EASTERN HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATING 75TH ANNIVERSARY 75 AND
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AND THRIVING Eastern High School Celebrating 75th Anniversary
OF
Meet Maker’s Mark’s New Master Distiller Blake Layfield
Joyous Singers Choral Group Celebrates 25 Years
PUBLISHER COREY BOSTON corey@townepost.com (502) 407-0185
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TRE’SEAN DURHAM
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RENÉE LARR
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75
AND THRIVING
EASTERN HIGH SCHOOL CELEBRATING 75TH ANNIVERSARY
Writer / Carrie Vittitoe
During the 2025-2026 school year, Eastern High School will celebrate its 75th anniversary, a feat that will likely go mostly unremarked among the young people who attend. They won’t think about the many pairs of shoes that have walked the halls before theirs, or the many bodies that have sat in the same classrooms in which they sit. They won’t realize how many marriages, friendships and successful careers were launched within the walls of the school. Most of us need a little experience under our belts to fully appreciate the people who have come before us, and to see our place in the long cycle of history.
The construction of Eastern High School in Middletown was completed in 1950, but prior to that, the land on which the school sits belonged to several families who sold plots, totaling some 56 acres, to the board of education for the creation of the school. Once construction began, there were the usual delays, but there was also a strike by the operating engineers union that factored into when the school would open. Though the opening was delayed, close to 400 students “attended” Eastern prior to the completion of the building, but their school was in the form of Quonset hut-type structures.
Students were excited to attend Eastern High School, which is evident in the first issue of the school’s newspaper, The Eagle, which came out in October 1950 and noted that Eastern was “the first school in Jefferson County to be a three-story building.” At a cost of $1,637,000, the school had its own sewage disposal plant located in a wooded area nearby. Like many high schools of its time, it housed seventh- through twelfthgraders.
Virginia Walker, age 86 and a volunteer at the Historic Middletown Museum on Main Street, was a member of the first class that attended Eastern High School in its new building as a seventh-grader, graduating in 1956. Her childhood home was at 11505 Main Street, the house that is now the site of The Prickly Pear Boutique. She, her siblings, and their friends who lived nearby would walk to Eastern each morning. After school, Walker worked as a soda jerk at an apothecary that was located in what is now the First Baptist Church parking lot. She recalls pep rallies that took place every Friday afternoon before the school’s football players would get on the bus to head to their games. It was, in many ways, a different time, when life was slower and much less complicated.
Given the explosion of stores and traffic on Shelbyville Road in Middletown, it is hard to imagine a time when U.S. Highway 60 was a two-lane road surrounded by farms and trees, but Eastern High School was, in many ways, what propelled population growth in the area during the 1950s and beyond. Eastern pulled students from St. Matthews and Jeffersontown, so it wasn’t too long before Woodland Hills, the subdivision that backs up to the high school, began development, as more families wanted to live closer. Walker remembers when Eastgate Shopping Center, the site of Kroger, was a turkey farm, and the Willow Wood neighborhood, at the intersection of Shelbyville Road and Blankenbaker Parkway, was a chicken farm.
Just as Middletown itself has changed over the years, so has Eastern High School, and sometimes one just has to chuckle at how different the world is now. An article in the archives at the Historic Middletown Museum from July 17, 1991, in The New Voice, was titled “Eastern teachers, students jump into the computer age.” At that time, Eastern was one of only five schools in the nation to be selected for the Exhibitions of Mastery program, which was a collaboration between IBM and Brown University that helped the school install a computer
network. Now, Eastern students walk around with tiny computers in their hands.
Business and technology programs continue to offer Eastern’s students a leg up in their professional lives once they leave the school. In fact, many of the people who now work in Louisville’s information technology field were once students at Eastern High School. Students have had access to all kinds of technology classes, including computer repair, network security, graphic design, cinematography, computer science, and web design.
To highlight and celebrate Eastern High School and its changes over time, the Eastern alumni association was created. As with any nonprofit organization, it took time to lay the foundation, but it went public in 2023. Mike Horan, an alum and current teacher at Eastern, has been association president for two years. “Our main goal so far has been to connect Eastern alumni to each other and back to the
school,” Horan says. “We’ve hosted several alumni open-house events, alumni games during football and basketball season, and supported reunions with school tours.” The alumni association, which has a Facebook presence, is working on the events to celebrate the school’s 75th anniversary.
The alumni association strives to commemorate some of the well-known people who have walked through the halls of Eastern. While the most famous of these may be Ned Beatty, a Hollywood actor from movies like “Deliverance”, “Superman” and “Toy Story 3”, there are others. “We have a new wall at Eastern that celebrates individual athletic achievements like earning an individual state championship, playing a sport in a major professional league, or being named the top player in a sport,” Horan says. “It is hard not to notice folks like Simidele Adeagbo and Susie [Shields] White, who were both Olympians - the latter winning a medal while still a student at Eastern. Todd Wellemeyer won
Meaningful
a World Series, Myron Pryor won a Super Bowl, and Felton Spencer had a long NBA career.”
Whether students go on to do big things or not, high school is a formative time and can shape them into the adults they become. Horan himself loved the Eastern vibe and has made it his permanent home. “I fell in love with the Eastern community even before I was a student,” he says. “Growing up as a teacher’s kid, we were always at games and events. When I got to Eastern,
I got to know and build relationships with so many people whose lives were different from mine. One of the reasons I decided to teach and coach was that, other than my parents, the most impactful people in my life were teachers and coaches.”
Eastern’s reach extends far beyond Middletown and into the state. The school’s new principal, Chris Collins, says “I grew up in Eastern Kentucky, and we heard over and over, whether it was sports or academics, about Eastern High School. It stood out as
a model community school and so wellconnected to the city of Middletown.”
Horan seconds Eastern’s importance as a school that brings together a unique swathe of the community, saying “Eastern is and has been a genuinely diverse community across many different criteria, but also a place that focuses on excellence from all. That makes our community so much richer and is really an important part of the educational process.”
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Mark of Excellence
MEET MAKER’S MARK’S NEW MASTER DISTILLER BLAKE LAYFIELD
Writer / Melissa Gibson
Photographer / Clay Cook
Maker’s Mark has recently announced its new master distiller, Blake Layfield, and he’s bringing a variety of education, experience and passion to the position.
Layfield holds a doctorate in food science from North Carolina State University and a general certificate in distilling from the Institute of Brewing & Distilling. He joined Suntory Global Spirits in 2019, and served as the senior director of innovation, blending and quality for Maker’s Mark for two and a half years.
He is also co-chair on the research committee of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association and serves on the board of the James B. Beam Institute at the University of Kentucky.
It’s not every day that one earns their doctorate in food science. Layfield dove into
the chemistry, microbiology engineering and sensory sciences behind flavor, creation and more in college, but his interest in food science started as far back as he can remember.
“I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen with my mom growing up,” he said. “I’d watch her make everything from sweet tea to pot roast to lasagna, and she was just a really good cook with all the good things that southern cooks use like butter and sugar. It led me to this fascination around why you enjoy certain foods and beverages, and I’ve always been interested in that question of how flavor is formed, how they come together, and how food and beverages create a memorable experience.”
Today Layfield resides in Louisville with his wife and two children. They enjoy taking walks with their dog at Veterans Memorial
Park, dining at BoomBozz Pizza as a family, and River House Louisville for date nights.
“We really enjoy Louisville,” he said. “My wife is the PTA president at the school and we’ve really just invested in the community. It’s been fabulous.”
Layfield’s new role as master distiller includes everything from enhancing quality to ensuring environmental sustainability and following the rich heritage Maker’s Mark founders have created.
“I think about it as protecting our past history or culture, as well as leveraging and understanding that history to influence our future,” Layfield said.
Maker’s Mark was recently named by Fast Company as one of the top 100 best workplaces for innovators across the
“I think about it as protecting our past history or culture, as well as leveraging and understanding that history to influence our future.”
— BLAKE LAYFIELD
globe, and top five best workplaces for sustainability.
The multigenerational company began with Bill Samuels Sr., the engineer and visionary for what would become Maker’s Mark premium bourbon, in 1953. He wanted to create something warm, approachable and inviting - something customers were proud to share with friends. It was his wife, Margie, who created the famous packaging, from the shape of the bottle to the look of the label and the signature red wax.
The legacy continues with Bill Samuels Jr. and Rob Samuels, and over time the family continued moving forward with innovation, flavors and sustainability on Star Hill Farm’s 1,000-acre property in Loretto, Kentucky.
“For us, everything starts with a taste and vision at Maker’s Mark,” Layfield said. “This
has always been a brand that innovates with purpose, so in 1953 Bill Samuels Sr. created his vision for really defined craft and premium bourbon that married substance and style.”
Samuels landed on the perfect combination of red winter wheat, pure limestone water and the perfect yeast strain, and the rest was history. For decades the Maker’s Mark Classic was their well-known product, but
in 2010 their portfolio began to expand. Layfield said Bill Samuels Jr. wanted to create his own recipe, Maker’s Mark 46, featuring a caramel and spice flavor with higher proof.
More products were developed, and in the past several years, Maker’s Mark has offered a variety of premium options.
From there, fans of the unique bourbon
company saw Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, Maker’s Mark 101, Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series, Cellar Aged, and Private Selection, all benefiting from the company’s tried-and-true ways of creating taste, quality and legacy.
“It really set us off on our innovation path and now you see quite a wide variety from the classic 46 to Private Select,” Layfield said. “They all have one thing in common;
they start with a flavor vision, and how do we showcase the complexity that exists in our core product in different and unique ways? We’re not a brand that puts a bunch of stuff out, but when we do, we want it to be well-executed and stand the test of time.”
Every drop of Maker’s Mark comes from Star Hill Farm. It’s mashed, fermented, distilled in a barrel and rotated by hand, aged, and then bottled on-site. Every bottle is hand dipped, ensuring quality of preparation and taste with every purchase.
One of Layfield’s responsibilities in his new role is to ensure consistency in the quality of the existing portfolio.
“We are the world’s first and largest B Corp certified bourbon, which upholds our commitment to our community and the environment around us,” Layfield said. “We’re certified in regenerative agriculture where 86% of our grains are certified. You might say, ‘How does that influence
innovation?’ Think about bourbon as nature distilled, and it really comprises a few key elements: grain, water and yeast. How you manage those variables creates the huge diversity of products you see on the shelves today.”
The company team cares about its impact on the community, and has committed to creating processes that benefit the environment.
Their environmental work spearheaded by Rob Samuels, Layfield says, sets Maker’s Mark apart.
“We currently have the world’s largest American white oak research repository, and we have a 78-acre natural water sanctuary on the distillery grounds that protects our water soil for generations to come,” Layfield said. “We want to make great whiskey that looks good and tastes good, but we’re also committed to making a positive impact on society and the planet beyond financial gain.”
They’re supporting regenerative agriculture, improving soil health, reducing carbon emissions and using the grain grown on the farm to maximize flavor.
It’s a culture Layfield and others are grateful for. Ideas are welcome, the workplace atmosphere is positive, and employees work alongside the founding family.
“We are still led by the Samuels family and it’s actually one of my favorite parts about working at Maker’s Mark,” Layfield said. “You’ll always have these short-term pressures in order to deliver value to your stakeholders in the market, but having someone that has a real sense of the long-term purpose and a long-term vision for success for the brand, not just from a financial standpoint, but a brand that is iconic - it’s just such an impressive family to work for and a vision we can all really get behind.”
PAGES OF THE PAST
MICHAEL JONES SERVES UP SOME SOULFUL SOUNDS WITH LATEST BOOK
Writer / Helen E. McKinney
It took eight years, but it was worth the wait. Michael Jones is one of six authors who collaborated to pen “The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown”.
Jones said the book “is a celebration of black musicians and entertainers from Cato Watts, an enslaved fiddler that was one of the city’s first settlers, to Linkin’ Bridge.” He is also the book’s executive editor, as the only author who contributed to every section.
The additional authors are Ken Clay, Wilma Westfield Clayborn, Keith Clements, Gary Falk and Ron Lewis. They shared a dream
of producing and publishing this first-ever record of Louisville’s rich heritage of African American music and entertainment. All have spent their lives immersed in a variety of roles within many genres of music and entertainment in Louisville.
The book is separated into genres (gospel, jug band/string band, blues, jazz, rhythm and blues/rock/hip-hop, classical and dance, enablers, and venues). Each chapter starts with a historical essay and then short biographies of some notable people in the genre.
“The project started off as a photo
exhibition for black history month in 2016,” said Jones. One of the co-authors, Ken Clay, hosts an annual event at the Kentucky African American Heritage Center called “Celebrating the Legacy of Black Louisville”.
“In 2016 he decided to celebrate African American musicians and entertainers,” Jones said. “He gathered a group of people with connections in the Louisville music scene to collect photos from local musicians and the University of Louisville Photographic Archive made nice prints of them.”
The group put together a timeline around
the Heritage Center on the day of the event. Christy Brown saw it and suggested it become a book, Jones said. “She was kind enough to sponsor it,” he said. “We thought it would take us a year to complete, but the more we dug, the more we found. So eight years later, ‘The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown’ was born in March 2024.”
Jones said that “at 54, I was the youngest of the authors who worked on this book. My co-authors are all in their 70s and 80s. I felt like it was important to record this history before they and many other older musicians were gone. A lot of this information could have been lost without this project.”
Clay is a well-known music promoter and event organizer who began the Midnite Ramble at the Kentucky Center for the Arts and oversaw the music at WorldFest for several years. He is also co-author of “Two Centuries of Black Louisville”, which, Jones said, is a “kind of a companion piece to our book.”
Keith Clements, Gary Falk and Ron Lewis
were part of the group putting together the photo exhibit for “Celebrating the Legacy of Black Louisville”. Clements wrote a blues column for Louisville Music News for 17 years, and he is on the board of the Kentuckiana Blues Society. Falk owns Falk Audio and is a jazz musician who was in the house band at Joe’s Palm Room in the 1970s. Lewis is the owner of Mr. Wonderful Productions, and a prolific songwriter and guitarist in rhythm-and-blues bands.
“Wilma Clayborn joined us about two years into the project when we decided that we needed a gospel section,” he said. Clayborn and her late husband owned Grace Gospel Records, the first gospel record store and label in Louisville. Her grandson is Jason Clayborn, an awardwinning gospel singer.
Only Clay and Jones had previously published books. Jones was a book editor at the American Printing House Press before joining Biz First.
Michael Jones
Jones co-wrote the gospel chapter, wrote the jug band/string band section, and contributed biographies to all the other sections of the book. For the last two years of the project, he said “everything flowed through me. Our copy editor moved from Louisville to Portugal a few years ago, so I communicated with her by email and then I would go to each of my co-authors’ homes to get them to make the necessary changes.”
Jones spent his weekends interviewing musicians, writing last-minute biographies or searching through the archives of local black churches. He said that is where many African American musicians received their first training.
Jones said he loved learning about Bessie Allen while working on the book. She was the first black social worker in Louisville and she ran the Booker T. Washington Community Center at 9th and Magazine streets.
According to Jones, Allen started a
marching band to attract children to her nondenominational Bible school. She hired a jazz bandleader named Lockwood Lewis to lead the children’s band and teach them how to read music.
Bessie Allen never intended to produce professional musicians, but because of Lewis, the band produced some notable musicians: Helen Humes, who replaced Billie Holiday in Count Basie’s band; Dick Wells, a trombone player for Count Basie; and Jonah Jones, a cornet player in Lil’ Armstrong’s band (Louie Armstrong’s wife) and later a solo artist.
Jones said it was important to him to preserve Louisville’s black music because “no one else was doing it the way I thought it should be done. Historically, white writers were the main source of information about blues and jazz artists, and I felt like I brought a different perspective by being African American.”
As an example, he pointed out that jug bands were considered a novelty act, but he was able to trace the practice from Africa through the Caribbean to the United States. “Many enslaved musicians did not have actual instruments so they created sounds from homemade instruments, which is how we got the kazoo, based on an African horn, and the playing of bones,” Jokes said.
Jones said the biggest influence on his work is the book “Blues People” by LeRoi Jones. “I read it when I was a freshman at the University of Kentucky,” he said. “His thesis was that blues marked the beginning of African American culture because the children of enslaved Africans started singing about Georgia and Mississippi as home, rather than some place in Africa. He talked about an early form of black music between the African songs and the blues, but he never got specific about it. Being a journalist, I fell into a rabbit hole of research on black string band that has lasted 30 years.”
Jones said the idea of using music as a vehicle to examine social history “really stuck with me. At the time I read Jones’s book, I thought everything that could be written about the blues was already written. But then one day I walked into Underground Sounds in the Highlands and came across an import blues CD called “Clifford Hayes and the Jug Bands of Louisville”. It surprised him that all the musicians on the CD were African Americans. Jones had always identified jug band music with rural white groups like The Darlings on “The Andy Griffith Show”.
He wrote an article for LEO about jug bands that was included in his first book, “SecondHand Stories: 15 Portraits of Louisville”. He self-published the book in 2006 by selling his car. Two years later he received a call from The History Press. “They had been looking for someone to write a book about jug bands, and I knew more than anyone else they could find,” he said.
He published “Louisville Jug Music: From Earl McDonald to the National Jubilee” in 2014, and it won the Samuel Thomas Book Award from the Louisville Historical League. “The Soulful Sounds of Derbytown” is a continuation of the work he did on the jug band book. It won the 2024 Samuel Thomas Book Award.
He said that in many ways, “I feel like my mission is to write Kentucky back into the narrative of American popular music. Except for bluegrass, the state is rarely recognized for the notable musicians it has produced. The story is that jazz started in New Orleans and the blues started in Mississippi, but there was a continuum of culture along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Louisville got string bands and brass bands at the same time as New Orleans because we had musicians traveling back and forth on the steamboats.”
In 2019 Jones curated an exhibition at the Frazier History Museum on Kentucky
music, which focused on black and white musicians. He is also the economic development reporter for Biz First, writes for the African American Folklorist, and is involved with the National Jug Band Jubilee.
Jones has also worked on the oral history project “Unfair Housing”. The Metropolitan Housing Coalition hired him to interview people about housing discrimination and the interviews are available on the UofL Archives & Special Collections website.
Genealogy is a recent interest he has taken up. When working on the “Unfair Housing” project, he decided to interview his favorite aunt and learned a lot of new information about his family.
Jones is currently working on a history of the Russell neighborhood. It will be a little different from his other books, because he plans to incorporate some of his own family history into it.
FEBRUARY CROSSWORD PUZZLE
DOWN
1. Chain letters?
2. Sound at the door
3. Hi-fi component
4. Nerdy types
5. Goody two-shoes
6. Snitch
7. Did lunch, say
8. Stone worker
9. Allegro, in music
10. Battery fluid
11. Showroom model
16. Aquarium beauty
20. “That’s disgusting!”
21. It has its ups and downs
22. Still-life piece
23. Add to the pot
24. Buddhist priests
25. A comet, to the superstitious
28. Wired
30. Straddling, maybe
31. Hooded garment
32. Baby bouncer?
35. Dame Marsh of mystery
38. Cloak-and-dagger sort
42. Masterful
44. Stake drivers
45. Delicate, in a way
46. Board game or magazine
47. Bicolor sea predator
48. Beneath contempt
51. Dissenter’s word
52. Big shot
53. Canine command
54. “Malcolm X” director
55. Music to the cook’s ears
ACROSS
1. Buzzkill
5. Buggy for Brits
9. Furbys, once
Dog tag info
13. Pro ___
14. Pitching star
15. Chowhounds have big ones 17. Virtual citizen of PC gaming
18. It’s tapped
19. Better or best
21. Bakery supply
24. Marathon
26. Dominate, in sports lingo
27. Printer’s amount
29. Unrespected writer
33. “The best is ___ to come!”
34. Campaign creators
36. Freight weight
37. Metallurgist’s materials 39. Jets or Sharks, e.g.
Be outstanding?
41. Is worthwhile
43. Enough, and then some
Bridges in Hollywood 48. Itinerary part
Cause of inflation?
50. Covetously
56. Ozone hazard, for short
57. Jack and Jill’s burden
58. Stead
59. Congressional vote
60. Pound the keys
61. Check
Now That’s Harmony
JOYOUS SINGERS CHORAL GROUP CELEBRATES 25 YEARS
Music has an unparalleled ability to unite people, transcending barriers of age, race and language. For nearly 25 years, Joyous Singers, a choral group based on Louisville’s east side, has embodied this universal truth. Composed of primarily older adults, the group has touched countless lives through performances at senior living facilities, health communities and public concerts.
With a current roster of 31 dedicated members, Joyous Singers is led by passionate Music Director Mary Muse, and
accompanied on piano by Gloria Nimocks. Muse, a seasoned music educator with almost 30 years of experience, describes her work with the choir as more than just a professional endeavor; it’s a calling.
“Out of all the musical things I’ve done in my life, directing choirs is by far my favorite,” Muse says. “To me it almost feels like a ministry of sorts. I love being able to help the singers prepare their performances. I love connecting with them through music. It’s also great to provide joy for others through our performances.”
Joyous Singers was founded in 2000 by Clarese Fuller, who relocated to Louisville from Chicago, where she had previously directed a 60-person senior community choir. Over the years the group has been a creative outlet and a community for its members. However, like many organizations, Joyous Singers faced a significant challenge during the COVID pandemic, which led to a sharp decline in enrollment.
“One of our main goals going into our
25th anniversary is to rebuild our roster after we lost so many members during the pandemic,” Muse says. “We also want to make sure people understand that while we’re primarily a group of mature adults, we welcome new members of all ages.”
As a nonprofit organization, Joyous Singers operates on a modest budget, charging members a small fee to cover costs like sheet music. According to the group’s president, Rick Coalter, these expenses can quickly add up.
“Many people don’t know, but when you purchase sheet music, it’s almost $2 per piece,” Coalter says. “We have to buy 40 to 50 copies of four or five different songs for each concert, and while it might not seem like a lot, it quickly adds up. Our members pay dues, but we’ve also been looking at things like grants to help us with our growing costs.”
Recently, the group received a $1,000 Sparking Change Mini-Grant from the Community Foundation of Louisville, which provided some much-needed
Writer / Renée Larr
Mary Muse
financial relief. Coalter and the board are actively pursuing additional funding opportunities to ensure the group’s sustainability and growth.
Each year Joyous Singers hosts two public concerts: a spring performance in May and a December holiday concert. These events are a blend of traditional favorites and new selections. Muse is currently finalizing arrangements for the spring concert, which will explore the theme of love in its many forms: romantic love, familial love and love for one’s country.
“This year we performed some winter pieces, a few Hanukkah pieces, and then the rest were Christmas pieces in a variety of styles and genres,” Muse says. “For instance, we did ‘Sleigh Ride’, which is a standard, but also performed ‘Glow’, a fairly new piece for choral groups by Eric Whitacre.”
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For Coalter, who also performs with the choir, Joyous Singers is about more than music; it’s about fostering personal growth and community connection.
“The experience is rewarding in two different ways,” Coalter says. “We’re giving back to the community by performing for them and bringing joy into their lives. Our members are also continuously learning. They are learning how to sing correctly, learning how to read sheet music, understanding meter, and most important, learning how - working together - we can create some beautiful sounds. A favorite
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tradition is to make sure to stick around after our performances, especially at places like assisted-living facilities, and talk with the residents. Sometimes we share cookies or a snack. We don’t want to walk in, sing and just disappear. Those places can get a little lonely for residents, so we want to give them a friendly and warm experience.”
The singers practice once a week at Lyndon Baptist Church (8025 New La Grange Road) but are eager to expand their outreach. Coalter notes that while weekday morning rehearsals may pose a challenge for younger members, the choir is actively seeking new singers and volunteers to manage their social media and develop a website. Looking toward their 25th anniversary in 2025, the group aims to find new performance opportunities.
“We’re reimagining what we do,” Coalter says. “For example, we’d love to perform ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at baseball games, sing holiday songs at Christmas tree
lightings or sing patriotic songs at Civil War re-enactments. Our goal is to connect with a wider audience and spread the joy of music even further.”
Singer Lynn Slaughter learned about Joyous Singers from longtime member and friend Mike Thomas. She says the two previously sang together in their church choir. Unfortunately, their beloved choir director had to suddenly leave the group. Knowing she was eager to find another musical outlet, Thomas recommended she join Joyous Singers, a group he has sung with for several seasons. Slaughter says Thomas’s recommendation came at the perfect time, and that joining has been a wonderful experience.
“I’m a former professional dancer and dance educator who has always felt deeply connected to music,” Slaughter says. “Music was the reason I became a dancer. It made me want to move. Moreover, I love to sing. We have an inspiring musical director in Mary Muse, and Joyous Singers is a
wonderfully supportive, enthusiastic group of mature folks who share a love of music and singing.”
Slaughter says she would tell prospective members that Joyous Singers is an incredibly friendly and welcoming group. One of the unique aspects of the choir is the diverse repertoire and daytime schedule, which works well for those who prefer daytime activities. She says the group’s mission is not just deeply meaningful, but also impactful, providing entertainment and inspiring choral concerts in the Kentuckiana region. These performances bring joy to audiences who might otherwise have limited access to live choral events, and that’s a mission worth being part of.
Through their unwavering dedication to harmony, community and joy, the members continue to prove that music is a powerful force for good, bringing people together one note at a time and spreading joy in the community.
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
Two new communities give Louisville residents looking to downsize more options to find homes that fit their busy lifestyles.
The Courtyards at Curry Farms and The Courtyards at Oakland Hills, by Perfection Builders, each offer award-winning home layouts in neighborhoods where lifestyle is paramount.
With comfort, convenience and privacy as the highest priorities, both communities offer low-maintenance, luxury garden homes that provide features owners require and desire. Floor plans include zero steps at the front door and garage entries, a private outdoor courtyard and premium standard features. Potential residents can even add their own personal touch to truly make their dream house a home by choosing from a wide range of expertly selected design options and finishes.
Other perks include exclusive community amenities, such as a private clubhouse to gather with friends and family, an on-site fitness facility, a heated pool and pickleball courts. Perfection Builders’ Director of Regional Sales and Design Michelle
Heareth says these homes offer a unique living experience for residents.
“There are a lot of folks who live here who have homes in other states,” Heareth said. “What’s nice about what we build is our residents get a community neighborhood, which is unusual in Kentucky. They can gather in the clubhouse for events, and challenge each other in pickleball matches and various other activities. Their communities have a social committee that ensures activities are available for all interests, whether it be bunco, Bible studies for both men and women, or book club. With the HOA and its provided maintenance, they have a true lock-andleave lifestyle, freeing them to travel and enjoy their families. The average age in the communities is mid-60s. Our target market is the people who have already raised their family and are looking for a simpler life.”
residents can connect with the outdoors and their community, as Perfection Builders strives to do with all its properties.
Curry Farms is in the final phase of development and is located at 1900 Dressage Circle in eastern Jefferson County. Oakland Hills is the newer development, and is located at 12511 Oakland Hills Trail in the southeastern part of the county, right before the Bullitt County line. Each offers over 150 homesites for homes to be built, as well as quick-move-in homes for those who don’t want to wait on the building process.
While moving can be a stressful experience for everyone, Heareth said she and her team help make the process of choosing your home and finishes stress free.
Curry Farms and Oakland Hills are communities by Perfection Builders, a franchisee of Epcon Communities. Epcon is the brains behind the floor plans and community designs, and these communities are built throughout the country. The two locations in Louisville were chosen based on viability studies to determine where
“We provide a design center for our buyers,” she said. “Knowing this may be their last home, we want to ensure they can choose finishes they really love.”
Writer / Gavin LaPaille
AIR APPARENT
VANCE WALKER CHAMPIONS RADON MITIGATION THROUGH ADVOCACY
When Middletown resident Vance Walker’s family doctor developed lung cancer, the source or cause was a mystery for the nonsmoker, but when they found high levels of radon in his home, they had their answer.
It sparked Walker’s lifelong passion to spread the word to others about radon exposure, and he’s done so over the past several decades through his own small business and advocacy.
“Radon is a low-level radioactive gas and it’s the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking,” Walker said. “There’s no safe level
of exposure but there’s a threshold, so say you are exposed to four picocuries - pCi, the unit of measure for the rate of radioactive radon in the air - 16 hours a day; it’s the same as getting 200 chest X-rays that year.”
He’s never found a home register zero on a radon tester, but it’s safe to say homes registering at less than 2.0 pCi is average. Between 2.0 and 4.0 pCi is the equivalent to 100 chest X-rays per year or eight cigarettes per day, and a level above 4.0 pCi is equivalent to 200 chest X-rays per year or a pack of cigarettes a day, according to the Kentucky Association of Radon Professionals.
You can’t taste, smell or see it, and it just so happens that Louisville-area soil is saturated with it.
Radon comes from a variety of minerals in uranium-bearing rocks. It’s most commonly found in black shale and the large shale belt spanning from New Albany, Indiana, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, making the Louisville area a hot spot.
Walker has even participated in experiments at a local middle school science fair.
“I had a buddy whose daughter wanted to learn more about this and we went out and collected samples of sandstone, limestone, soil and shale, and we put a 2-inch sample in the bottom of a drywall bucket with a radon tester inside,” Walker said. “All of the samples were very low except for the shale. It was at 70 pCi, just from 2 inches on the bottom of a bucket. That gives you an idea of how high it is.”
Walker launched Radon Management of Kentucky, Inc. in 1986, shortly after learning about his doctor’s diagnosis and the reason behind it.
He was trained by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Senior Scientists A.B. Craig and Paul Wagner as a part of the EPA’s radon proficiency program.
His mitigation company helps residents identify areas of high radon exposure, and offer solutions to reduce or eliminate the dangerous toxins in the home.
Writer / Melissa Gibson
Vance Walker
“It’s a system that creates negative pressure relative to the air pressure in the soil,” Walker said. “Soil gases are drawn into the building with this chimney or stack effect, and things in our homes add to that, like exhaust fans and clothes dryers. The home literally sucks the gas up out of the ground.”
Walker can overcome that natural pressure in the home through a series of drilling and piping, releasing the negative pressure in the home and reducing the amount of radon exposure. However, there are ways residents can start the process to see if there is a problem to begin with.
“You can buy test kits online or at a hardware store,” Walker said. “There are short-term tests homeowners can do themselves and those take two to seven days. There are also long-term test kits that can be used for 90 days to a year. If it comes back between four and 10 picocuries, you should do another test to confirm it and then call a mitigation company.”
The real estate market has adopted shortterm testing for their inspections, requiring a repair during real estate transactions.
Construction contractors have developed radon-resistant techniques on new-home builds to help mitigate future exposure.
Still, Walker has worked with numerous clients who have found the issue after a lung cancer diagnosis.
“There was a guy who brought national attention,” Walker said. “He worked at a tire plant in Pennsylvania and he kept setting off the radiation monitor when he went in to work. No one else set it off and when he went home, he didn’t set it off. A couple of
days of this and they realized that his home had an abnormal amount of radon and he was literally carrying it around with him.”
Think of it as tiny particles in the air we’re breathing in all of the time. Walking around outdoors, you might be exposed to 0.5 pCi, but constant and concentrated exposure in a home or workplace is where the damage is done.
As the information becomes more widespread and residents become aware of the potential risks, the local government has established protocols to help mitigate the issue.
Walker sits on the Kentucky Radon Safety Board, appointed by Governor Andy Beshear. They are working on a variety of programs to help residents.
“We have a licensing program and outreach program,” Walker said. “We’re working on getting licensing established for contractors
NOW THERE ARE 3
LOU LOU’S TO LOVE!
This Creole Champion of St. Matthews, Lou Lou Food & Drink has thrived for years by delivering Louisville’s Louisiana connection in culinary delight. The New Orleans vibe is also alive at Lou Lou on Market.
The Lou Lou tradition continues in Middletown with our new location.
like myself so they have to be certified. We want those mitigating to have a permit.”
It’s important for residents to know the person they’ve hired to mitigate the problem has been educated and licensed to do the work.
They also want to spread the word, specifically in rural areas where residents may not have heard about the problem.
“We’re working on outreach to simply
inform the public about the dangers, and we have a program for free short-term test kits,” Walker said.
Walker has shared the information with a variety of residents - those who panic and want to get their home tested immediately, and those who shrug it off and don’t feel the risk is important.
Regardless of how one feels about it, the result is an easy fix and awareness is the key.
“Years ago I worked for a guy, Dr. Salem George,” Walker said. “He was the nicest man and when we were done working on a project, he said, ‘This is kind of like seatbelts. It may or may not make a difference, but it’s not worth taking the risk to find out.’”
Visit radonmgtky.com and epa.gov to learn more.
AROUND THE COMMUNITY, 2025
LOUISVILLE AREA EVENTS
1
LOUISVILLE ZOO KROGER WILD WINTER DAYS AND DARE TO CARE FOOD DRIVE
Louisville Zoo, 1100 Trevilian Way
10AM - 5PM
Now through February 28, your Louisville Zoo is teaming up with Kroger for our Wild Winter Days program. louisvillezoo.org
SHRINE CIRCUS
Broadbent Arena, 937 Phillips Lane 2PM
6
BLACK CYCLISTS: THE RACE FOR INCLUSION
Filson Historical Society, 1310 S. 3rd St. 6 - 7PM
Cycling emerged as a sport in the late 1870s, and from the beginning, black Americans rode alongside and raced against white competitors. filsonhistorical.org
7
LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA
The Ogle Center at IU Southeast, 4201 Grant Line Rd. 7:30PM
NightLite’s series “Time For Three”. Teddy Abrams, conductor.
12
NATIONAL FARM MACHINERY SHOW CHAMPIONSHIP TRACTOR PULL
Freedom Hall, 937 Phillips Lane at Freedom Way
High-octane intensity explodes into Freedom Hall during the evenings of the National Farm Machinery Show as pulling trucks and tractors battle it out at the Championship Tractor Pull.
14
DIRTY DANCING IN CONCERT
Louisville Palace, 625 S. 4th St. 8PM
Doors open at 7PM. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Everyone, regardless of age including babes in arms, must purchase a ticket.
14
TRAE CROWDER
Kentucky Center for the Arts, 501 W. Main St. 8PM
Get tickets: https://bit.ly/TraeCrowderLOU
Research shows that play is essential for your child’s development. It sparks curiosity, boosts motivation, and nurtures creativity. Through play, children explore, experiment, and develop key cognitive and emotional skills for lifelong success.
Join us at Providence CCPS to see how our professionally facilitated, play-based program for infants to prekindergarten can unlock your child’s full potential.
Call 502-267-4249 to schedule a tour or visit www.providenceccps.com to learn more.
18
FILM SCREENING - “SECRETS OF THE DEAD: THE CIVIL WAR’S LOST MASSACRE”
Muhammad Ali Center 6 - 7:30PM
This event is produced in partnership with KET, the Muhammad Ali Center and the Shelby County Historical Society. This program is free to the public and registration is required. filsonhistorical.org
19
“RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK”
Louisville Palace, 625 S. 4th St. 7:30 - 10:30PM
Embark on an epic adventure like never before with “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on February 19 at the iconic Louisville Palace. louisvilleorchestra.org
22
DECADES: BACK TO THE ‘80S
Louisville Palace, 625 S. 4th St. 7:30 - 10:30PM
Prepare to travel back in time to the ‘80s with Decades: Back to the ’80s on February 22, 2025, at the historic Louisville Palace. louisvilleorchestra.org
LOUISVILLE POLAR PLUNGE
Main Event, 12500 Sycamore Station Pl. 9AM - 2PM
Whether you are brave or bonkers, we’ll take it, as long as you are #FreezinforaReason. louisvilleplunge.com
25
DR. NEIL DEGRASSE
TYSON: SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
Louisville Palace, 625 S. 4th St.
7:30PM
Doors open at 6:30PM. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Everyone, regardless of age including babes in arms, must purchase a ticket.
26
GROWN-UP STORYTIME 502
West Sixth NuLu, 817 E. Market St., Suite 101 7 - 8:30PM
Submit a written story to be read over beers at this monthly event.
QUICK FACTS
• We offer beds that are Medicare and Medicaid certified.
• We offer both inpatient rehab & continued outpatient rehab services.
• All rooms have electric high/ low beds and cable TV.
• The full in-house rehab unit provides PT, OT, ST.
• Admissions can be processed 24/7.
• Nurses are on duty and onsite 24 hours a day.
• Private rooms are available for short-term rehab.
• Newly added semi-private rooms are available for long-term care.
VALHALLA POST ACUTE
As the premier 162-bed skilled nursing facility in Louisville, Kentucky, Valhalla Post Acute provides compassionate and personal skilled care 24 hours a day. We specialize in providing rehabilitation services in our state-of-the-art facility to help our residents regain their independence and return to the highest level of function possible. We have been proudly serving the community for 13 years.
VISITORS ARE WELCOME EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK.
Come to see our residents and friendly staff in action. Feel free to contact us to learn more about the unique, sophisticated healthcare environment at Valhalla Post Acute.
MARVELOUS MENU, VIVACIOUS VENUE
If you dined at Black Rabbit a year ago, chances are the experience would be completely different today.
In a short period of time the building and business has passed through several hands, making the previous experience different from the final product.
The restaurant was passed to restaurateur Jared Matthews from legendary Chef Dean Corbett a few years ago, and with his Lou Lou on Market General Manager Sherman
VISIT BLACK RABBIT FOR A UNIQUE DINING EXPERIENCE
Lewis, they underwent a brand and name change, worked through various menus and a few decor changes, and more.
In April of 2024, Matthews sold Black Rabbit to Lewis and business partners Herman Lewis and Keith Kelley.
Now with Lewis at the helm, customers are in for a whole new experience.
Lewis was excited to put his own stamp on the space. “It’s amazing what some paint, lighting and sound system can do to change the feel.”
They wanted something completely different from what customers have seen in the space before.
Picture low lighting, comfortable lounge
seating and soft music in the background for a relaxing, social environment. There might be light conversation among family and friends, or a group from work may stop by for drinks before heading home.
The restaurant is likely one of the more unique dining spaces you’ve ever seen. It has five different rooms - perhaps better described as experiences.
“Each room has its own name and we sort of broke away from Corbett’s layout by giving it a restaurant with a speakeasy feel,” Lewis said. “It’s changed drastically from what it was a year ago.”
Jack’s Lounge is the room that stayed as close to the original as possible. It’s a favorite for regular customers who have been coming to the restaurant for 20 years.
Writer / Melissa Gibson
Photographer / Tre' Sean Durham of Supply Lab Media
Behind the lounge is now Jack’s Dining Room. The space has some lounge seating and an area with tables for a formal dining experience.
The Burrow is the original speakeasy space and has a secret bookcase entrance. In fact, customers who dine there go outside and around the building to access the room, for a secret and mysterious vibe.
So the lighting and wall art leads you to see it a little more modern and upscale than you might see in other speakeasy, vintage decor restaurants.”
The Parlor is often referred to as the hidden room. Many don’t know it exists, and The Hatter is an outdoor patio space. It is heated for the winter but closed on bitterly cold days. They are still in the process of reworking the patio space for the outdoor
“They might have been here two or three times already and didn’t realize there’s a whole other half of the restaurant. It’s very unique. Each room has its own music playing as well, and we go by the feel of our clientele in choosing which music to play.”
Reservations are accepted and recommended if you want to pick a room to dine. Otherwise, customers will likely experience something different each time
Trust is earned in the smallest of moments. At Arcadia, we believe trust isn’t built through grand gestures, but through the little things: paying attention, listening, and showing genuine care. Our services in Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care, are all built on a foundation of trust and strong family values. Here, every gesture counts, and every connection is meaningful.
At Arcadia, we build more than communities; we build relationships rooted in care, respect, and support.
battle. The food makes a big difference too, and at Black Rabbit they’ve gone back to the basics of good southern comfort food under new Executive Chef Caitlin Cartner and Sous Chef Micha “Rue” Bishop.
“We describe the food as a Carolina base with a Louisville flair,” Lewis said. “They’ve created some incredible changes to the menu and I think it’s by far one of the best choices we’ve made.”
The menu includes everything from fried chicken to double burgers to salmon. The Mushroom Ragu features charred mirepoix, cremini mushrooms, portabella mushrooms, parmesan and bucatini.
New menus will be offered seasonally, but don’t worry, the dishes will remain very similar with slight changes to introduce seasonal fruits and vegetables to the table.
Perhaps most popular are some of the appetizers like French Dip Sliders, Fried
Brussels Sprouts and Perfect Nachos.
“Perfect Nachos is a favorite for sure,” Lewis said. “It’s nine chips, perfectly built so every bite you take has all of the ingredients on it. I think it takes 36 touches to make each order.”
Don’t miss out on their extensive list of bourbon and wines including a list of reserve bottles, and don’t forget to conclude the evening with their customized Banana Pudding, Bourbon Pecan Cake or Mint Chocolate Pot Au Creme.
It’s been a long time coming as Lewis has worked to find the perfect pairing of decor, meals and atmosphere, but he believes moving forward, customers will enjoy their experience every time.
Most of all, Lewis hopes new generations will discover Black Rabbit and older generations will try it again, now that the transition is complete.
They’re adding options as well, perhaps some live music on the weekends and special events. Follow their social media page for current events to put on your calendar, or contact them to schedule your next social get-together.
Customers can rent a room or the entire restaurant for a private party or event. Guests can enjoy the low lighting and speakeasy vibe, and lighting can be adjusted and menus can be customized upon request.
“This isn’t a turn-and-burn restaurant,” Lewis said. “We want you to come in, relax, have conversations and enjoy the entire experience, and even different experiences each time you dine with us.”
Black Rabbit is located at 122 Sears Avenue in Louisville. Visit blackrabbitlouisville.com for more information.
For advertising information, contact:
COREY BOSTON
corey@townepost.com (502) 407-0185
PATRICIA, Valve Replacement Here, your heart is in the right place. Thanks to UofL Health – Heart Hospital, hearts get to dance again.
Welcome to UofL Health – Heart Hospital — the only area hospital dedicated to comprehensive heart care. With a network of world-renowned experts, we are passionate about saving lives and improving heart health. Built on the legacy of Jewish Hospital, our innovative academic research translates into life-saving medical firsts. And our leading-edge advances and less invasive treatments meet your heart’s needs with life-changing results. Here, hearts are expertly healed, revived, protected and even replaced. And our world-class expertise is with you, every step of the way. That’s the Power of U. Visit UofLHealth.org or call