University of Cincinnati: Despite low attendance for this past visit from the U of C, their presentation and charrette were very successful. Judge Voegle and Mayor Lammlein have asked that Professor Mike Romanos return in late July to present again to city council members and magistrates as well as to any other community member who may have missed this information. Date will be settled soon and relayed to the public at large and to all parties concerned as soon as established.

Friday Night Live! Each business is responsible for finding entertainers for the second Friday evening each month. Keith Smith at La Grange Fire & Rescue also committed to bringing their new Pierce Velocity Pumper with 105′ aerial ladder to this event to park on Main between 1st and 2nd. Also joining him is Buddy from The Game Room in Crestwood with their “Gambulance.” NOTE: Both may not attend if business keeps them from participating. All activities for this evening are noted on the calendar and on our Facebook Events page.

Quads Rod and Custom Car Club was a bang-up success on May 28th, with over 140 cars and just as many drivers and their families attending the “cruise.” Barney Barnette and I talked with Kevin Collette about further space for more cars. The decision was made by business owners to close down Main Street and allow the Quads to park in front of retail shops for this event. Maps for public parking are almost finished and will be available to shop owners on Monday (before this meeting). This event is based upon cooperation from weather.

Ghost Tours Next tour is slated for 7 pm, Saturday 25 June.

KY Speedway: A reminder that NASCAR will occur the first week in July. Kim Buckler with Oldham County Tourism has created commemorative coins to pass out to La Grange hotel guests and to sell as a fundraiser for DDL. Only 1,000 coins were “minted.” 500 will go to hotels, 500 to Karen’s Book Barn for sale at $8 per coin. This is a fantastic opportunity to raise funds to pay for various DDL projects (possible total = $4,000). Coins will be available at the end of June. Unsold coins will go for sale on the Website and possibly on eBay, but with no reduction in price to conserve the coins’ values.

208 and 210 E. Main: These two buildings house the city’s business incubators, and they are in bad need of repair. But, thanks to La Grange Baptist Church Missions, Rick Davidson, and the youth who attended the June missions week, these two houses now look great. Porter Paints offered the paint at discount and were readily available to help with colors and with the linseed addition to the oil-based primer. They also took back two gallons of primer. Some touch ups are needed, and the city is paying for two more gallons of paint to finish porches, etc. The kids did a great job. Also – the trees in back of these buildings will come down sometime at the end of June, as they are causing damage to the buildings. The city also will take care of that matter.

La Grange Cultural District: Jim Miller and I met this past Friday morning to go over the letter of intent and application for a new cultural district under the umbrella of KY Arts Council. I also called Chris Cathers, KY Arts Council Program Branch Manager for tips on filling out the application. The letter of intent, which only includes contact information, is due July 1. This letter will be sent out to all concerned next week to show the simplicity of this matter. Cathers suggested, since we have a strong Main Street program, that DDL conduct the initiation of this project. That said, it was imperative that the city and the Arts Association become involved. Both the city and the Arts Association are on board, as well as Oldham County Historical Society and the Historic District Commission.

A meeting is planned for Thursday evening, 30 June at the La Grange Welcome Center to go over vital information in the application (due sometime in September, and Cather will inform us about the deadline). The meeting notice, which will outline what needs to be accomplished during this initial meeting, will go out to all boards, the city and to other interested parties (such as County Tourism) by mid-week. From the interested parties, a steering committee will be assembled to accomplish all the work required in the application and for future yearly report processes. Most of the work already has been accomplished by both DDL’s economic revitalization committee as well as the U of Cincinnati, and simply needs to be gathered and made coherent for the application. Many thanks to Jim Miller for his participation and for his volunteer work in gathering all the letters of support required for the application process.

Oldham County Health Department Initiative: The OCHD has created a steering committee and several committees to push forward for grants for public health. They have a healthy roster of interest, including community leaders. If anyone wants to help on this committee or other committees (which include assessments), please contact the OCHD at (502) 222-3516.

Businesses Leaving: None this month.

New Businesses and Relocations:

• Big R’s supposedly will close their doors on June 30th to relocate to the east side of 53 at the corner of Adams. The new location may open on July 1.
• John Stewart, a local resident and engineer, is closing his Louisville office to open a new office in La Grange. He has leased the old public library on Jefferson across the street from La Grange Hardware and has revamped the entire inside of the building. Will update soon.
• La Grange Coffee Roasters, a Farmers’ Market member, is opening their store at the old Big R’s building (John Black) on the corner of Walnut and Jefferson at the end of this month. We’re in contact for a ribbon cutting, date dependent upon when they finalize their renovations.
• Howell & Emery, PLLC: Stephen Emery (city attorney) and his law partner, Andrew Howell, are moving from their “other blue house” on Walnut to the space above Grandeur Station. They also will use Rejeana’s “UK room” in the back of her shop as a meeting space. Entrance is on 53 (1st), and Oldham County Planning and Development created a new address for them: 105 North First Street. They will hold a public ribbon cutting and private (by invitation) reception on 14 July at 4pm. Beside Soy Creations, Howell and Emery are our newest DDL members.
• Q&A Sweet Treats has closed on a house on 53 north of Adams, next to the new Big R’s building. They are renovating, and hope to open in November.

EVENTS – please see FB events or the DDL calendar at http://discoverlagrange.org/calendar/ for updates and more information

Previous Event Successes: The Friends of the Library hosted James Daniel Ross at their meeting this past month, and it was one author event that was well attended. Thanks for their support and marketing! Also, Jim Zimmerman and CUB Bank held a very well-attended reception for the artists of Oldham County Arts Association, catered by Serendipity. These events and more are followed up on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/DiscoverLaGrange).

Saturday, 25 June
Farmers’ Market and Artisans: 8am to noon every Saturday morning except 16 July (Oldham County Day).
Cruisin’ with the Quads: 5-9pm
Spirits of La Grange Ghost Tour: 7pm
Knitters and Crocheters “Click”: 5-9pm

Friday, 8 July
Friday Night Live! 5-8pm

Saturday, 9 July
Canning Locally Grown Food: County Extension at La Grange Community Center, 10-11:30 am.

Thursday, 14 July
Ribbon Cutting at Howell & Emery’s new location: 4pm

Saturday, 16 July
Oldham County Day: DDL has a table in front of Laser Technology. Volunteers needed to sit for two hour stretches in the afternoon until 5pm.
History Rocks and The Living Treasures Program: Great fund raiser for the Oldham County Historical Society: After parade until 5pm.

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