. . . Louisville

Louisville has started an online contest with Trazzler — a Web site that helps people answer the question “Where should I take a trip?” Unlike other trip advisor sites, Trazzler looks to promote the real and cool things that make a city unique. And who better to share the cool things about Louisville than people like you. (Insert gentle stroke of your ego.) Since it is a contest, there are prizes. Two nights at 21c Museum Hotel. $200 gift card for Louisville Originals, Actors Tickets and more…

This will take five minutes and you will feel like a better person when you are done.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. SIGN UP for Trazzler and provide a valid email address.
2. Click on WRITE A TRIP and fill out the required fields.
3. Select the Louisville Contest in the dropdown at the bottom of the final trip submission page.
4. On Facebook, become a fan of Louisville for news and chances to promote your trip.
5. Send this email to FIVE PEOPLE that you know love Louisville. Post it on your blog, twitter, facebook status, etc.
6. Get back in there and write another trip about Louisville, you know you want to!

Click here to see some of the great examples of what people have aready shared about Louisville.

Let the Plays Begin

The “Opening Party” will host food from surprise local restaurants — and by surprise we mean we know which ones, but you’ll have to come to the party to find out — and will run from 7:00 p.m. ‘til whenever.

If you want to hang out with the movers and shakers at this reception, click here to find out how you can attend.

The Festival Goes Local
Why all the celebrating? Because 2010 is the first time Actors Theatre is offering Louisvillians (and Southern Indianans) a special, all-access weekend of their own — The Humana Festival Locals Weekend.

As Oaks Day is to the Derby, the Locals Weekend is to the Humana Festival. You’ll see the plays first — before thousands of visitors from around the world! And get this: locals can attend as many plays as they want the entire weekend of March 5 for just $40.

Also, make sure you get the back of your pass stamped for each play you go to, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win something.  It could be a closing-night Actors party, it could be a complimentary night at 21c, it could be a handshake and a pat on the back. But considering you saw four never-seen-before plays for about $10 a pop, you’re already a winner.

For more details and to order your Locals Weekend pass, call the Actors Theatre box office at 502-584-1205, or click here.

Where’s the Best Place Place to See a Play in Louisville?
How about you tell the world (or at least other Friends of Lou) where you think the best place in Louisville is to experience a play? Here’s a list of the choices:

Don’t see your favorite place on this list? Add it in the comment section below.

Did You Know…
Now in its 46th season, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the State Theatre of Kentucky, is internationally acclaimed as one of America’s most consistently innovative non-profit professional theatre companies. Founded in 1964 it’s won a host of coveted awards and worldwide recognition for excellence. These include three Pulitzer Prize winners, Pultizer Prize nominees, and the prestigious Margo Jones Award, Shubert Foundation’s James N. Vaughan Memorial Award, and the 1980 Tony Award for Distinguished Achievement. Click here to learn more about what makes Actors Theatre a great example of what’s possible here.

An Ode to Lou
For days and nights that seem without measure,
Rich with life and love and leisure,
I am forever filled with Louisville’s treasures,
Every hour marked by endless pleasures.
No city or place can touch my heart nor
Deny me such joy when we’re apart.
Oh, Friend of Lou, create with me
Fantastic Flash-enabled technology.
Let loose your skillz with an e-card to a friend,
Open your heart,
Upload and hit “Send.”

Click here to send someone a special Louisville Valentine’s Day eCard.

G.L.I.P. is an organization focused on attracting and retaining international talent by showcasing Louisville as a welcoming and inclusive city of possibilities. G.L.I.P also brings together Louisville professionals who have business interests in other parts of the world, as well as creating a community for current residents who transplanted here from other countries. G.L.I.P. is an organization with networking opportunities, social events, committee service opportunities, mentorship programs for newcomers, Country Ambassadorships, and now the newly added social-network discussion boards online.

To date, G.L.I.P. has almost 300 members, 25 Country Ambassadors, and over 1,000 other interested people connected to the program. If this sounds like an organization you’d like to be part of, click here to learn more and get involved.

G.L.I.P. is yet another example of how Possibility City capitalizes on Louisville’s social nature and turns it into a competitive advantage. The next time you come across someone who speaks another language, instead of saying “hi” or “how you doing?” why not let them know that in Louisville, anything’s possible.

Click here to watch this video and memorize your lines.

Lou-ah-vul, Looieville, Lewisville, Louisville. . . .

First, The Library Journal, the country’s top library publication, has awarded Louisville Free Public Library Director Craig Buthod its Librarian of the Year Award for 2010. The award was presented to Buthod in Boston as part of the annual American Library Association Conference. Buthod, nominated by a number of his peers nationwide, is also featured in a cover story in the January issue of Library Journal.

Sharon Darling, the founder of the National Center for Family Literacy, is known far and wide, and is credited with starting the family literacy movement in the United States. Her recognitions include the National Humanities Medal and the the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, and she’s been featured on the Arts & Entertainment series, Biography.

NCFL, which is also headquartered right here in Louisville, is credited with pioneering family literacy models and approaches that improve the lives of America’s most at-risk children and families. The organization’s work is frequently cited by the media and academics for its innovative approaches and groundbreaking results.

And last, Jefferson County Public Schools was recently selected as one of only five school systems in the country to receive a $600,000 grant to implement the Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP), which provides language and literacy skills for Hispanic and other immigrant families. You can read all about the program and its impressive history by clicking here.

And that, as they say, is all she wrote

Picture This . . .

Unless of course it could. . . .

Finding Art in Louisville
Click here to open a Google map of the many wonderful and diverse places in Louisville you can find art.

Better yet, we want you to add your own links — galleries you love, artists you admire, artwork you’ve discovered. Could be a friend’s framing shop, an art-education program, a favorite photographer, an art installation or statue, the Speed Museum or one of the galleries around Nulu or Frankfort Avenue. It’s your map. It’s your art. Own it.

Click here to view the map.

The Art of Boxing?
The Muhammad Ali Center has work by internationally acclaimed artists such as LeRoy Neiman and Howard L. Bingham. So this year’s “Dream makers” artist-in-residence should feel right at home. Hailing from Cuba, Carlos Gamez de Francisco arrived in America less than a year ago. If you visit the Center, you can not only watch him work in the Center’s open studio, but actually meet him in person.

Of course, if you’re more into the art of walking, you could also head to PYRO Gallery, owned by internationally respected poster artist Julius Friedman, to see more of de Francisco’s work.

You could call it yet another illustration of how attractive Louisville is in drawing the arts.

Here’s a another perfect example of Louisville living up to our “It’s Possible Here” motto.

In just a few days the Red Cross is holding it’s biggest blood drive of the year, Donorama. 1,500 donors are expected to show up – a number that could overwhelm just about any other blood drive. But in Louisville, we step in and donate our time and energy, too. Check this out:

• As an official sponsor of this year’s Red Cross Donorama blood drive, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is providing a $10 KFC gift check to all presenting blood donors.
Donors will also be entered into drawings for other prizes. So…

• Thornton’s donated several $50 gas cards

• Tony Boombozz donated pizza gift certificates

• Louisville Slugger donated a gift certificate for a personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat

• Panera Bread donated bagels for a year

• UofL donated autographed University of Louisville memorabilia

• And a little something extra for the High School crowd, UPS donated a Flight Simulator Experience.
Meanwhile,

• Courtesy of the Louisville Musicians Union, local bands will be there both days to entertain.

• Instead of the usual donuts and juice in the refreshment area, hot meals will be provided.

• Childcare will be provided throughout the drive thanks to volunteers willing to pull out their hair for a few hours.

• And Louisvillians, being a heartfelt bunch, we will be able to write a personal note about their donation on a large display at the drive.
By now you probably want to join in, so here are the details of what you’ll need to make a blood donation:

Bring a blood donor card or driver’s license, or two other forms of identification at check-in. You must be at least 17-years old (16 with parental permission in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Any other questions call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (448-3543) or go online to givebloodgivelife.org. (You can also use those contacts to schedule a blood donation appointment at another time.)
To everyone, you rock.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (December 28, 2009) – In the spirit of year-end countdowns, the crack team at Louisville brand home office thought it would be fun to compile a list of the Top 10 events of 2009 that most personify Louisville as Possibility City.  Or, to put it another way, events and occurrences that demonstrate that no matter who you are … where you’re from … and what your interests and aspirations might be … it’s possible here!

10. Welcome to the land of opportunity…c/o Possibility City.
From the Worldfest celebration to the kick-off the Greater Louisville International Professionals….Louisville’s a place everyone can call home.

9. In Louisville…we take sporting events to the extreme.
From horse racing under the lights at Churchill Downs to athletes made of iron to the number one festival in the world for the sixth time (Kentucky Derby Festival)….Louisville doesn’t just do sports…we throw a party.   Just wait until the new arena opens!

8. Have your Food Empire and eat it too.
Louisville was named one of America’s Top Restaurant Cities in 2009 – from international food franchisers to the Louisville Originals – we’re a bona fide’ foodie’ town.

7. Talk about your innovation.
From IdeaFestival to the Humana’s Festival of New Plays to the Grawemeyer Awards….Louisville’s a place that loves to celebrate ideas.

6. Breaking News…Black Crowes run into the Beatles on Louisville’s Waterfront.
From Abbey Road on the River to the Forecastle Festival…Louisville music festivals broke records in 2009…talk about a HullabaLOU!  Louisville’s music festival scene in on the map and off the charts.

5. Paint the Town…GREEN.
From Ford’s announcement to build new, fuel efficient cars to hybrid water heaters at GE…we even planted grass on the roof of an office building.  Louisville’s economy is leading the way in sustainability.

4. Can’t see the forest for the trees?  You must not be paying attention.
New York might have a park in the middle of its downtown, but Louisville has a downtown in the middle of its parks.  From the largest urban forest in the country (Jefferson Memorial) to the biggest park expansion initiative (21st Century Parks) to the number one lawn in America (Waterfront Park)…Louisville’s got outdoor space to love.N

3. What do see-through bathrooms, red penguins and a pajama party in the street have in common?
They all helped to make 21C the number one hotel in the country and sixth best in the world by Condé Nast Traveler.

The visionary hotel continues to create world-wide buzz for its hometown.

2. Belles and Idols and Racers…Oh My.
From Southern Belles out on the town to an American Idol winner auditioning at Churchill Downs to two University of Louisville Lady Cards racing around the world….Louisville left its mark on the national airwaves.

1. Where everybody knows your name….Lou.
More than 20,000 people signed on as an ambassador for the city they love…as a “Friend of Lou”…it is possible here!

That means more green (money), better green (environmentally friendly innovations) in a town that’s proud of all its green spaces (Appliance Park is a park, right?).

Just another reason the only green other cities have is envy.

And here are some other Louisville facts you might not know:

• Some GE smart appliances got their start in Louisville-only pilot programs. Which means appliances all across the country have Louisville to thank for their brilliance.
• GE loves us. In the next six months they will be spending more than $150 million to bring three more major product lines to Louisville.
• You say 430 additional jobs aren’t enough? No problem. How does 800 sound — ’cause that’s the larger picture for the near future.
• Green jobs have the potential to rebuild the economy. And we already know, it’s possible in Louisville.

To create your your very own, very cool custom-designed Possibility City card, CLICK HERE.

In the seasonal spirit of sharing, feel free to add a comment to the Comment section (below) about other images we might include in next year’s card. And, as always, the senders of the best ideas will get a little special sumpin’ extra in their cyber-stockings.