Here we go, folks—the best party of the year is just twelve days away!

Night at the Frazier was THE party of the year in 2024 and we’re ready to run it back in ’25 with all the great experiences that left Louisville buzzing last year for days. Only this year, we’re also opening our new Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition, to be seen for the first time by attendees at the party on April 5. If you love love, fashion, jewelry, and wedding traditions, this exhibition is for you!

Now back to the party—we’re talking about food and fashion, drinks and dancing, trivia and tastings, and surprise experiences around every corner. With live music from multiple performers, including Tony and the Tan Lines and the Esteemed Colleagues, your ears will experience ecstasy from start to finish.

Toss in a Guys and Dolls Lounge with NCAA Final Four games on view, Kentucky karaoke, exhibition tours, roaming 360 photo ops, an auction, a Winner’s Choice raffle, an Elvis appearance, rooftop access, and a game named What the What. Find out what you know about Kentucky at the place where the world meets Kentucky.

Tickets are still available, so I sure hope to see you here. If I do, find me on the dance floor. Let’s dance!

In today’s Frazier Weekly, Hayley explores a long-lost scent from Kentucky history that you can actually sample at our gala. For Women’s History Month, Simon Meiners spotlights Carter County softball superstar Montana Fouts, our Museum Shop plugs some Rosie the Riveter merchandise, and Nicole surveys the work of 1930s photographer Margaret Bourke-White. Rachel pays tribute to the late Courier Journal photographer Keith Williams and my friend Deborah Bilitski introduces us to the new PlayPort at Waterfront Park.

Oh, and if you have any more gas in the tank, our Mary Dowling Tasting and Literary Experience scheduled for April 9 is not yet sold out. But it’s close!

Enjoy, y’all.

This Week in the Museum

Breathe into History: Experience the Lost Scent of Kentucky at Night at the Frazier

On April 5, Night at the Frazier invites you to an evening where history, science, and scent come together in an unforgettable way. While you enjoy delicious food, craft cocktails, and live music, you’ll also have the exclusive opportunity to experience the opening of the Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage exhibition—a dazzling celebration of love through time. But that’s not all!

This year, we’re bringing the fragrance of Kentucky’s natural history to life. Guests will have the chance to experience Grassland Opera, a groundbreaking fragrance by Future Society, which revives the aroma of an extinct Kentucky flower, the Falls-of-the-Ohio Scurfpea (Orbexilum stipulatum).

A flower extinct for nearly 200 years, this delicate bloom once thrived on Rock Island in the Ohio River, near Louisville. Its survival was intertwined with buffalo migration, as the massive herds unknowingly pressed its roots into the earth. But by 1881, both the buffalo and the flower had disappeared.

Thanks to modern science, researchers at Gingko Bioworks used preserved DNA from a Harvard Herbarium specimen to recreate its scent—something no human had smelled in over a century. Through the power of biology and artistry, Future Society, a brand of Arcaea, worked with master perfumers to translate these lost molecules into Grassland Opera, a fresh, verdant fragrance that transports you back in time.

The Fragrance Profile:

• Top Notes: Bergamot, Clary Sage, Ginger, Fig Leaves

• Mid Notes: Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Mimosa

• Base Notes: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Guaiacwood, Akigalawood, Ambrofix

Designed by renowned perfumer Daniela Andrier, the scent captures the crisp and energizing spirit of the lost scurfpea, blending woody, spicy, and floral notes into a one-of-a-kind fragrance only made possible through science.

At this year’s Night at the Frazier, guests will not only experience a new exhibition, music, and celebration, but also have the rare opportunity to journey through time by sampling Grassland Opera, an immersion into a flower that vanished long before the Louisville we know today!

Be part of this historic moment. Join us April 5 and take a deep breath into Kentucky’s past.

Curator’s Corner: Behind the Scenes of Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage

Do you know what our next exhibition is? I do! (Sigh, it’s a wedding joke.) Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage opens the night of Saturday, April 5, during our Night at the Frazier gala, and to the public the next day. It’s an exploration of love and marriage in the commonwealth of Kentucky featuring over fifty wedding dresses from the 1870s to the 2020s! To see the exhibition in all its splendor, secure your tickets to our April 5 gala today. In the meantime, we’ve asked exhibitions intern Molly Conard to discuss her experience working on this historic exhibition.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

Everyone wants to look stunning on their wedding day. Perfect hair, shining jewelry, and most importantly, the dress. The newest exhibition here at Frazier, Davis Jewelers’ Love & Marriage, celebrates love and tradition throughout all of Kentucky for the past 150 years. Through this collection of over fifty dresses, you can see the ebb and flow of styles that women wore on their important day.

It’s a perfect place to bring your beloved down memory lane from your special day or maybe get inspiration for your own future wedding day. This exhibition embraces everyone in Kentucky, from traditions brought from Kentucky immigrants and Kentuckians with disabilities to the LGBTQ+ experience. There’s something here for everyone, even the kids.

As a child, I loved to touch and get into everything that I could. It was difficult at times to keep my hands to myself. So, when exhibitions catered to this need in children, my sister and I took full advantage, creating storylines as if we were the very people on the walls. This exhibition is no different: my fellow intern Thomas and I have built a fun, interactive dress-up room so children visitors can have that hands-on experience.

As an intern, I’ve had a hand in a little bit of everything in helping this exhibition come together. Those tasks have included helping dress mannequins, painting the walls, building furniture for the children’s dress-up room, and typing up labels introducing each bride, among other things. Each job is important in the final composition for the perfect display that can be enjoyed by all. It has been amazing learning everything that needs to be done behind the scenes before being introduced to the public.

Helping dress the mannequins was a special treat in “seeing behind the curtain,” so to speak. It was not uncommon for a single mannequin to be dressed and redressed multiple times. Padding needed to be added or shaved down so that the clothing would lay just right, as they did on the people who wore them. Hours devoted to a single dress. It is a very detail-oriented job, that, if done poorly, could cause tension in the treads and create wear and tears in a garment that could have otherwise lasted much longer. The care taken for every piece of clothing to fit just right speaks to the level of dedication and care for detail here at Frazier.

This exhibition is a testament to the endurance of love through the highs and lows of time: from the Great Depression to the legality of gay marriage. These garments would not be here if they had not been cared for and loved enough to be kept safe. Like in these garments before, I hope everyone can find love and joy in this exhibition at Frazier.

Highlights of 120: Carter County: Softball Superstar Montana Fouts

Did you know a Carter County resident received the top college athlete award in 2023? World-class athlete Montana Fouts spent the 2010s honing her softball skills in Eastern Kentucky. Learn more in the following story, one of hundreds of stories featured in our 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

Montana Fouts was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 2000. She moved to Grayson, Carter County, Kentucky, at the age of ten. Fouts attended East Carter High School and was named Kentucky’s Miss Softball. She committed to attending the University of Alabama during her freshman year of high school.

Throughout her five seasons at Alabama, Fouts showed dedication and grit. She pitched every inning of the conference tournament during Alabama’s 2021 SEC title-winning season. During the quarterfinal, she attempted to play through a severe injury. After it was determined to be career-threatening, Fouts left the game but remained to discuss the game with her teammates.

Her biggest awards were NCAA Pitcher of the Year and the softball Honda Sport Award in 2023. The latter is given to the top college athlete in each sport. Fouts left Alabama as likely the most prominent softball player in the country. She is now a member of the United States women’s national softball team.

Museum Shop: Rosie the Riveter

Rosie the Riveter products sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop.

Kentuckian Rose Will Monroe became the real-life Rosie the Riveter when a wartime film promoting war bonds was shot at the factory where she worked as a riveter. She embodied the “We Can Do It” spirit, inspiring women across America. After the war, Rose raised a family, started a construction company, and even earned her pilot’s license—proving that she truly could do it all. Rosie the Riveter remains a powerful symbol of women’s strength and resilience throughout history. Celebrate women and Rosie with unique finds from the Frazier’s Museum Shop.

Early Bird Prices for 2025 Frazier Summer Beer Fest as Low as They’ll Go!

Frazier Summer Beer Fest returns July 26!

It’s a block party in front of the museum on Main and Ninth Street featuring more than 200 specialty beers—ales, lagers, porters, stouts, hefeweizens, barleywines, and more—along with food, retail, live music, and activations. VIP tickets get you access to the museum’s indoors—including three floors of exhibitions, air conditioning, and indoor bathrooms—plus additional beers.

Last year, I got roped into wearing a chicken suit so I could lead the Chicken Dance.

But don’t be a chicken like me—be an Early Bird!

We recently announced Early Bird prices: $80 (VIP) or $40 (GA). Those are the lowest that individual ticket prices will go! So secure yours ASAP before our Early Bird rates ends April 7.

History All Around Us

Photographer Margaret Bourke-White’s The Louisville Flood, 1937

While its official title is The Louisville Flood, the image above is more commonly known as the 1937 Breadline photo. This photo is considered an iconic image of the Great Depression—and while many have seen the photo what’s less known is the story behind it.

The photo was taken by the photographer Margaret Bourke-White while on assignment for LIFE magazine. By the time Bourke-White made her way to Louisville, she had already made a name for herself in the burgeoning field of documentary photography. Hired as one of the first four photographers for LIFE, her image of Fort Peck Dam would be the cover for the first issue. Born with fearless determination and an eye for storytelling, she wouldn’t let anything come between her and the shot. While documenting the construction of the Chrysler Building, she crawled out onto one of the newly placed gargoyle heads perched 800 feet above the ground to capture the changing landscape of New York City.

Her fearless determination would take her across the globe and earn her the title of “first” numerous times throughout her career. She was the only western photographer to document the German invasion of Moscow and the first woman to document an Air Corps bombing run. Her final story for LIFE was a documentation of her battle with Parkinson’s which she would eventually pass from at the age of sixty-seven. Over the course of her nearly fifty-year career, she captured the best and worst that humanity had to offer.

During March, we honor Margaret Bourke-White and the hundreds of women both known and lost to history who have changed our world.

The Legacy of Courier Journal Photographer Keith Williams

It was a who’s who of Courier Journal photographers at the Frazier History Museum last summer to view the documentary Fleeting Reality. That documentary celebrates the Pulitzer Prize–winning photographers from the CJ, the history they have covered, and their personal reflections.

You felt the camaraderie in the room between colleagues—and their respect for one another.

That respect has been overflowing the last few days with the passing of photographer Keith Williams who was part of our panel discussion last July.

Those same colleagues who filled our theatre are now paying tribute to Williams, saying he was “a mentor and big brother to us all,” someone who was deeply admired for his compassion, his humanitarianism, and his strong faith.

Keith found his love of photography in high school and joined the Courier Journal and the Louisville Times in 1973.

He was integral in covering busing, Muhammad Ali, and multiple Final Fours. His work helped earn the photo staff the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for its visual coverage of busing in 1975.

I talked with CJ photographer Michael Clevenger about Williams’ wonderful career, and asked him to select a photo we could share, if there was one he thought would powerfully capture a moment in time. He said the one of Ali running in the fog. I have personally always loved that photo; there’s something mystical about it.

And now when I look at it, I think about the man behind the camera as well as the man in the picture.

As Henri Cartier-Bresson said: “To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality.”

Watch the documentary Fleeting Reality below.

Bridging the Divide

Waterfront Park Expands into West Louisville, Honoring Louisville’s Riverfront History

Waterfront Park PlayPort rendering, 2025. Credit: Waterfront Park, MKSK.

There’s another bridging the divide in our community and this one hits close to home here at the Frazier History Museum because of its proximity. This Wednesday, March 26, the public is invited to celebrate the dedication of PlayPort at Waterfront Park at 11 a.m. It is part of their westward expansion, extending the park to a twenty-two-acre area into Louisville’s west end along the Ohio River between Tenth and Fourteenth streets. We can’t wait to see you at the opening! The address is 1105 Rowan Street (between Tenth and Twelfth streets). Keep reading to learn more.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission

For centuries, the Ohio River has shaped Louisville’s history, drawing Native Americans, early settlers, and generations of workers who built their lives along its banks. Now, with the opening of PlayPort on March 26, Waterfront Park is expanding westward toward the Portland and Russell neighborhoods, strengthening the connection between the river and the community that has long called it home.

Louisville’s identity has always been tied to the Ohio River. Long before it became a bustling city, the Falls of the Ohio made this spot a natural gathering place—first for Indigenous peoples, then for explorers, traders, and settlers who had to stop around the falls. The river became the city’s economic lifeline, fueling industries from shipping and manufacturing to distilling and trade. It shaped not just the geography of Louisville, but its culture and communities. The Phase IV expansion of Waterfront Park continues that legacy, ensuring that the riverfront remains a place of connection, commerce, and shared history for generations to come.

The first part of the Phase IV expansion is PlayPort, an innovative, science-based play area developed by Waterfront Park in partnership with Kentucky Science Center. Unlike traditional playgrounds, PlayPort transforms large-scale industrial and maritime objects into interactive play structures, reflecting Louisville’s working riverfront history. Children can climb a life-sized excavator bucket, slide down a supersized dump truck bed, and explore authentic maritime artifacts, learning about the Ohio River’s role in shaping the city.

But PlayPort is about more than just play—it’s about accessibility and inclusion. With the vast majority of its features accessible at ground level or through ramps, PlayPort goes far beyond ADA requirements, ensuring that children of all abilities can participate.

For decades, west Louisville residents have lived near the Ohio River but lacked direct, welcoming access to its benefits. The Phase IV expansion, which will add twenty-two acres between Tenth and Fourteenth streets, helps bridge that gap.

PlayPort is just beginning. Over the next several years, Phase IV will create community gathering spaces and more, creating new opportunities for recreation, connection, and engagement with Louisville’s rich riverfront heritage. The project will also provide a direct link between downtown and Portland, giving more than 10,000 residents easier access to green space, walking paths, and gathering areas.

Louisville Ballet Offering Frazier History Museum Members 15% Discounts on Cinderella Tickets!

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the incredible work of nonprofit organizations, the Louisville Ballet is pleased to offer your organization and your members a special opportunity to enjoy our upcoming production of Cinderella at a 15% discount.

We would love for you and your team to experience the magic of this classic fairy tale coming to life on stage. To take advantage of this offer, simply use the promo code glass slipper when purchasing your tickets online.

Details of the Offer

Event: Louisville Ballet’s Cinderella at the Kentucky Performing Arts
Discount: 15% off tickets for Frazier History Museum members
Promo Code: glassslipper
Dates: April 4 (8 p.m.), April 5 (2 p.m. and 8 p.m.), April 6 (2 p.m.)
How to Redeem: Visit Louisville Ballet and enter the promo code at checkout.

It’s our genuine pleasure to offer your organization and your members appreciation for the important work you do in our community.

Arricka Dunsford
Chief of Staff, Louisville Ballet
Guest Contributor

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