Daniel Light come on down! You've won two tickets to ROARchestra for Celebrate America this Saturday July 5. Congratulations, enjoy the show.

Now we've got two more tickets to give away for next week's ROARchestra.

Picnic and party with "Motown's #1 party group" The Contours!  This high-energy concert will feature the Dirty Dancing hit "Do You Love Me" as well as impeccable harmonies on songs like "Shake Sherry" and "Can You Do It."

Saturday, July 12, 2008
8:30PM - Louisville Zoo

Same as always, drop a comment or send me an email to let me know you'd like to enter. One random winner will be chosen from all entries I receive before 10PM on Wednesday July 9, 2008.

Don't faint but I'm actually strongly considering leaving my house and going to Nach Bar this evening for the Bejeezus Independence Day Party. It doesn't start until 9PM which is almost past my bedtime but since it's not a school night I think I might be able to do it. What do you think?

"Tented stage out back with acoustic and bluegrass, indoor line-up with old-timey and southern rock, free magazines, film show, drinks and port-o-pots! In other words, a debaucherous good time for FREE! Part of the bar proceeds go to Bejeezus, so bring friends and begin this epic 4th of July weekend right! "

That headline? It's from the press release I was sent but I couldn't help myself from using it. You just know there are going to be six million stimulus package/fuel cost relief puns, promotions and gimicks this summer and fall. Most of them are going to suck but "Burrito Stimulus Package" is pretty funny.

Remember when I told you how deeply conflicted I am about chain restaurants the other day? I should have confessed then that there are 2 or 3 chain restaurants I can't help but love. Qdoba is one of them. I still remember the days when it was called Z-Teca and moved into that spot at Bardstown and Eastern Parkway. Those were happy, happy days that found me eating way too many chicken burritos (mmmm chicken burritos). I think Qdoba's loyalty card/frequent buyer program pretty much sucks though and I very rarely eat there anymore due to just how many calories are actually in a yummy chicken burrito. However from time to time I can't resist walking down Bardstown Road and enjoying a burrito on the patio. In any case Qdoba is running a special for summer that's pretty good: get a free entree after purchasing five. 

With food costs rising their fastest in 17 years according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and gas prices well above $4 per gallon, Qdoba Mexican Grill® introduces a new way to help Kentuckians' paychecks go further.  With the purchase of every five entrées from July 7 to September 1, loyal customers with a Qdoba card earn a free entrée: that's twice as fast as before.

Rising energy and commodity prices have forced the Consumer Price Index up 4% in the first quarter of 2008 (up from last year's overall rise of 2.8%), and many families are feeling the pinch at the grocery and the gas pump.

"We wanted to find a way to help people in Kentuckiana who are fed up with rising gas prices," says Lauren Carpenter, marketing director of ZT of Louisville, LLC., which owns 23 Qdoba restaurants in three states. "Giving them a free meal more quickly allows diners to get a lot more for their money this summer."

Qdoba's Love Ya Back Summer Bonus promotion starts July 7 and runs through Labor Day at every Kentucky Qdoba Mexican Grill. To take advantage of the promotion, customers must pick up the free Qdoba loyalty card available at any location and register the card online at www.iloveqdoba.com.

Nothing celebrates our national independence like a First Friday Gallery Hop. Except maybe holing up on your couch and watch all 7 episodes of John Adams in a row.

Some shops and galleries are closed for the holiday but several will be open and celebrating. Here are a couple highlights:

"Trolley on down to the corner of Campbell and E. Main and visit us at Legacy Lofts for some complimentary wine and "green talk." Find out how Legacy Lofts makes use of sustainable energy like the sun and earth's natural moderating temperature to reduce to near zero the need for energy supplied by fossil fuel and produce heating, cooling, and hot water bills under $10 per month per unit! Legacy Lofts was named the 2008 Multifamily Green Building Project of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders and we'll show you why! Enter on Campbell and join us upstairs on the community courtyard. Sneak preview tours of the entire building are offered every Saturday at 2:00 PM. Phase I construction facing Main Street is expected to be completed this September."

Legacy Lofts, 830 E. Main St.

Signs of Life: Subcultures of New Orleans Post-Katrina New Photographs by Charles Silver
July 4 - August 9, 2008
Opening Reception: Fri., July 11, 6 - 8 p.m.

"Three years after Hurricane Katrina, large parts of New Orleans and its communities remain physically and psychologically devastated.Photographer Charles Silver has been dividing his time between Louisville and New Orleans recently, trying to document the lingering effects of the natural and man-made disaster of Katrina by photographing the people who live there and their traditions, especially endangered African American cultural traditions unique to New Orleans. The community that gave birth to Jazz also gave birth to a range of unique cultural traditions that include brass bands, their accompanying "Second Lines" of parading celebrants, Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, and the Black Mardi Gras Indian tribes."

For more info: http://www.louisvillephoto.org/profile/CharlesSilver

I've go to see that Charles Silver exhibit.

Dear Louisville Magazine,

My basement? It's used for laundry. Nothing more. Also? My basement is well lit. To my knowledge I've never been called (or even compared to) a blowhard, a pundit or a blowhard pundit. And I only rant very, very rarely.

So while I'm quite happy that you highlighted and praised the good work The 'Ville Voice and Page One Kentucky team do your characterization of bloggers as "blowhard pundits ranting from somewhere in a dark basement" was way, way off base. In other words perhaps you'd like to leave 2003 and join us here in 2008.

If you do decide you'd like to maybe, you know, actually have a little bit of actual knowledge about blogs here are a few excellent local ones you could check out in addition to the one you're currently reading.

Backseat Sandbar covers the music scene in Louisville like nobody's business. Cory and Nick have the scoop on performances, bands, record releases and everything else you'd want to know. 

State of the Commonwealth is one of my favorite things on the internet. Joel covers local news, politics and offers up a weekly head to head comparison of Velocity and LEO with the "Whats in the Weeklies" feature.

While not on my personal list of favorites John Belski's blog is surely of interest to weather geeks.

Access in Louisville gives information about handicap accessible and un-accessible spots in Louisville.

Those few blogs are just a jumping off point. Dive into blogs Louisville Magazine, the water is nice, I promise.

Your friend,
Michelle 
 

In honor of the holiday they're doing the midnight movie on Friday July 4 this week and it's a classic of course: Jaws. I really wish my Dad lived in town so I could take him to this on Friday night. He seriously loves Jaws. He's got the DVD but every single time it's on tv he. must. stop. and. watch it. I don't really need to give you the wikipedia description of Jaws do I? Well ok but only because you asked nicely.

"Jaws is a 1975 thriller/horror film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. The police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a great white shark by closing the beach, only to be overruled by the town council, which wants the beach to remain open to draw a profit from tourists. After several attacks, the police chief enlists the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter. Roy Scheider stars as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as marine biologist Matt Hooper, Robert Shaw as shark hunter Quint, Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife Ellen and Murray Hamilton as Mayor Vaughn.

Jaws is regarded as a watershed film in motion picture history, the father of the summer blockbuster movie and one of the first "high concept" films. Due to the film's success in advance screenings, studio executives decided to distribute it in a much wider release than ever before."

Jaws
Friday July 4, 2008
11:55PM

Baxter Avenue Theaters
1250 Bardstown Rd
Louisville, KY 40204

I remember seeing this movie, like on HBO or something, when I was a kid and totally not getting the humor at all. I should try again as an adult.

Tuesday, July 8th 7:30 PM
Hike 8:30 PM
Music from J. Glenn 9:30 PM

Film: Gods Must Be Crazy
Admission: $5.00 LFS & Bernheim Members $7.50
Regular $20.00 Carload - Reduce your carbon footprint by carpooling!

Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest
Clermont, KY

Apparently July is national ice cream month. While it makes sense I don't think I ever knew that before getting the press release from Proof about their ice cream month celebration.

Indulge in decadent ice cream without the guilt at Proof on Main-after all, it's for charity! For the 3^rd year running, Proof will celebrate National Ice Cream month by donating all proceeds from July's ice cream and sorbet sales to the Louisville Deaf Oral School and Kosair Children's Hospital Foundation. Proof will also be hosting ice cream socials for the children at both charities' establishments. Last year, Proof was able to raise $4528 for the children's charities with such innovative flavors as banana malt gelato, sea salt caramel gelato and caramelized pineapple sorbet. This year, Chef Michael Paley is hard at work crafting new flavors that feature local ingredients like fresh berries and melons from the Ohio River Valley.

If I were a more selfish person I'd say these restaurants need to stop with all the charity stuff because they're sucking me in and making me eat and spend way more than I should. But who can complain about eating ice cream and supporting the Louisville Deaf Oral School at the same time? No one that's who.

I am deeply conflicted about chain restaurants. While I'm as pro buy local as you can get I know that all those folks working at chain restaurants live in Louisville. They're local people. So even when dining at a chain restaurant you're still supporting local people and the local economy. That said I am deeply in love with independent restaurants and the flavor they add to our city. If I have the choice I'm going to pick a local, independent restaurant over a chain every time.

So it's quite infrequently that I write about chain restaurants or events at chain restaurants. However when a chain restaurant is doing something interesting, innovative or even "touchy feely do good stuff" it'd be wrong not to write about it. So when I got the press release for Morton's selling burgers and giving nearly 25% of the purchase price to charity I'd already planned to write about it, then they invited me to try the burger for free. So consider this your complete disclosure: On Sunday B and I ate very, very tasty burgers and fries at Morton's for free. We also had free diet coke. 

Every Sunday from July through September, Morton's guests will have a chance to indulge in the "Morton's $19.78 Prime Sirloin Burger," with $5 of each hamburger and French fries entrée going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"This is the burger that started it all," said Joseph Effert, general manager of Morton's in Louisville.

Morton's $19.78 prime sirloin burger isn't just any hamburger - it's what led to Morton's creation 30 years ago. When Morton's co-founders Klaus Fritsch and Arnie Morton first worked together at the Playboy Club, Fritsch made his signature hamburger and sent it out for Arnie Morton to taste. Morton proclaimed it the best hamburger he'd ever tasted. From that day, they started the business partnership that has become Morton's The Steakhouse. Now in its 30th year, Morton's has 80 world-wide restaurants.

"It's appropriate that we celebrate our anniversary with our signature dish - which is not currently available at Morton's restaurants that don't offer lunch," said Effert. "And what better way to give back to an organization that does so much for some very special children in our community? We're pleased to be able to support Make-A-Wish in this way."

As part of Morton's "30 Wishes for 30 Years" campaign, the 80 Morton's restaurants around the country have raised more than $99,250 to help grant kids' wishes.

Having eaten the burger I can tell you that it's this gigantic mondo burger (something like 13 ounces) served with blue, swiss, cheddar or I think even American cheese. I deeply enjoyed the burger because yes, it's obviously good beef but also they actually cooked it perfectly. I enjoy a medium rare burger and many, many restaurants cannot deliver that. Morton's did so quite nicely.

In closing, if you're downtown on a Sunday you could definitely do worse than having a burger and cocktail in Morton's bar. $20 ain't cheap for a burger but it's a really good burger, a quarter of the price is going to charity and really $20 is worth it just for having your own individual ketchup boat. 

I can do nothing but laugh at the pun known as Bard-B-Q and give you the press release details.

In another encore feature, on Sunday, July 13, the Old Louisville Garden Tour is teaming with the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and its "Bard-B-Que" fundraiser. During or after the Garden Tour and before the free performance of Julius Caesar, stop by for lunch or a pre-show dinner from 12 noon-7:30 pm. Then make your way to Central Park for Julius Caesar (directed by Pamela Di Pasquale, Education Director) at 8:00 pm. Bard-B-Que tickets are $20 (no refunds) and are available at the door or by calling the Festival office.

Proceeds support free Shakespeare in Old Louisville's Central Park (season June 18-July 20).

Saturday July 13, 2008
Noon-7:30PM

Landward House
4th & Magnolia
1387 S. 4th St.
Louisville, KY