White said. “Customers can walk in and open a new account in about 10 minutes. It’s very easy to open accounts with us because we function a little differently. We do banking the way it used to be done. When you call a branch, you’re getting a real person. You get very personalized service when you call Guardian.”

CONNECT

ROUSING RETROSPECTIVE

SPEED ART MUSEUM UNVEILS EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTING THE PIONEERING WORK OF WILLIAM M. DUFFY

Writer / Jaclyn Osman

In late June, the Speed Art Museum unveiled “Louisville’s Black AvantGarde: William M. Duffy,” the second installment of an exhibition series exploring the pioneering artists behind the Louisville Art Workshop, a radical artistic collective founded in the 1960s. It focused on furthering the careers of and building community among black artists of Louisville, at a time when black artists were routinely excluded from museums and galleries.

Featuring work spanning more than four decades, “Louisville’s Black AvantGarde: William M. Duffy” highlights not only the sculpture for which Duffy is particularly known, but the full breadth of his wide-ranging practice including drawings, paintings and digital art, and will be on view through September 29. Duffy resides in Louisville.

The exhibition examines Duffy’s contributions as both an artistic and community leader who has provided a creative focus for young artists, inspiring generations of local artists to develop their talents and pursue their passions. In his work, Duffy draws inspiration from family relationships and everyday moments of beauty, as well as found materials from the built and natural environments of his immediate surroundings. In addition to fine art, the retrospective will also include commercial works commissioned by local community groups, and works that Duffy made over the course of his long career as an educator in the Jefferson County Public Schools - including some created in

collaboration with his students.

“William M. Duffy is not only a remarkable artist, but has inspired and mentored countless Louisville artists, in addition to

being an influential arts educator for thousands of children,” said Speed Art Museum Director Raphaela Platow. “As a leader of a vital artistic movement whose influence is still felt today, this retrospective of his work exemplifies how art has been and continues to be used as a tool to build connections in our community.”

The Louisville Art Workshop was founded in the 1960s by a group of like-minded artists as a way to support one another, advance their careers, and foster the creative process and development of new work through a variety of educational workshops, artistic critiques and group showcases. Through a community-focused mindset, the group flourished with a progressive atmosphere that challenged the artistic and cultural norms of the time, and was notably one of the few integrated artistic groups of the period. The late Dr. Robert L. Douglas was a founding member, alongside Fred and Anna Bond, who converted a West End Louisville storefront to create both a home for their family and an exhibition space for participating artists. Other prominent artists such as G.C. Coxe, Ed Hamilton and Kenneth Victor Young also helped to establish the workshop and publicly debut its January 1967 exhibition, “Designs in Space.” This show and subsequent exhibitions inspired many other local artists to join and form workshops of their own, advancing subjects including sculpture, photography, poetry, creative writing, music and theater.

William Duffy in studio, about 1982

Geoff Carr Photograph Collection, 023PC16.13 gelatin silver print

Courtesy of the Filson Historical Society Photography by Geoff Carr

Photo by: Supply Lab Media

Born in 1953, Duffy joined the Louisville Art Workshop in the 1970s as one of its youngest members, seeking community after having felt like “the only black artist in Louisville” before meeting other artists in the Workshop. After the workshop dissolved, Duffy and fellow sculptor Ed Hamilton founded a new collective called Montage, intended to not only foster collaboration between black artists and create opportunities for their works to be shown more publicly, but also to be a site of gathering and inspiration for the whole Louisville community. The goal of the collective was twofold: to help working artists further their careers while inspiring the next generation through artistic accessibility. Evolving from the model of its predecessor, Montage was meant to be part artist collective and part community space, where adults and children

Upward Glance, ca. 1988 Basalt

Courtesy of William and Sherrolyn Duffy

Mask for the Catman, 1980 Mixed Media

Courtesy of William and Sherrolyn Duffy

alike from the community could gather to engage with the artistic process and find inspiration.

“William M. Duffy is an artist and leader who exemplifies the spirit of Montage and the Louisville Art Workshop, using the arts to build community and create bridges between us,” said Speed Curator of African and Native American Collections Dr. fari nzinga. “In life and in his work, he has been a connector and a community builder, making space for all. Mr. Duffy has inspired generations of artists through his own work and his career as a teacher, so it is an exciting opportunity for us to present the progression of his role as an artist and mentor of great importance to our community.”

“I have a long history with the Speed, dating back to my 1988 one-man show, and I am honored to be returning to the museum for this exhibition,” said Duffy. “I’ve been an artist my whole life because I needed to be;

Courtesy of William and Sherrolyn Duffy

there was no way I couldn’t be, with the urge I felt to create. I’m excited to reflect back on decades of my work with the community that has meant so much to me and has continued to inspire me.”

This presentation continues the efforts of those organizing the “Louisville’s Black Avant-Garde” series to contextualize the Louisville Art Workshop’s historical importance and abiding impact on the cultural life of Louisville, building on the Speed’s mission to highlight the diversity of Kentucky’s artistic traditions and showcase artists who have been historically underrepresented in the museum’s collections. The series was inaugurated in June 2023 with a survey of artist, educator and scholar Dr. Robert L. Douglas.

“Louisville’s Black Avant-Garde: William M. Duffy” is organized by the Speed Art Museum and curated by Dr. fari nzinga, with support from Sarah Battle, coordinator of academic programs and publications at

the National Gallery of Art’s Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, whose oral history research project, “Painting a Legacy: the Black Artistic Community in Louisville, 1950s-1970s,” provided a scholarly foundation for the exhibition.

For additional details on the exhibition and the Speed Art Museum, visit speedmuseum. org. For more info on William M. Duffy and his artwork, go to wmduffy.com.

Expires 9/30/2024 Expires 9/30/2024

Spread Your Wings, 1980 Marble

Courtesy of William and Sherrolyn Duffy

SUMMER SUN SAFETY MONTH SUMMER SUN SAFETY MONTH

TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RELISHING THOSE RAYS RESPONSIBLY

Writer / Heather Cregger

The sun is out, and school is almost in session. Whether you’re enjoying activities at the Parklands, splashing around a pool or getting in a last-minute vacation, don’t forget those ultraviolet (UV) rays are at full force. August is Summer Sun Safety Month, so let’s help you enjoy those long days while avoiding future damage.

UVA and UVB rays are types of radiation from the sun. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UV radiation can lead to health risks, with UVA posing the most risk. Sunburn, vision loss, age spots, and loss of collagen leading to increased wrinkling are common risks of UV exposure. The biggest risks, though, are changes in the skin that can lead to cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. Melanoma, which can be deadly, is usually caused by UV rays. Areas of the skin with the most sun exposure are at highest risk and include the face, lips, ears, scalp, arms, hands, legs, neck and chest.

FACTORS THAT INCREASE YOUR RISK INCLUDE:

• Having light hair, skin or eyes

• Family history of skin cancer

• Being over 50 years old

• Taking oral medications such as antibiotics, birth control and some acne medications

• Using topical skin treatments such as retinoids, serums, benzoyl peroxide, and vitamin C

Here’s the GOOD NEWS - you can still enjoy being outdoors while minimizing your risks!

Wear Your SUNSCREEN: There are two main types of sunscreens: physical and chemical. Both are effective at protecting your skin when applied as directed. Just remember to choose a product that is broad-spectrum, covering both UVA and UVB rays. The ACS recommends an SPF of 30 or above.

Physical sunscreen uses either zinc oxide

or titanium dioxide to block UV rays by reflecting them off the skin or absorbing them. It’s often a great choice for those with sensitive skin, though it may leave a white cast and can be difficult to wash off.

Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays, breaking them down and therefore protecting the skin. These are readily available with many options that won’t leave you looking like a mime.

Makeup or other skin-care products that contain SPF may give you protection for running errands or spending most of your day indoors, but don’t skip the sunscreen when spending time outdoors. To be effective, SPF needs to be applied generously.

Remember, sunscreen is only a partial barrier and needs to be reapplied. Follow the directions, and reapply more often if sweating a lot or in the water. Also, don’t forget to check those expiration dates! Expired sunscreen loses its effectiveness.

GET SOME SHADE

The hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. are when UV rays are the strongest. It’s important to limit direct exposure as much as possible during these hours. Finding a shady tree or using a sun umbrella can help. Even on cloudy days, UV rays are still beaming through, so shade is only a partial barrier, and wearing sunscreen is still recommended.

COVER UP

Wearing clothes adds a layer of protection. It’s best to wear darker, thick-woven fabrics, and the more skin covered, the better. Many companies now offer clothes with a coating that absorbs UV rays. You can find shirts, pants, swimwear and even hats.

ADD A HAT

Speaking of hats, the scalp, face and ears are common areas for skin cancer to develop. Providing coverage with a wide-brimmed hat that is dark on the underside is better than a baseball cap or visor, which misses

coverage of the neck and ears. The CDC suggests a brim two to three inches in width for adequate coverage.

DON’T FORGET THE SUNGLASSES

Last but not least, protect those eyes. UV rays can cause long-term damage to your vision, including eye cancer, cataracts, and growths in or near the eye. Sunglasses, especially ones with wraparound or larger frames, offer the best protection. The color doesn’t determine the protection - make sure you pick glasses with a UV sticker. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends glasses that offer both UVA and UVB protection, or glasses that are labeled 100% UV protection or UV400 protection.

So, as the days grow shorter and the school year beckons, go ahead and make the most of the remaining summer sunshine while keeping your health in mind. This month

WELCOME

BUFFET

reminds us that with a little planning, we can all enjoy our favorite outdoor activities without risking future skin damage.

By incorporating a few simple tactics like applying broad-spectrum sunscreen, seeking shade during peak hours, as well as wearing protective clothing, hats and sunglasses, we can shield ourselves from the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. It’s all about having smart sun safety practices.

Go ahead and soak up those last beautiful summer moments at the park, by the pool or on that last-minute vacation. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well-equipped to protect your skin and eyes while savoring every sunlit second. Stay safe, stay healthy and enjoy the sunshine responsibly!

Meet Middletown’s Latest Blessing!

Hattie Downs has volunteered with Christian Care Communities for the past 10 years. Hosting Bingo, leading Bible Study, as well as providing popcorn and drinks for Movie Saturdays - she does it all. Hattie continues to shower our residents and staff with care and her enthusiastic smile. Seeing the residents desire for crafting and comradery, she began regularly putting art activities together and the “together time” sparked conversations that were warm and engaging. Hattie works and speaks from her heart while being diligent to listen and respond at the ready to assist and support as life brings changes in the aging process. We are proud to recently welcome Hattie on staff as our onsite Chaplain. She brings a wealth of spiritual care experience and compassion as a trained Stephen Ministry counselor as she able to connect on many different care levels with residents and their family members.

“The people I have met at Christian Care have given me so much purpose and responsibility. The residents treat me as if I am a deep family member – showing me compassion, care, love, and trust.” says Hattie. Across the community more and more residents have started attending Hattie’s Sunday service. She credits this to “making the service centered around their desire for a personal spiritual experience. I want to ensure everyone knows they are valued and worth the effort.”

We could not be more proud or thankful to call Hattie a team member and our new Chaplain at Christian Care Communities Middletown.

MUCH TO SHOW FOR IT

A LOOK BACK AT LOUISVILLE’S VOGUE THEATER

Writer / Kevin Gibson

While the building once occupied by the Vogue theater is now retail space, legions of Louisvillians remember it as a place that shaped their youth and even their cultural viewpoint.

In this city, the Vogue is essentially legendary, at least for a certain group. From full-blown live productions of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” synced to the film itself, to the rotating midnight movies each weekend, to film festivals, those who ever went to the Vogue pretty much always went back to the Vogue. For many, it was not just once a month or every weekend, but a multiple-times-per-week proposition.

For some, it’s the first time they saw “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” or “A Clockwork Orange.” For others it was a place to see concert and rock films on the big screen, occasional classic silent films, as

well as underground and foreign films that other theaters would never dare to show. Heck, Iggy Pop performed there.

As a regular at the Vogue myself during the 1980s and 1990s, some of my best memories are of seeing films like “The Warriors” on the big screen after having watched it for so long on the television in my parents’ basement. I remember seeing the bigger-than-life “Stop Making Sense” by Talking Heads there, and seeing films that freaked me out, such as “Liquid Sky.”

On many weekends, my friends and I, having no plans, would simply say, “Let’s just go to the Vogue.” Often, it didn’t matter what was on the screen; the atmosphere, along with a bucket of the theater’s delicious popcorn, was all we needed.

In fact, the theater created a sort of family

of employees and regulars, an inner circle of sorts - one that wept when the projectors finally rolled for the final time and still mourns the loss two and a half decades later.

EARLY LIFE

While most remember it as the art-house theater cultivated by Marty Sussman and Carl Wohlschlegel starting in the late 1970s, the Vogue started its life as a neighborhood theater showing the first-run films of the day.

The theater opened in 1939 in a busy retail district. Vintage photos show it as part of a bustling corridor flanked by businesses like a Sears store, an F.W. Woolworth store, a supermarket and more. Those photos also show lines of families waiting to get inside. The theater’s first feature shown was “Lady of the Tropics,” starring Robert Taylor and Hedy Lamarr, and tickets cost 16 cents. The theater ads touted free parking and

described the venue “the place to go.”

It quickly became a place for birthday parties and civic gatherings as well. In 1950 it played host to a cooking school for two days, and in 1953 it was a drop-off site for a book drive. It continued to host public meetings and showing movies through the 1960s. Things changed in the 1970s, when it began to transform into the place many would ultimately simply refer to as the Vogue, under new management with a bold, new vision.

For instance, in November of 1977 the theater played host to a Charlie Chaplin film festival - something most theaters would never even consider. In September of that year, Courier-Journal film writer Scott Hammen was already lauding the Vogue’s format change earlier in the year, extolling the “imaginative risks” Sussman was taking in programming. “Most theater owners considered the Vogue’s new format to be economic suicide, but, after a highly

successful summer, the Vogue is surprising everyone,” Hammen wrote.

The Vogue, however, almost died an early death. In 1978, Taylor Drug Store, which owned the building, canceled Sussman’s lease, drawing an outcry from regular customers who called it a “disservice” to the community in letters to the editor of the Courier-Journal and labeled the closing - over a handful of the films that were screened there - “a cultural wound.” A petition circulated, the lease was ultimately renewed a few weeks later, and the new theater concept pushed on.

The Vogue was offered some stability in 1982 when the building was acquired by Henry Saag and his Associated Theatres of Kentucky. He retained Sussman as the curator and manager, and maintained the art-house format. Sussman told the CourierJournal at the time, “If it works, don’t fix it. The Vogue works very well.” The Vogue became home to live theater, continued

hosting community events and grew its fanbase organically, with alternative theater and cheap prices.

But Saag’s passing in April 1998 put the Vogue in jeopardy yet again. This time, the old theater couldn’t recover. It would close its doors for the final time, without warning, on September 17, 1998, and it was frontpage news in the Courier-Journal. Dave Conover was there that night, and being an insider, although not an actual employee, he was in the know.

“The night the theater shut down was one of the saddest times I’ve ever experienced,” Conover says. “There was crying going on in every space as the final film rolled, and the audience inside had no idea they were going to be the last.”

LIFE AFTER THE VOGUE

For Conover and the many like him who continue to mourn the Vogue, the place was

more than just a movie theater.

“I was a little left of center and it was an amazing communal place to feel safe and different,” says Joe Botts, who frequented the theater in the 1980s and ‘90s. “I miss it terribly.”

Shannon Runke concurs, name-dropping films like “Dogs in Space,” “The Cure in Orange” and “The Moderns” as films she saw with friends at the Vogue. “The Vogue shaped my high-school-age experience in the late ‘80s,” Runke says. “So many cinema experiences like these at the Vogue that informed our aesthetic and provided us with ideas to discuss.”

And specific memories are plentiful. Just ask Eddie Nedell. “One memory I have is being caught by the police with a bottle of vodka,” he says. “We were maybe juniors in high school so it was definitely not legal, and told to pour it out and go home and not come back. Needless to say, we parked my Cougar

in some far-off alley and went to see ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ at midnight.”

Kevin DePaola remembers seeing “Return of the Living Dead” at the Vogue, which, as horror fans know, is set in Louisville, although it wasn’t filmed locally.

“My friend and I were unaware of the setting of the film, so halfway through the movie when the first Louisville police car showed up, we started to feel really uncomfortable,” DePaola says. “By the end, we waited until everyone left and slowly made our way to Lexington Road.”

And anyone who saw “Rocky Horror,” as Vogue veterans always referred to the film, remembers bigger-than-life costumes, bigger-than-life traditions (let’s just say if you “propose a toast” to a group of “Rocky Horror” fans, you’d better duck) and biggerthan-life energy. The whole place oozed alternative culture and community.

Conover ended up working at Baxter Theatre, which opened just before the Vogue’s demise and probably contributed to that demise on some level, for 12 years. Wohlschlegel went to work there for a time, and the “Rocky Horror” productions moved to Baxter. Having spent 17 years associated with the Vogue, however, Conover says at the time of its closing, he literally had spent half his life there. Baxter, for its strengths, could never replace it.

“The theater and its people changed my life, widened my world and altered my perceptions in every way,” Conover says. “It helped make me a whole person, and I’m sure so many folks have told similar stories. It was a place for misfits, the marginalized, the misunderstood, to find acceptance and just be, not only in its programming, but in its environment. It became, in a very literal sense, my sanctuary. It’s a cliche to use the term ‘I found my tribe there,’ but it’s the stone truth.”

•

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