Events

Discover Local Special Events…

Each year, Discover Downtown La Grange works with merchants and residents to create events or to upgrade traditional events. We feel that events not only bring people to La Grange, but that events that focus on family also helps to make La Grange “home” for those individuals who reside here, but who need to work in outlying areas. Local events also help keep local dollars in local markets, creating a tax base that can build our town into a place that makes us all proud to call home.

The following events are listed in calendar order, beginning with January’s events. If you want to keep up on merchants’ seminars or classes or updates on these events, visit our public Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/DiscoverLaGrange. You do not need to be a Facebook member to view these updates.

January

  • Brian King as ElvisElvis Birthday Celebration: This event began in January, 2010, and was an immediate hit! Each year, this event evolves to include a variety of options that can engage the whole community, whether you’re an Elvis fan or not. Always the first weekend in January following New Year.
  • Shop Local Bridal Fair: This event also began in January 2010, and we were amazed to learn that everything a bride could need is located in La Grange or in Oldham County. It doesn’t hurt that a world-class bridal shop, Couture Closet, is located on Main Street in La Grange. This event is growing, and always held on the last weekend in January. This year we have added a Bridal Directory to showcase our Oldham County offerings to brides and grooms.

February

  • Chocolate Crawl: This event first was held in February 2011, and it is evolving for 2012. This year the event lasts for two days, and tickets are $5 to benefit Light Up La Grange 2012 ($5 at Soy Creations of La Grange). The ticket lists the participating merchants. Learn more at our Facebook Events Page for Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11.

March

  • March Serenity: This event first was held on every Saturday in 2011, and it is evolving for 2012. We have reduced the event to one Saturday only in 2012 — March 31st. Visit our Facebook Events page.

April

  • Cruisin’ with the Quads: This event is an antique car lover’s dream come true. Discover Downtown La Grange, in conjunction with Quads Rods and Customs Car Club, another La Grange nonprofit group, brings different cars to town from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the fourth Saturday of every month from April through October. This event always is weather-sensitive, so be sure to check our Facebook page to learn whether or not the event has been canceled.
  • Blue Hydrangea Progressive Tea Party: This event began in 2009, when a local merchant, Cindy Adams, learned she had ovarian cancer. Adams decided she’d take the national event and make it local and a progressive one, where guests could sample teas at each shop as they made their way down Main Street in La Grange. Cindy died March 31, 2009, just a few weeks before the first tea party, but her legacy lives on in this event, which is held on a Sunday in spring each year in conjunction with Baptist Hospital Northeast. One-Hundred percent of the proceeds from this event go to OAK (Ovarian Awareness Kentucky).

May

  • La Grange Farmers’ Market & Artisans: This Discover Downtown La Grange project has taken on a life of its own. Russ Morris, the farmers’ market manager, has helped this event grow from a few merchants to merchants who have opened shops in town. While this project goes from May until the end of October, Russ also has created two holiday markets to help merchants make money during the winter season, and to provide yet another venue for residents and visitors to shop local.

June

  • Arts on the Green: The Arts Association of Oldham County has built this event into a world-class festival! Held the first weekend in June, residents and visitors can meet and purchase from the best artisans in the region. For more information about this event for artists, volunteers and sponsors, contact Mary Klausing, Director Arts of the Green by email or by phone: maryklausing (AT) bellsouth.net or 502-241-9393.

July

  • NASCAR Week: Although La Grange is located a good forty miles from the Kentucky Speedway along I-71, NASCAR filled our hotels to the max during the first week in July 2010. We expect the same over the upcoming years, and we welcome any visitors who sleep, eat and shop in our town!
  • Oldham County Day: Sponsored by the Project Guild of La Grange and supported by Discover Downtown La Grange logistically, this event began in 1970 and still is going strong. Vendors range from crafts people to politicians, and the parade is a show-stopper that represents everything Oldham County has to offer. Always held on the third Saturday in July, or what people refer to around here as “the hottest day of the year.”

August

  • Ford Ironman Louisville: Once a Discover Downtown La Grange project, the Oldham County YMCA now handles the bicycle portion of this annual triathlon with support from our organization. This event is held the last Sunday in August every year, and the first cyclists usually appear on La Grange roads between 9:00 a/.m. and 10:00 a.m. This is a fantastic event, and the competitors love the enthusiasm that La Grange residents and visitors display.

September

  • Railroad and Antiques Festival: First held in 2010, this event has become popular rapidly through the acquisition of the Flying Duchess and the inclusion of a Train Center at the depot! Look for further expansion in upcoming years, as we honor the “train that runs through it” with music, games, exhibits and general fun all throughout La Grange. Date for the next event to be announced.

October

  • Downtown Trick-or-Treat: Every Saturday around Halloween, the merchants welcome families and their dressed-up kids for Trick-or-Treat during shop hours. Learn more about this annual event when we post information on our Facebook Events page.

November

  • La Grange Urban Short Track Series: Beginning in mid-November and running every other Saturday through February, dirt-bike racers meet mud, snow, falling leaves, gravel and alleyways as they wind through downtown La Grange routes designed by Goose Creek Cycle. Riders of all skill levels are welcome. Registration will move around depending on where the course starts, but Goose Creek Cycle will contain information on their site and DDL will help announce the events before each race.
  • Small Business Saturday: First there was Black Friday, then Cyber Monday. Now there’s Small Business Saturday — every Saturday following Thanksgiving. This is your chance to learn about local independent merchants and what they have to offer! Created in 2010 by American Express, this event receives national attention, and has been successful for our local merchants as well.

December

  • Light Up La GrangeLight Up La Grange: This event began back in 1986, and Discover Downtown La Grange took it over when this organization was formed. Now into its second quarter-century, this event has become a tradition for La Grange residents as Santa and the mayor light the town every first Friday in December at 6:00 p.m.

Year ‘Round Events

  • Spirits of La Grange Ghost Tours: This Discover Downtown La Grange project began in 2003, when some members of our group learned about stories that constituted a few friendly “hauntings.” Everyone who takes this one and one/half hour tour walks away knowing more about La Grange’s history than they could learn in any classroom. La Grange also has national notice about its ghosts, and our professional tour group invites paranormal groups to town occasionally to “stake out” a local building. While the tours are seasonal beginning in September and ending the first weekend in November, our guides also offer special tours year-round for groups. If you would like to become a guide, training starts at the beginning of each year. Contact Discover Downtown La Grange for more information.
  • Friday Night Live! This event, which occurs on the second Friday of each month, is a way to encourage people to come to town to learn new things and to enjoy local entertainment. During great weather, you might find a band performing at the gazebo on Second Avenue or on a makeshift stage on Walnut at Main. During colder months or if it’s raining, you can find entertainers in shops. All year ’round, merchants offer classes, seminars, mini-massages or other specials in their shops. Be sure to mark your calendars for this evening every month, and check our Facebook Events page to learn more about what the shop owners are providing for residents and visitors.