Brigid Kaelin is a brilliant musician and I’m terribly proud that we in Louisville get to call her our own. She’s also the artist behind the video “Dreidel’s Day Out” which was one of my favorite things this past holiday season.

One thing I love about Louisville is our absolute patriotism – not for
our country, but for our city.   As someone who grew up here and
couldn’t wait to move away, I am inexplicably proud of my roots.  

I moved to New York City at age 18 and found myself talking constantly
about the hip Louisville music scene, throwing outrageous Derby parties
in my NYU dorm room, and teaching my classmates the words to “My Old
Kentucky Home.”  When the film students were excited about the release
of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I dutifully informed them that
Hunter S. Thompson went to my high school briefly and that Johnny Depp
once lived a few cities down the river.  I joined the Kentuckians in
New York society. (Yes, it has existed since 1904, and I dare you to
find a Michiganders in New York Society.)
 
Even
the Texans didn’t feel the need to claim every single ex-pat as one of
their own.  We Kentuckians, and Louisvillians in particular, are proud
- or at least vocal – of any connection to celebrity. And we
absolutely love our home town.  

Go to the Nachbar on a weekend,
and you’ll find at least five fleur-de-lis tattoos and a few vintage
UofL shirts. The obvious Christmas present to out-of-town friends is a
nice earx-tacy t-shirt or anything from the Why Louisville store. In
most national news stories, the writer is sure to point out a
Louisville connection, however slight. We love it.  

And what’s not to love?   

I
have traveled the country over the last year, and I wear my vintage
Louisville t-shirts proudly. I love telling people where I’m from, and
I love pointing out to them all the wonderful things beyond bourbon and
horses. I get annoyed when I hear bluegrass music in New Jersey, and
feel the need to show the musicians my Kentucky drivers license.   

Where ever I go, I make sure people know I’m from the wonderful city of
Louisville. Sure, it’s just a matter of geography, but I know I’m not
the only one to have an inexplicable adoration of Louisville. We
prouder than Texans, and that’s saying a lot.