Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Easter Sunday.

I’m excited today because the party of the year is only eleven days away!

Held Friday, April 12, a Night at the Museum: Celebrating 20 Years of the Frazier is sure to be a night to remember—featuring five outstanding bands (Tony & the Tan Lines, Carly Johnson, Small Time Napoleon, Otis Junior, and James Racine & Omega Latham), Cirque Louis performers, open bars, and all the food you can eat.

But wait: there’s more! Over a dozen distillers and brewers will have tastings; plus, there will be dancing, Kentucky-oke (karaoke with Kentucky songs), magic, and Kentucky-centric engagements led by our talented staff of educators. There’s a swag bag with Clayton & Crume, a photo booth, a rooftop DJ, and a silent auction featuring a complete Pappy Van Winkle set, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon and President’s Choice, and Woodford’s Baccarat; plus a weekend Porsche experience from Bluegrass Motorsport, a year of Shady Rays sunglasses, and private boxes at Churchill Downs, Keeneland, and Lynn Family Stadium.

Oh, and no gala would be complete without Gallopalooza horses, so we’ve set them up for your viewing entertainment. From now until at least one day after our April 12 gala, eleven horses representing the Black jockeys who rode in and won the Kentucky Derby between 1875 and 1902 will be on display in our Gateway Garden at the museum’s entrance.

Speaking of after-hours events at the museum, Summer Beer Fest at Frazier returns July 27. The Early Bird discount ends tonight at 11:59 p.m.—so secure your tickets now! You can get a VIP ticket for $75 or a General Admission ticket for $40. Individual ticket prices won’t get any lower!

In today’s issue of Frazier Weekly, Michelle Black White spotlights Gallopalooza’s Black Heritage in Racing traveling exhibit. Leslie Anderson introduces the Monk’s Road Experience, our next Bourbon program, scheduled for April 25.

And finally, there’s music—from Dennis Rodman spinning hits as a DJ at the Frazier to the U of L Brass Band.

I sure do hope you enjoy!

Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum

This Week in the Museum

Join Us April 25 for the Monk’s Road Experience!

Log Still Distillery in New Haven, Nelson County, Kentucky takes its roots seriously. They honor the history of Central Kentucky and reflect the values of faith, family, and community in their brand and legacy. Visit their distillery and see these principles respected in every aspect of their daily operations: the amber depths of Monk’s Road spirits, the familial ties of their core staff, and the communal impact of the Amp outdoor music amphitheater, whose season kicks off the week after Kentucky Derby 150. And now, you can taste the Log Still Distillery experience in Downtown Louisville.

On April 25, join us for the Monk’s Road Experience here at the Frazier History Museum! We will welcome Log Still Distillery founder Wally Dant and award-winning chef David Danielson to share spirits, conversation, and food pairings from their brand new Main Street restaurant, Monk’s Road Boiler House. Join us in celebration to welcome Monk’s Road to Main Street, sip some of their most-loved spirits and our single-barrel pick, all while we enjoy live music. This is your chance to get your hands on a bottle of the Monk’s Road Frazier Museum Barrel Pick! You’ll also be some of the first in Louisville to taste Boiler House’s delicious menu and hear more about Amp’s 2024 concert lineup.

From all your friends at the Frazier, welcome to the neighborhood! We are so glad you’re part of the Whiskey Row family!

Leslie Anderson
Partnership Manager

Gallopalooza 2024 Featured as Part of Black Jockey Traveling Exhibit

I love that the Gallopalooza horses are back and the timing of it makes it even more special to align with special anniversaries. Eleven horses representing the original Black jockeys who won the Kentucky Derby are now on display in our Gateway Garden at the Frazier until April 13, in a space that is free and open to the public. Keep reading to learn more about the project and why the time was right to bring them back.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission

Gallopalooza returns once again to the streets and sidewalks of Louisville with 150 new horse statues that will dot the city—fueling continued interest in our love of horses. The number of horses is significant because it’s a nod to the 150th anniversary of the Kentucky Derby. In fact, Churchill Downs is the presenting partner for this year’s Gallopalooza. Additionally, this is the 20th anniversary of the first incarnation of Gallopalooza, which had other iterations in 2009 and 2015.

Another distinguishing factor this year is the introduction of a series of painted horse statues paying homage to the Black jockey experience, featuring stories rarely—or, in some cases, never—told until now.

Eleven diverse artists were commissioned by Gallopalooza to design horse statues that reflect the narrative of the Black jockey experience. Unknown to many is the fact that Black jockeys and horsemen dominated the sport of Thoroughbred racing from the very first Kentucky Derby in 1875 through 1903, before the Jim Crow era pushed them out. The first twenty-eight Derby winners were ridden by Black jockeys.

A tour that shares these stories will travel across Louisville—and will be presented at the Frazier Museum alongside the Black jockey horse statues through April 13.

The Black Heritage in Racing traveling exhibit begins in the era of settler colonialism in what eventually became the United States. The exhibit tells the story of how enslaved Americans laid the foundation for horse racing as we know it in this part of the world. The early success of the Kentucky Derby is credited to Black Americans, the era of segregation and how Jim Crow laws drove Black Americans from the horse racing industry. These compelling stories address how Black Americans served as primary caretakers of horses in the twentieth century as well as the initiatives taken by the Black community to increase participation in the industry up to today.

Michelle Black White
Executive Director, Brightside Foundation
Guest Contributor

20th Anniversary Photo: Dennis Rodman DJs at the Frazier, 2010

As we promote our April 12 gala, a Night at the Museum, we look back fondly at one of the greatest parties the Frazier has ever hosted. On April 30, 2010—the night before Super Saver won the Kentucky Derby on a sloppy track—many tourists sought shelter from the rain at the Derby Pretty Party in the Frazier’s loft. Former Chicago Bull Dennis Rodman threw the party and deejayed, playing pop hits like Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.” Welcome to Louisville! BourbonBlog’s Tom Fischer told Rodman, who’d never been to Louisville before. “It reminds me of Oklahoma.” Do you like Bourbon? “The street? I don’t drink Bourbon. I drink vodka cranberry!” You can watch the full exchange below.

Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist

Museum Shop: Plenty for Twenty!

We’re thrilled to announce that Travel + Leisure magazine has recognized the Frazier’s Museum Shop as one of the best places to shop! They’ve applauded our exceptional Bourbon selection and unique Kentucky-themed gifts. It’s an honor!

And if that weren’t thrilling enough, get ready as we gear up for the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby! At the Frazier, we’re not only celebrating this historic race but also marking our own milestone—our 20th anniversary—with a selection of special offerings, all priced at $20.

Learn to craft Louisville’s official cocktail, the iconic Old Fashioned, or perfect the art of the Mint Julep—just in time for the Derby! The classes are only $20 each and include museum admission.

For Derby-themed gifts that’ll make you the talk of the town, look no further! From our selection of fascinators priced at $20, Derby earrings, or hostess gifts, we’ve got you covered. There’s never been a better time to visit the museum. We hope to see you soon!

From the Collections: Tornado Outbreak Relief Photographs, 1974

Did you know the Frazier owes its existence to the 1974 tornado outbreak? On April 3, 1974, an 1820s Kentucky long rifle—a family heirloom that belonged to Louisville businessman Owsley Brown Frazier, made for his great-great-grandfather and gifted to him by his grandfather—vanished when a twister destroyed his East Louisville home. Although Mr. Frazier would never find the rifle again, his search for it would spark a passion for collecting antique weapons. In 2004, to display his collection, he opened the Frazier Historical Arms Museum, which is now the Frazier History Museum. This week, as Louisville marks the fiftieth anniversary of the devastating tornado outbreak, we’ve asked collections manager Tish Boyer to spotlight some inspiring photographs that were captured in the wake of the disaster.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist

This week marks fifty years since the super outbreak of tornadoes in 1974. During that two-day period, 148 tornadoes were confirmed across thirteen states—and Kentucky was no exception. In this state, twenty-six tornadoes touched down, causing deaths, injuries, and millions of dollars’ worth of damage. Louisville itself saw an F4 tornado, which moved northeast from the Kentucky State Fairgrounds.

The weekend following the outbreak, two volunteers, Earl Henderson and his son Gene Henderson, drove a Salvation Army Emergency Mobile Disaster relief unit from Danville, Virginia, to Louisville, Kentucky, to provide support for the emergency response and clean up. It is always amazing to see how people rally together to help in the wake of a crisis.

From our collection are two photographs Earl and Gene captured on that trip. The first image show Louisville volunteers with the mobile unit. Can you see in the image the list of places this mobile unit had already been to help with previous disaster response? The volunteer from the Salvation Army is pointing where Louisville will go on the side of the truck. The second image is believed to depict the backstage of the auditorium at Dunn Elementary School.

Fifty years ago this week, the worst outbreaks of tornadoes hit the United States. But even in the middle of such a horrible disaster, people came from all over to help put things back together.

Tish Boyer
Registrar & Manager of Collections Engagement

Frazier to Host U of L’s Brass Spectacular Sunday

This Sunday, April 7, the Frazier will host the University of Louisville’s brass department for their annual Brass Spectacular! And that’s brass instruments, in case you were imagining university professors smelting copper and zinc (which also sounds fascinating). The instruments we’ll feature are familiar ones—trumpets, trombones, tubas, and French horns—but the brass family includes many instruments you may not expect and some that aren’t made of any metal at all. Please allow me a brief moment for science and history, as this is a subject on which I have been known to wax poetic.

Musical instruments are usually categorized by how their sound is produced, or more specifically, what vibrates to produce that sound. String instruments are played by either plucking or bowing a string, causing it to vibrate and produce a sound. Bet you could’a guessed that one, though. Percussion instruments make sound when you hit something to make it vibrate. Woodwind instruments use air to either vibrate a wooden reed, like on a clarinet, or vibrate the air itself by nature of the shape of the instrument, as with a flute or a recorder. The vibrations on brass instruments, confusingly enough, come from the player’s lips and have nothing to do with the material the instrument is made from. This classification for brass instruments includes didgeridoos, which are made of wood, vuvuzelas, normally made of plastic, and ceramic jugs*, all of which use a player’s lips to make sound and none of which you will hear at the Brass Spectacular. Nor will you hear a saxophone, which, despite being made of brass, vibrates a reed to make sound and so is considered a woodwind instrument.

What you will hear on Sunday are instruments that have evolved from hollowed-out animal horns over the course of more than 10,000 years and refined by generations of master instrument makers to produce rich and glorious tones worthy of praising God in the book of Psalms or heralding the Valkyries in Wagner’s Nibelungen operas (I did warn you I could get longwinded). In the right hands, these modern instruments are capable of dramatic virtuosity and soulful melody, which is just what the student performers will showcase this weekend. They have all worked for months with the esteemed faculty at U of L, including my friend and teacher (and Grammy winner) Brett Shuster who has organized the performance, to prepare a widely varied repertoire that demonstrates the huge variety of music played on brass instruments.

The music will begin at 12:30 p.m. and run for about ninety minutes on the first floor of the museum with works by Giacomo Puccini, Johann Sebastion Bach, Bruce Broughton, James Naigus, Erik Morales, and more. I hope you’ll join us for this spectacular performance and stick around after the music to explore the new 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit, too!

*A note on ceramic jugs: If you read its Wikipedia page you will see the jug classified as a woodwind instrument. This can be the case when the jug is played by blowing across the top like a soda bottle; but in the jug band style of playing, the performer’s lips produce the tone and the jug simply amplifies that sound, making its operation that of a brass instrument. There are also techniques used on the jug that would qualify it as a percussion instrument such as hitting the opening with a flat palm to produce a bass tone or striking the side with a ringed finger for a high-pitched snare drum-like sound. Perhaps I’ve overthought this article on brass instruments.

Kent Klarer
Grant Manager & Writer

Highlights of 120: Anderson County Union Soldier Willie McColley

We haven’t stopped talking about the opening of 120: Cool KY Counties, a new permanent exhibit at the Frazier that tells diverse and often hidden stories from each of our counties. So many folks attended the exhibit opening, but there was one special guest who traveled from Toronto for it. Dr. Alicia Howard, originally from Kentucky, is helping share the story of her great-great-grandfather William McColley. She attended the opening with her daughter, a friend, her mother, and her aunt, who are pictured below. We asked Alicia to share that personal story and explain what it means to now have it as part of an exhibit at the Frazier.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission

I have discovered that stories allow me to create emotional connections with others. By remembering someone’s story, we create a space for the continuation of their existence.

As an adolescent growing up in Lawrenceburg, Anderson County, I always had an interest in local history and how those narratives directly affected our daily lives. My small town provided ample resources from older people who were willing to share their time and knowledge with me. Those individuals included local historian Philip Spencer (1902–91), who explained the function of the census as it related to African Americans, and older family members like my grandmother Lucille Pleasant Washington (1911–2007) and relative Gertrude Bean Cunningham (1916–2007), who shared photographs and stories from their childhood. Their insights allowed me to have a glimpse into the past through their experiences. The knowledge they shared with me holds priceless value. So, when I was invited to represent Anderson County in the 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit, I felt that this would be a great opportunity to tell the story of William McColley (1836–1919), my great-great-grandfather, and his trials and tribulations during the American Civil War.

In 1864, William and his younger brother Henry were enslaved on a farm in Garrard County. They fled to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to enlist in the Forty-Fourth US Colored Infantry to fight for their freedom. William survived the brutality of being a prisoner of war through his determination to live his life as a free man and to ensure that his family would always remain free. After the war, McColley returned to Kentucky, relocating to Anderson County, where he would marry Mary Meaux in 1875, raise their ten children, and work for Col. Thomas H. Hanks, a former Confederate colonel and the patriarch of the Kentucky Legislature. In 1897, McColley was bequeathed fifty acres by Hanks for his faithful service. William McColley’s life story is one that is truly remarkable.

Sharing the story of William McColley, as part of the 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit, was meaningful on so many levels. Researching and writing his life story allowed me to give a voice and humanity to his life and to those he encountered a long way. And as a registered psychotherapist, I find historical narratives can be a powerful tool for healing. Being able to acknowledge the past without judgement, and then witnessing the past without the heaviness of trauma, allows us to resolve and transform those stories into a path for a promising future.

The Frazier History Museum’s 120: Cool KY Counties exhibit created a platform for not only the public but also musicians and storytellers to learn from each other. There was a shared experience of what is most endearing about the state of Kentucky: a sense of community and family.

The Anderson County-William McColley story entry in the exhibit features a photograph of the Washington family from Lawrenceburg, Anderson County. The photograph is part of the Washington-Pleasant Family Collection and was taken in the family’s Lincoln Street home garden in 1961 or 1962. Pictured from left to right are: (seated) Lucille Pleasant Washington, Geneva Washington Howard, and Ann Lewis Washington; (standing) Pearl Washington Allen, Lewis Willie Washington (1888–1974), and Rose Marie Washington Cunningham. Lewis Washington was the grandson of William McColley and was, from a very young age, raised by William and his wife Mary Meaux McColley (1841–97), following the passing of Lewis’s mother, Martha McColley Washington (1870-189?).

Learning more about William McColley’s life has deepened my roots to Kentucky, revealing my family’s contributions spanning over six generations in the Bluegrass region. I know that no matter where I travel in the world, Kentucky will always be my home—and that is a beautiful feeling.

Dr. Alicia Howard
Great-Great-Granddaughter of William McColley
Guest Contributor

Bridging the Divide

Abra Sickles on Norton West Louisville Hospital

Hundreds showed up to the ribbon-cutting recently for the Goodwill Opportunity Center at Twenty-Eighth and Broadway. The signs read “hope happens here.” And there is hope that we are investing more in West Louisville. Another big reason for hope and optimism is the November opening of Norton West Louisville Hospital on the same campus as Goodwill. Come join us April 9 at the Frazier as we share job opportunities at the hospital and talk with their leadership team about what it means for health equity. Click here to reserve your spot that evening. And please keep reading to hear from a member of that team explain why this hospital is so personal.—Rachel Platt, VP of Mission

Norton West Louisville Hospital marks a monumental milestone in healthcare accessibility for the West End community, which has long grappled with health disparities stemming from historical inequities. As the first hospital to be built west of Ninth Street in 150 years, its significance cannot be overstated.

This endeavor represents more than just the construction of a hospital; it symbolizes a commitment to the community. By increasing access to care and strengthening community relationships, a new era of health equity and empowerment is approaching.

One of the most promising aspects of the Norton West Louisville Hospital is its innovative care model, tailored to meet the unique needs of the community it serves. By offering comprehensive services designed to address prevalent health concerns, the hospital can help to transform the view of healthcare and serve as a corner of hope.

In bridging the healthcare divide, Norton West Louisville Hospital represents more than just brick and mortar; it embodies a promise of dignity, equity, and resilience for generations to come. As we look toward the future, let us celebrate this momentous occasion and embrace the transformative potential of accessible, sustainable healthcare for all.

But perhaps the most inspiring aspect of the Norton West Louisville Hospital is the message it sends—a message of resilience, possibility, and unwavering faith in the human spirit. It tells the world that, in the face of adversity, we have the power to build bridges, sow seeds of hope, and create a future where every person, regardless of circumstance, can thrive.

Abra Sickles
Director of Community Partnerships, Norton West Louisville Hospital
Guest Contributor