One of the most popular and beautiful Classical ballets of all time, “Swan Lake” – along with its incredible score by Tchaikovsky – have left audiences breathless for years. The costumes, the music, the sets, the performances… in a word, Magical.
The Louisville Ballet will conclude its 2009-10 season with performances of Swan Lake on Friday, April 9 at 8 pm and Saturday, April 10 at 2 pm and 8 pm in Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center.
Tickets start as low as $25 and are available at the Kentucky Center.
Mark your calendars: Pre-historic creatures are set to invade the Louisville Zoo in March 2010.
A new adventure will be stomping into the city of Louisville and heading straight for the Louisville Zoo in March. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we’re very lucky here in Kentucky for a great number of reasons and one of them is the outstanding Louisville Zoo. There’s always something extra-special going on at this amazing zoo. Just check out what’s coming in a few months!
From the Louisville Zoo:
Precautions are being taken as the Zoo prepares Dinosaurs Alive!, a temporary dwelling for a herd of 16 robotic dinosaurs never before seen at the Zoo—including the giant Brachiosaurus, the menacing Tyrannosaurus rex, the fierce Deinonychus whose name means “Terrible Claw,” and the Cryolophosaurus which is often referred to as the “Elvisaurus” because the large crest atop its skull resembles the iconic hair of Elvis Presley.
Through the magic of incredible, futuristic technology, the mammoth, life-like animatronic creatures that roar, snarl and move will offer a full-blown dino-reality experience to visitors as they travel back in time along a lush, winding pathway where these enormous primeval creatures lurk at every turn. There, guests will encounter adult dinosaurs, youngsters and even a nest with eggs and hatchlings.
The robotic dinosaurs are built on steel frames by Billings Productions of McKinney, Texas, and high-tech electronics and air pistons power the dinosaurs’ menacing claws and gnashing teeth while a booming sound system gives them their distinctive roars and chirps. One of the animatronic creatures can even be operated by visitors using a remote control box.
In addition, kids can excavate dinosaur fossils at a paleontologist dig site using brushes and sifters to search for clues about the lives of dinosaurs.
“Guests of all ages will be transported back in time as the world’s largest and most advanced collection of high-tech, life-size animatronic dinosaurs come to life here in Louisville,” Zoo Director John Walczak said. “This Dinosaur exhibit will be a fun and educational learning adventure for the entire family. We’ve lost many animals from this planet over the course of history, and unfortunately animals are still becoming extinct today. Conservation and preservation are at the heart of the Zoo’s mission and it is our hope that visitors will come away from this exhibit both excited and more aware of the need to conserve animal species living today.”
In a revenue-sharing partnership with Billings Productions, Dinosaurs Alive!, is similar to other new attraction partnerships at the Zoo like Sky Trail High Adventure Course and the 4-D Ride Theater.
Dinosaurs Alive! will open mid to late March and will continue through the end of September. A special attraction fee of $5 applies for non-members in addition to regular Zoo admission and $4 for Louisville Zoo members. Children age 2 and under are free. Groups of 15 or more may call (502) 238-5348 in advance for group discounts.
Shopasaurus—a new gift shop at the exhibit’s exit—will be fully stocked with “dinorrific” toys, games and souvenirs to help visitors take home a reminder of their amazing experience.
***
The Louisville Zoo, a non-profit organization and state zoo of Kentucky, is dedicated to bettering the bond between people and our planet by providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for visitors, and leadership in scientific research and conservation education. The Zoo is accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM) and by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
*** Get up-to-date information about the Zoo’s upcoming Glacier Run exhibit by checking out our new Glacier Run blog. You can also show your love for the Louisville Zoo by becoming a fan on Facebook.
The Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky
The original Waverly Hills Sanatorium was a two-story wooden structure which was opened in 1910.
The larger brick and concrete structure you see today was built in 1926. The hospital has always been dedicated to the treatment of tuberculosis patients, a disease that was fairly common in the early 20th Century.
Reports estimate that as many as 63,000 people have died in this sanatorium. Furthermore, there have been many reports or patients being horribly mistreated. Oh, it gets worse… there were (again reportedly) highly questionable experiments and procedures conducted.
If these occurences don’t set the stage for a haunted location, nothing does!
Get this: Ghost and paranormal experts and investigators who have ventured into Waverly have reported a host of strange paranormal phenomena, including voices of unknown origin, isolated cold spots and unexplained shadows. Screams have been heard echoing in its now abandoned hallways, and fleeting apparitions have been encountered.
Screams, isolated cold spots (indicating a paranormal being….oh, Lord, I’m sleeping with the lights on tonight…), voices of unknown origin, shadows!?!? I could not be more creeped out right now.
Click HERE for more information… if you dare.
Reuters reports that General Electric Co plans to invest $69 million in its Kentucky appliance factory to make a new-style water heater the largest U.S. conglomerate says will use less than half the energy of current models.
The company announced that it plans to add about 400 jobs in Louisville to produce the so-called “hybrid” water heaters.
Rockabilly Hall of Famer Stanley Walker is a Grand Rivers, Kentucky native. It looks really neat to see Grand Rivers on his Rockabilly Hall of Fame bio page (check it out HERE).
Like a lot of musicians, Stanley Walker grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry and dreaming of performing there. Unlike most, however, Stanley Walker’s dreams came true! It happened in 1969, when he played behind Jean Shepard (those of us who enjoy trips to the Grand Ole Opry are still enjoying this great lady).
Stanley Walker played lead guitar for Ray Smith and the Rock and Roll Boys from 1956 to 1969. He had appearances on Hee Haw, solo recordings, and even played with artists such as Roy Clark, Lefty Frizzell, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Jerry Lee Lewis. Can you imagine? (Click on the post title, then check out the Jerry Lee Lewis video to the right. What that man did at the piano was sheer magic.)
Deservedly, Stanley Walker was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2008.
Grand Rivers is set to recognize and pay honor to its famous son with Stanley Walker Day.
Stanley Walker has a heart as big as his talent is, and when approached about the idea he wanted to take it a step foward. That’s the thing about Kentuckians – we love those extra steps!
He sat down with the organizer of the event, Kim Kraemer. Kim is with the Grand Rivers Tourism Commission – and she is one of the best things to ever happen to Grand Rivers.
As Kim tells it, he told her about a little boy who nearly died, and would have if it hadn’t been for Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville.
The little boy was Stanley Walker.
The extra step led to the Stanley Walker and friends Jam for Kosair Charities. It will take place on Saturday, April 4 at 1:00p.m. at the Badgett Playhouse. Everyone’s asked to come celebrate Stanley Walker AND help make a difference in children’s lives.
The event is free but, of course, all attendants will have the honor of donating to Kosair Charities. Kosair gives children what they ALL deserve to have – a chance to have a long, happy, and fulfilling life. Who knows what the next little girl or boy they save will go on to accomplish.
Wouldn’t you love to have a part in finding out?
At least they say it was an upset. Personally, if Rick Pitino is on your side, I have trouble believing you aren’t instantly the favorite – but whatevs. It was a huge win – congrats all the way around the floor.
On ESPN.com, Joe Lunardi has a column titled 44 thoughts at the season’s midpoint. U of L is mentioned twice, thank you very much:
At number 2: Unbalanced conference schedules may play a greater role than usual in determining regular-season champions. Duke plays North Carolina and Wake Forest twice, for instance, while Wake and Carolina have already faced each other for the only time. In the Big East, Pitt and UConn play twice each while Louisville and Georgetown have no repeat games among this group.
At number 6: Among the contenders, Louisville has the most favorable Big East schedule remaining. My preseason choice of the Cardinals as a No. 1 seed is looking better.
Click HERE for the entire article.
I told you a few days ago about Timmy the Gorilla’s upcoming birthday at the Louisville Zoo. Well, the big day came and went and all the stops were pulled out to celebrate the monumental birthday. It’s a really, really big deal to be the oldest male gorilla in all of North America. Below is an account of the festivities, along with pictures. Click on any of the pictures to see the larger versions. So cute – I love these guys!
Timmy, the oldest male gorilla in North America, celebrated his 50th birthday in style today, January 17, as a packed crowd gathered inside Louisville Zoo’s Gorilla Forest to honor his significant milestone.
“This was really a special celebration,” Gorilla Forest Supervisor Roby Elsner said, “because it is very rare for a male gorilla to reach this age. Timmy is pretty phenomenal.”
Before the festivities began, a 300-pound ice sculpture “cake” carved in the number 50 and decorated with frozen fruit juice was loaded in and set up for Timmy and the three females in his group—Paki, Mia Moja and Kweli.
While the three girls went over right away to investigate the ice sculpture, which was created and donated by Galt House Hotel and Suites Executive Chef Brian Riddle, Timmy seemed more interested in gathering up and eating the oranges used as decoration around the sculpture. After the curiosity of the females waned, in his laidback fashion Timmy sauntered over to the ice sculpture, examined it and began to pull oranges out of the frozen fruit juice mounds.
Other gorillas also took part in the momentous occasion with special piñata enrichment.
During the party it was announced that an official Proclamation signed by Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson declared January 17 as “Timmy the Gorilla Day” in observance of Timmy’s birthday milestone. 
“We were thrilled to commemorate this significant achievement in Timmy’s life with a community-wide celebration,” Elsner said. “Timmy is definitely special, and this day is an important testament to the wonderful care our animals receive at the Zoo.”
BACKGROUND
Born in 1959, Timmy is a laid-back silverback adored by the female gorillas in his group. Before arriving at Louisville Zoo in 2004, Timmy lived at the Memphis Zoo, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Bronx Zoo.
Louisville Zoo’s award-winning Gorilla Forest is on the forefront of gorilla management and meets the demographic trends of current gorilla populations like geriatric gorillas. The Louisville Zoo has a total of 11 gorillas.
“With the extraordinary care our animals receive, the Zoo has an important role to play in caring for an increasing number of aging gorillas,” Elsner said. “Gorilla Forest is a great home for Timmy because this unique facility allows close keeper contact with him all day long and the freedom for him to make choices about his environment that can increase his comfort, like staying inside or going outside.”
Because of the steep decline of great apes populations in the wild, 2009 has been declared Year of the Gorilla by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species, the UNEP/UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Great Ape Survival Partnership and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. For more information, visit www.yog2009.org.
For more information on the Louisville Zoo and Gorilla Forest, visit www.louisvillezoo.org.
This is all kinds of exciting. It’s buy the tickets and count the minutes exciting.
Cirque du Soleil – Saltimbanco will be appearing in Louisville, Kentucky on March 14, 2009 at Freedom Hall At Kentucky State Fair.
From Cirque du Soleil’s Official Website:
Saltimbanco is a Cirque du Soleil signature show inspired by the urban fabric of the metropolis and its colorful inhabitants. Decidedly baroque in its visual vocabulary, the show’s eclectic cast of characters draws spectators into a fanciful, dreamlike world, an imaginary city where diversity is a cause for hope. Click HERE to read more, see pictures that’ll blow half of your mind and listen to music that’ll blow the other half.
Grab your Cirque du Soleil – Saltimbanco Tickets today so you’ll get the seat you want rather than the seat you have to take.
Happy Birthday, you living doll! The gorgeous western lowland gorilla pictured in this post is the oldest male gorilla in North America. His name is Timmy and I’m beyond mad about him. He’s the pride and joy of The Louisville Zoo and he’s having a birthday – He’ll turn 50 on January 17th. Is that a milestone or what?!
From The Louisville Zoo:
Timmy, a western lowland gorilla, will be celebrating his special milestone indoors at Louisville Zoo’s Gorilla Forest on Saturday, January 17.
The party begins at 11 a.m. when Timmy will be given a custom-made ice sculpture “cake” created and donated by Galt House Hotel and Suites Executive Chef Brian Riddle. Other gorillas will also be celebrating the momentous occasion with special piñata enrichment, and gorilla keepers will be available throughout the day to interact and take questions from guests.
In celebration of Timmy’s milestone and the Zoo’s recent announcement as the No. 1 zoo in North America for cell phone recycling efforts in 2008, visitors and families who bring and donate an old cell phone to the Zoo during the month of January and February get a special discounted admission rate of $5 per person. Zoo members as well as children 2 and under enter free.
“We hope people will come out and celebrate with us,” Gorilla Forest Supervisor Roby Elsner said. “Timmy is definitely special, and this day is an important testament to the wonderful care our animals receive at the Zoo.”
Louisville Zoo’s award-winning Gorilla Forest is on the forefront of gorilla management and meets the demographic trends of current gorilla populations like geriatric gorillas.
“With the extraordinary care our animals receive, the Zoo has an important role to play in caring for an increasing number of aging gorillas,” Elsner said. “Gorilla Forest is a great home for Timmy because this unique facility allows close keeper contact with him all day long and the freedom for him to make choices about his environment that can increase his comfort, like staying inside or going outside.”
Born in 1959, Timmy is a laid-back silverback adored by female gorillas in his group which currently includes Paki, Mia Moja and Kweli. Before arriving at Louisville Zoo in 2004, Timmy lived at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Bronx Zoo.
The Louisville Zoo has a total of 11 gorillas including Helen, 51, who is the third oldest gorilla in North America (there is a tie for first at age 53), and Timmy who ties for the fourth oldest gorilla overall in North America. There are a total of 355 gorillas currently housed in 52 Zoos in North America (168 males and 187 females).
Click the pictures below (as well as the one at the top) for larger versions. When cropped, they make gorgeous wallpapers for your computer’s desktop. I love having Timmy look over my work – but my cat Alexa isn’t too sure what to make of him.
The bottom picture might be my favorite – he looks so sweet and lovable!
Happy birthday, Timmy and congratulations to the Louisville Zoo for having such a fine looking son! Sigh, I do love him ever so much.
Please click for the larger version.
Forgive the city of Louisville if it gets the big head, but things are totally going their way lately (including the amazingly close ballgame yesterday!).
The latest accomplishment? The Louisville Zoo was recently recognized as the No. 1 zoo in North America for cell phone recycling efforts in 2008 by ECO-CELL, North America’s premiere cell phone recycling program.
“This is a great mark of distinction,” Louisville Zoo Director John Walczak said. “More than 100 zoos in North America participate in ECO-CELL’s recycling program and to be No. 1 speaks to the Louisville Zoo’s leadership in areas of conservation and preservation, which are at the heart of our mission. It is also evidence of our community’s growing support for conservation efforts.”
In 2008, ECO-CELL diverted 4,000 pounds of toxic cell phone batteries, 35,000 cell phones and 6,000 pounds of cell phone accessories from landfills. The Louisville Zoo helped in that effort by collecting more than 4,400 old cell phones from visitors and businesses in 2008.
ECO-CELL recycles phones that are deemed “end of life,” and reuses other phones by either providing them to charities for emergency 911 uses or reselling them to refurbishers, who in turn sell them to emerging markets where the cost of a new cell phone is often prohibitive.
ECO-CELL gives the Zoo anywhere from 45 cents to $15 per phone donated, depending on the type. Since 2003 ECO-CELL has given the Louisville Zoo more than $15,000 which helps support the Zoo’s conservation programs.
For anyone who loves gorillas like I do, you’ll be interested to learn that recycling cell phones also helps save the world’s precious gorillas.
Cell phones contain a metallic ore called Coltan, a mineral that is refined into a heat-resistant powder that holds an electrical charge. The powder, which regulates voltage and stores energy, is essential for coating components of cell phones and other modern devices such as laptops, pagers and PDAs. Coltan is found in the Congo of central Africa, home to endangered lowland gorillas. Forest habitats are being cleared and gorillas, along with other rare animals, are being killed for bushmeat—a negative side industry of ore mining. The United Nations has reported that in the past five years, the eastern lowland gorilla population in the Congo has declined 90 percent because of these destructive activities. By reducing the demand for Coltan, gorillas and their habitats have a better chance for survival.
“When we first started recycling cell phones in 2003, we learned about the Coltan and gorilla issue from the Louisville Zoo and decided to make the conservation of gorillas and wildlife the thrust of our program as a result,” said Eric Ronay, president of ECO-CELL, which is headquartered in Louisville. “Needless to say, they were our very first partner and they have made a tremendous impact on our organization. In turn, every decision we make regarding our environmental practices is guided by the standards set by the Louisville Zoo and our many Association of Zoos and Aquariums partners. Partnering with zoos is business logic, since millions of people visit North American zoos annually. We set up a collection point at the front gate of those zoos and just invite the public to bring in their old cell phones.”
If you have an old cell phone lying around—maybe you got a new one for a holiday gift—bring it to the Louisville Zoo and help protect gorillas and their habitat. Make sure your service is disconnected and your phone is cleared of all its data, then drop it off at the designated cell phone donation box at the Zoo’s entrance. Organizations and groups are also encouraged to collect old cell phones and bring them to the Zoo. Pick-ups can be arranged for large donations, and/or a free Louisville Zoo donation box can even be requested through ECO-CELL and placed at your business for collections. For more information on these options, call ECO-CELL at (888) 326-3357.
For more information on ECO-CELL, visit www.eco-cell.com. For more information on the best zoo in the country, visit www.louisvillezoo.org.
