<HOLIDAY>
Wednesday, July 4
Crescent Hill Old-Fashioned 4th of July
When I hear about the combination of art and fireworks, I immediately think of a sculpture with a sparkler. That’s not the case with the 24th annual Crescent Hill Old-Fashioned Fourth of July. They have expanded their arts and crafts section to 65 booths. A highlight this year is the number of artist demonstrations planned. Glassblower Chris Gray, the Studio2000 kids and others will be there to show you how they create their art.
Also new this year: free trolley service (the route is on Web site). The old favorites are still here, like the antique car parade and show, food court and, my personal favorite at any event, the cake booth. Musicians include Anthony Redfeather Nava, Relic Bluegrass Band and Da Mudcats. The crowning glory, of course, will be the Zambelli fireworks that start blowing up at 10 p.m. —Jo Anne Triplett
Peterson Dumesnil House
301 S. Peterson Ave.
www.crescenthill.us
Free; noon-10 p.m.
<IMPROV>
Friday, July 6
Project Improv returns
They’re back! Though members of the group have changed since its inception five years ago, audiences should still expect the same wacky humor these fellas have always brought. After a six-month hiatus from the stage, Project Improv returns with a new show titled “PI Presents.” The troupe’s ultimate goal for this show is to blend their own performances with those of other local and regional artists.
“There are some great improvisers we want to bring into Louisville, and some great bands and artists in Louisville that we’re really excited to work with,” member Mike Slaton says in a press release.
This week’s show includes a new and interesting twist. Audience members will be asked to bring iPods and MP3 players, which will dictate the direction of the show.
“The DJ will set them up on shuffle and use whatever songs come up to inspire the scenes,” Slaton told LEO. “The scene may end up being either a literal translation or simply an inspiration.” —Erin Clephas
The Pink Door
2222 Dundee Road
413-5204
www.myspace.com/pilouisville
$5 ($4 with MP3 player); 10 p.m.
<INDIE>
Saturday, July 7
Indie Day at ear X-tacy
Keep Louisville Weird is sponsoring its second annual Indie Day, which celebrates all things independent, at the city’s fiercely independent record store, ear X-tacy.
As part of the festivities, the ear will knock 20 percent off the cost of all indie rock CDs. Food and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided by Stevens & Stevens, Bearno’s, Old Town Wine & Spirits, Havana Cola and Derby City Espresso, and 16 local businesses will set up booths.
But wait, as they say in the infomercials, there’s much, much more: Between 750-1,000 bags with CDs, band stickers, bottle openers and other goodies will be handed out beginning at noon. Five local bands — IamIs, Brigid Kaelin, Dangerbird, John Whitaker and The Broken Spurs — will rock out inside the store until 5 p.m. And if that isn’t enough for you, a Paul Westerberg guitar will be raffled, and Monkeydrive Screenprinting is designing 150 limited-edition Indie Day T-shirts at just $10.
No parking spaces will be blocked off for the event, says store manager Rebecca Cornwell. Last year, with two weeks of promotion time, Indie Day drew 400 people. “For planning it that quickly, it was pretty successful,” she says. You have been notified. —Mat Herron
ear X-tacy
1534 Bardstown Road
452-1799
www.earx-tacy.com
Free; noon-4 p.m.
<HEALTH>
Saturday July 7
‘Blossom Into Health’
Rainbow Blossom has always been one of Louisville’s prime spots for healthier living, and on Saturday, the “Blossom Into Health” fair takes that quite literally. Local health practitioners — folks such as chiropractors, nutritionists and alternative medicine practitioners — will be in the store to talk with customers about alternative health methods. Food and supplement samples will be plentiful, and you can take a chance on winning a zero-emissions scooter, as well as other prizes. “We thought it would be nice to have a one-stop destination for customers to see the different types of treatment options that are available, and also give attendees an opportunity to interact with the practitioners to know if they have a fit,” says Summer Auerbach, Rainbow Blossom’s VP. And here’s the kicker: A holistic veterinarian will be there to discuss how your furry loved ones can live just as healthy as you. —Meghan Wiggs
Rainbow Blossom
3738 Lexington Road
896-0289
Free; noon-4 p.m.
<EARTH>
Saturday, July 7
Live Earth concert
You have probably heard about Live Earth, the Al Gore-supported 24-hour block of international concerts that will feature more than 100 artists performing in multiple cities in a musical attempt to solve global warming. In case you can’t get a plane ticket, you can check things out from your hometown. The Louisville Climate Action Network will hold “Cool Tunes for a Cool Planet,” a live screening of Live Earth, at the Theater Square Bluegrass Brewing Company location. There is a suggested $3 donation.
BBC will use local ingredients to create dishes from the nine Live Earth cities worldwide, like London, Johannesburg and Shanghai. The ingredients are the sorts of things that cut down on the food miles that exacerbate environmental problems.
Artists expected to play Live Earth include The Police, Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys and Kanye West.
The small donation will benefit Louisville CAN, a new organization dedicated to minimizing local carbon output. “Cool Tunes” will also be held outside the restaurant, so guests can get a real feel for the local environment while rockin’ out to concerts thousands of miles away. —Ryan Real
BBC Theater Square
664 S. Fourth St.
568-2224
www.louisvillecan.org
$3; 7-11 p.m.
<THEATER>
July 10-12
‘Taming of the Shrew’
Tame the feisty Kate, the shrew in question? Oh, but with wit that biting, who’d want to? Kentucky Shakespeare Festival’s summer season continues with “The Taming of the Shrew,” one of Shakespeare’s well known comedies. Wealthy merchant Baptista has two daughters of marrying age — one spirited and one sweet. Bianca’s honey is drawing the flies, but Baptista refuses to give her away until Kate has a husband. This time around, the festival’s high school troupe, The Globe Players, tackle the Bard. The troupe is part of the festival’s Shakespeare’s Youth Academy, a summer education program for ages 5-18. Kids spending a summer studying Shakespeare instead of the TV? Gotta support that! —Rebecca Haithcoat
C. Douglas Ramey Amphitheatre
Central Park, Fourth & Magnolia
www.kyshakes.org
Free; 8 p.m.
<’STACHE>
July 13-14
Groomin’ Eye for the NASCAR guy
Face it, men: You’ve always wanted to shave a “3” somewhere onto your body. But aesthetics are a concern. Should you shave it into your beard, scalp, sideburns, chest, back, ass or pubes? Well, help is on the way. The Wahl Trimmers’ mobile barbershop is coming to the Kentucky Speedway to offer free trims and professional advice about all your grooming needs. The “Wahl Let It Grow” tour also includes games, giveaways and a contest for Man of the Year. The contest includes categories for best beard, mustache and goatee in America, but if you think you’ve got some killer nose or ear hair, they won’t turn you away. —Jim Welp
Kentucky Speedway
Sparta, Ky.
(888) 652-RACE
Free (w/ Speedway admission, $20-$70); 4 p.m.
<ART>
Through Aug. 31
Cross-country on scooter
It takes a special kind of person to navigate 50cc’s of scooter muscle across thousands of miles of American backroads. Scott Garner apparently is that type of person, riding on his scooter from Louisville to the West Coast and back while blogging about his cross-country adventure.
The journey began last year, when Garner decided to sell his house and business and keep only what his scooter could carry. Following Lewis and Clark’s route, Garner hunkered down in Portland, Ore., for the winter and returned to Louisville this April via Route 66.
Excerpts from his blog along with photos will be featured at the “The Speed of Slow” exhibit at the Garner-Furnish Studio. Visitors can expect unedited, personal blog posts and photos that capture Garner’s “painter’s eye,” according to his sister, Angie Reed Garner.
Garner and his scooter will be there for an opening reception on Friday at 6 p.m. Here’s hoping fame doesn’t go to his head (the scooter, we mean). —Ryan Real
Garner-Furnish Studio
642 E. Market St.
594-2039
<ART>
Through Aug. 31
Photographs by Geoff Carr, Caroline Waite and Julius Friedman
The Photo Biennial exhibitions all over town continue to display the skills of many of our local photographers. Geoff Carr and Caroline Waite share a studio in the old Pyro Gallery space and have put together a show of their work that also features the abstracted nature series of guest artist Julius Friedman.
Carr’s photographs were taken in San Miguel, Mexico. His photographic technique produced very intriguing images by using a digital camera with a pinhole lens. The results are surrealistic scenes with whirls of color. Vintage Victorian portraits are the basis for Waite’s collages, creating surreal visions of “what exactly am I seeing?” that are fine companions to Carr’s images. —Jo Anne Triplett
Carr + Waite Studios
221 Hancock St.
540-1168
www.carr-photo.com