It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Frazier History Museum!

The museum store, Welcome Center and Great Hall are decked in holiday cheer.

And soon Santa will arrive in his sleigh, the Corvette in our Cool Kentucky Exhibit, full of holiday presents. Each year the staff gets into the holiday spirit by turning into Santa’s helpers to prepare the museum for guests, and visitors from out of town.

The countdown for the holiday shopping season is on and the Museum Store is stocked with unique and Kentucky themed gifts. There is something satisfying, even nostalgic about shopping in a cozy store with amazing finds at each turn.

Small business Saturday is November 26, so mark it on your calendar, but don’t wait until then to shop with us!

Keep your eye on this newsletter each week, and on our social media as we highlight our favorite gift items for all the good boys and girls on your holiday list.

Our first pick is a necessity for any bourbon lover – bourbon themed Christmas ornaments for the most spirited tree. Cheers!

Check out our website for some of the items we have, but come in person to see all of them at 829 W. Main Street.

We are quick, easy, convenient and local and all of the store proceeds support the museum’s mission.

We are where the world meets Kentucky!

Also coming up in this edition of Frazier Weekly, big names are honoring Coach Denny Crum, check out our new Kentucky Rivalries exhibit, Elvis is in the building with a new program, and booking your tour on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Mindy Johnson
Director of Guest Services
Frazier History Museum

This Week in the Museum

Kentucky Rivalries: Celebrating Denny Crum, Friendships and a Rivalry on the Court!

Imagine former teammates who won a national championship together at the University of Louisville in 1980, facing off 42 years later as opposing head coaches in a college basketball matchup.

It happened just recently at Indiana University Southeast, when the Grenadiers coached by Wiley Brown, took on the Falcons of Simmons College, coached by Tony Branch.

The former teammates were now rivals on the court, and it was a who’s who of former U of L players who showed up at IUS to watch it unfold, and show their support for Wiley and Tony and the young men who now play for them.

See how many of those former Cardinals you recognize in that reunion picture.

Both Coaches wanted the W, the Grenadiers got it, but the night was also about enduring friendships and supporting one another in light of that shared history.

And on December 8th, we can’t wait to “share” that history and those memories as we honor Coach Crum along with so many of the players who brought you those championship seasons in 1980 and 1986.

Join Coach Crum and his wife Susan, along with big names like Darrell Griffith, Roger Burkman, Scooter McCray, Jerry Eaves, Wiley Brown, Tony Branch, Daryl Cleveland, Robbie Valentine, Herbert Crook, Chris West, Billy Thompson, Milt Wagner, Jeff Hall and Wade Houston here at the Frazier for a special night.

And guess what? These aren’t even all the names of who will join us, more to come!

You don’t want to miss the players reminisce about what made their teams so special, their favorite memories, and certainly their tributes to their Coach, Denny Crum. Click here for tickets.

And to get us started down memory lane, I asked Wiley Brown to talk about that championship season in 1980 and why it was so special, take a listen.

This program is part of our brand new Kentucky Rivalries Exhibit, keep reading Frazier Weekly to read more about it.

Rachel Platt
Director of Community Engagement

Curator's Corner: Kentucky Rivalries Walkthrough

Our new exhibit, Kentucky Rivalries, is now open to the public! If you haven't seen our fun, mascot-filled commercial yet, check out the video below!

From archrival teams like the Cats and the Cards to dueling editors, competing caves, and beefing barbecues, Kentucky Rivalries captures the most iconic conflicts in the Bluegrass State.

Each of the sections—Historic and Pop Culture Rivalries, Louisville High School Rivalries, High School Rivalries Around Kentucky, University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, and Other College Rivalries—features cases of original objects dating from the 1800s to the present day.

At a photo op station visitors can pose on the original Family Feud TV show set, which in 1979 hosted the Hatfields and McCoys playing for a cash prize and a pig. Other Historic Rivalries featured include the 1857 duel between rival Louisville newspaper editors George Prentice and Reuben Durrett and the 1920s and `30s “Cave Wars” between competing attractions Great Onyx Cave and Mammoth Onyx Cave.

Notable artifacts include vintage mascot suits from Flaget (Brave), Male (Bulldog), St. X (Tiger), UK (Wildcat), U of L (Louie), and WKU (Big Red), vintage Trinity cheerleader uniforms, a game program UK basketball head coach Joe B. Hall rolled up during a game, the Shillelagh awarded to the winner of the St. X-Trinity football game, a replica of the Barrel awarded to the winner of the Male-Manual game, and an original Antoine Walker UK basketball uniform from the 1995–96 season.

Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist

Kentucky Rivalries: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!

If you visit our Kentucky Rivalries exhibit, you’ll be asked if you bleed blue, or raise your L’s?

Then depending on your answer, we hope you’ll add some cash as you vote red or blue with our donation boxes.

Right now, the Cards have $65.00 in donations and the Cats are trailing a bit with $58.00.

We’ll be giving updates on these totals along the way since the exhibit is up until September of 2023.

It’s a fun way for you to pledge your school spirit, and for the Frazier History Museum, which is a non-profit, to raise money for our quality programming.

And with the Governor’s Cup coming up November 26th in Lexington, we feel more donations coming our way.

Blue or red?

Kentucky Rivalries: Assumption-Sacred Heart Field Hockey State Championship

We are happy to follow-up on our reporting from last month that, despite losing some battles earlier in the year, the Assumption Rockets ultimately won the war, so to speak, for high school field hockey supremacy in the Commonwealth.

Last month during the KHSAA Field Hockey Tournament the Rockets avenged regular season losses to Christian Academy of Louisville and archrival Sacred Heart Academy by beating both schools on the way to Assumption’s 12th state championship in field hockey. With the win, Assumption has tied with its archrival for most state championships all-time in field hockey. Assumption has won twelve state championships (1990, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2022). Sacred Heart has also won twelve titles (1983, 1986, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2021).

We here at the Frazier congratulate both this year’s State Champs, coached by Assumption head coach Jody Schaefer, and the State Runners-Up, the Valkyries, coached by Sacred Heart head coach Eleanor Mitchell. We are sure that both schools will be in the hunt again for the state crown next year.

If you would like to learn more about the history of these two rival high schools, then be sure to check out our Kentucky Rivalries exhibition, which is now open to the public.

Brian West
Teaching Artist

Elvis, The Colonel, and Author Alanna Nash

We are “All Shook Up” at the Frazier as we rollout a program on January 8th, Elvis’s birthday.

Local author Alanna Nash will join us to talk about her book The Colonel, written in 2003 about Elvis’s mysterious manager, that book making a resurgence after the recent Elvis movie was released.

Join us at 3 p.m. as Alanna talks about Elvis and The Colonel, the movie, and writing about Elvis for more than forty-five years.

Elvis performed five times in Louisville with his last visit coming in May of 1977, about 3 months before his death.

I found an article Billy Reed wrote about that visit in the Courier Journal, here’s a small excerpt: “Last night they came again, like pilgrims flocking to a shrine. The ticket prices were outrageous - $15, $12, and $10 – but nobody seemed to mind.”

We’ll talk about those visits to Louisville in our program, as well as other ties Elvis had to our city.

I have had “Burning Love” for Elvis ever since I saw him filming a movie in Arizona when I was a young girl, so be forewarned, I may not be an unbiased moderator on this one!

Keep reading to find out how you can join Frazier’s Book Club and read Alanna’s book ahead of the program.

Rachel Platt
Director of Community Engagement

Our First 2023 Member Exclusive Program: Winter Book Club!

Our Members “Can’t Help Falling in Love” with our exclusive book club!

Were you on vacation during our Summer Book Club, had to work or just couldn’t make it? Now is your chance to mark your calendar! For our first ever winter book club discussion, we will be reading The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley by Alanna Nash.

ALL members are welcome to participate in this program.

Book Club Member Perks for our Winter Title:

• Members and (1) guest* may be included in your RSVP.

• Casual visit to a portion of our meeting by the author.

• Reserved priority seating to the reading and Q&A following our meeting.

• The opportunity to have your copy signed by the author.

• Advance notice of our Summer Book Club dates and titles.

• A chance to win a door prize at the end of the discussion.

*The same guest cannot attend more than one book discussion, including Summer Book Club.

Details You Need to Know:

• Limited Seating available, RSVP early!

• RSVP to aegan@fraziermuseum.org by January 3.

• Winter Book Club discussion will take place prior to the Reading and Q&A on Sunday, January 8 at 2 p.m.

• Your RSVP to the Winter Book Club will serve as an RSVP to the Reading and Q&A.

• Click here to find more details about the book, public reading and Q&A program.

Find more information about our Winter Book Club here.

Want to join our book club but not a member? Become a member today! “Don’t Be Cruel,” as little as $20 will allow you access to our Summer Book Club + other member exclusive events throughout the year!* Did I mention that for the $20 Individual membership you would also get year round access to the museum, a 10% discount in the museum store** and discounted parking!?

*Not all member exclusive invitations apply to the Individual and Family membership levels.

**Exclusions Apply

Come Experience More!

Amanda Egan
Membership & Database Administrator

Bourbon Spotlight: Booking your Tour on The Kentucky Bourbon Trail®

As we are starting to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, the process of booking Tours on The Kentucky Bourbon Trail has changed. The below link is from The Kentucky Distillers Association and gives a fantastic outline as to how to best manage the new procedures. Be sure to get your field guide, on sale in the Frazier's Bourbon Trail® Welcome Center.

Book Now, Bourbon Later: How to Get Into Kentucky's Best Distilleries

They say that a goal without a plan is just a wish. If your goal is to sip the world’s best Bourbons and explore the iconic distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®–you’ve gotta have a plan. And that includes booking tours and experiences well in advance.

Click here for more travel tips and the full article!

Family History Nights at The Frazier

The “oohs and aahs” as little ones come around the corner at the main entrance and catch sight of the Corvette in the Cool Kentucky exhibition. The pitter-pattering of small feet around the galleries as they search for items on their scavenger hunt. The inquisitive questions on the guided tours and the chatter and laughter of families as they work together on crafts and games.

The Frazier education team has truly missed those sounds bouncing around the museum during the lull of the pandemic, so it was extra special to host our first Family History Night in several years for Crums Lane Elementary in October.

Families came out to enjoy the museum after-hours and chose from a selection of crafts, tours, story-times, scavenger hunts – along with access to all museum exhibitions. We had a terrific time hosting and look forward to more to come!

You can learn more about Family History Nights at the Frazier museum by clicking here and any questions can be directed to education@fraziermuseum.org.

Megan Schanie
Manager of School & Teacher Programs

Membership

Last Chance to Sign Up for Coffee With Casey and the Cave Wars

On Saturday, November 19, director of exhibit ideation Casey Harden will present on the almost century-long rivalry between cave managers, guides, locals, outsiders, explorers, and loyal supporters of one cave over another in what became known as the Kentucky Cave Wars. Following the discussion, Casey will lead a tour of our newest exhibition, Kentucky Rivalries.

From the “pretty side” to the “important side,” bodies on display and cave hermits, get an inside look into the Cave Wars and the cultural significance it made on the Commonwealth.

Doors will open at 10 a.m. Coffee, tea, and other light refreshments will be served with the program and the program will begin at 10:30 a.m.

This type of programming is a benefit to our Contributor-level members and above.

Become a member today at the Contributor level or above in order to attend this member-exclusive program!

If you would like to upgrade your membership in order to unlock benefits like this program, give me a call at (502) 412-2263.

RSVP deadline is tomorrow: Email me at aegan@fraziermuseum.org by November 15.

Amanda Egan
Membership & Database Administrator