Saturnalia MMVI
Friday, Dec. 15
In true pagan tradition, Rich O’s Public House and Sportstime Pizza in New Albany play host to Saturnalia MMVI beginning this Friday. What is Saturnalia? Well, in pre-Christian Rome it was the annual winter solstice celebration that coincided with the feast days for the gods Saturn, Consus and Opa. But in 21st-century Kentuckiana, Saturnalia is a salute to the original and a reason to drink excellent and varied beers from around the globe. More than 40 special kegs of beer will be tapped beginning with 17 of them on Friday and continuing, well, until they’re all gone (probably sometime in early January). Some of the highlights for this year’s Saturnalia are Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve (USA), Ridgeway Santa’s Butt (U.K.), Delirium Noel (Belgium), Kiuchi Hitachino Nest Red Rice (Japan) and Naughty Claus by New Albanian Brewing Company, the brewing arm of Rich O’s. Be sure to bring a designated driver. —Kevin Gibson
Rich O’s Public House/Sportstime Pizza
3312 Plaza Drive
(812) 949-2804
www.richos.com
Friday, Dec. 15
Gospel Holiday Special
Get ready to raise the roof on Friday at the Louisville Gardens. F.S.O. Productions brings a Gospel holiday-themed concert and a movie with a spiritual message targeting African-American youth. F.S.O.’s goal is to bring the message of God to the underprivileged and to save souls in the process. Guest appearances include Grammy Award-winning gospel/R&B artist Yolanda Adams; author Sonny Fishback, who wrote “Planting a New Seed”; gospel singers Cuba Gooding Sr. and Adrianne Archie; author and poet Hannah L. Drake; and the St. Stephen Sanctuary Choir. The tunes and visuals will be something to behold. —Claudia Olea
Louisville Gardens
525 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
361-3100 (tickets), 533-3290 (info)
$24 adv., $34 door; 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 15
‘Inspirations’ at StudioWorks
StudioWorks is a new fine arts gallery (profiled in LEO’s Sept. 13 issue) on South Fourth Street that works with adults with mental retardation. The artists there turn out amazing work, and this Friday you can drop in all day to check it out and meet some of them. StudioWorks is operated by Louisville Diversified Services, a Metro United Way agency and Kentucky’s largest provider of vocational services for adults with mental retardation. Christmas cards are also for sale that day, all-original artwork created by LDS clients, with proceeds benefiting the gallery’s day programs. —Cary Stemle
StudioWorks
633 S. Fourth St.
582-3331
Free; 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 15
Rud doubleheader
The Rud loves doubleheaders, and this weekend won’t be any different.
John Whitaker, Jamie Barnes and Andy Wagner kick off Friday night. Barnes is receiving high praise for his latest album, The Recalibrated Heart. Whitaker says he’s going to play “selections from the album I’ve been slaving over.”
For his yet-untitled third record, Whitaker roped in friends Matt Brewington and Matt Hendricks (Cut Family Foundation), Shauna Dellacave and Jason Cox (Iamis) and Andy Hurt and Jason Lawrence.
As for when we’ll be able to hear this thing, Whitaker says, “Cross your fingers for February.”
Believe it or not, Louisville snobs, good things do come out of Lexington: Keeneland in October. Keeneland in April. The occasional winning UK football season. Now, add The Scourge of the Sea to that list. The group is touring in support of Make Me Armored, its debut album on Alias Records. Justin Craig, Robby Cosenza and Andrew English write pop tunes that stick to your brain and refuse to let go. Scourge has toured all over the east coast and was voted “band of the week” by Paste Magazine. They play the late show on Friday. —Mat Herron
The Rudyard Kipling
422 W. Oak St.
636-1311
$3-$5; 7 p.m. (Whitaker & friends), 10 p.m. (Scourge)
Dec. 15-17
Dr. Seuss Gone Wild
Terpsichore Dance Company’s annual Christmas production of “The Grinch” combines ballet, hip hop, modern, salsa and other dance forms with unusual contemporary music, such as Rusted Root, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Sugarcult and Nelly. Wonder if the Whos of Whoville will dance to the Who’s “Who are You”? What am I saying? That old chestnut’s not modern! I never cared for that song anyway. But, your children will love this show. The kids are all right. —Sherry Deatrick
Third Lutheran Church
1864 Frankfort Ave.
432-0336
Times and prices vary
Saturday, Dec. 16
Photographer of the presidents
Close up on power, that’s how Diana Walker has spent most of her career as a Time magazine staff photographer. This weekend, the Frazier International History Museum opens an exhibit of 83 of her award-winning photographs depicting the formal and personal lives of presidents, politicians, world leaders and public icons. After graduating from college and working in retail for 10 years, Walker began to pursue a photography career, and by 1979 was a staffer for Time. As a general assignment photographer, she took photos of President Jimmy Carter. Then in 1984, during Ronald Reagan’s administration, the publication assigned her to the White House. While covering President George Bush, Walker took a picture of him with U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, earning her the first-prize award from World Press Photo. The exhibit is on display through March 4. —Elizabeth Kramer
Frazier International History Museum
829 W. Main St.
753-5663
www.fraziermuseum.org
Free with paid admission ($9 adults; $7 seniors; $6 students and children under 14; free for children under 5)
Saturday, Dec. 16
‘An American Pioneer Christmas’
Blue Apple Players presents a heartwarming original musical about a pioneer family heading west over the Appalachian Mountains during Christmas. Led through the wilderness by their guide, a frontiersman named Kasper Mansker, the family celebrates their new life in the rolling hills of Kentucky. They don’t have expensive presents or fancy dinners, but who cares? They’ve got familial love and big dreams. Blue Apple co-founder and artistic director Geraldine Ann Snyder wrote the musical. This award-winning author has written more than 35 Blue Apple Players’ musicals. The cast includes Snyder, Jodi Jervis, Roshell McKevie, Will Hancock, Ian Dillard and John Lee Cope. “This is such a beautiful story,” says Blue Apple Players executive director Paul Lenzi. “It takes place in a much simpler time. It’s sure to become a holiday favorite.” —Sherry Deatrick
Brown Theatre
315 W. Broadway
584-7777
$8; 11 a.m.
Monday, Dec. 18
Capote’s ‘Christmas Memory’
Truman Capote wrote other acclaimed fiction and non-fiction years before he wrote “In Cold Blood,” the creative non-fiction account of a gruesome murder, which concluded his writing career and was part of the storyline in two recent films, “Capote” and “Infamous.” Some were shocking, while others took on more wistful tones. “A Christmas Memory,” which Capote included in his 1958 book “Breakfast at Tiffany’s: A Short Novel and Three Stories,” is one of the latter. In it the author vividly recounts his time spent during the holidays with an elder cousin, making fruitcake with whiskey and pecans, cutting down a Christmas tree and weaving and ribboning holly wreaths, before he is sent away to military school. The story gives a very different view of this flamboyant jet-setter on the Manhattan social scene of yore. This week, William McNulty, who has performed in many plays at Actors Theatre (including as Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol”), will read the piece at the Filson Historical Society. (It’s a shame that he won’t be portraying Capote and joining the ranks of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones.) —Elizabeth Kramer
Filson Historical Society
1310 S. Third St.
635-5083
www.filsonhistorical.org
$5 (members free); noon
