News & Notes
CD Central celebrates national Record Store Day
Local Lexington music store CD Central will be participating in Record Store Day, a national event in which hundreds of independent record stores will celebrate the culture and unique place they occupy both nationally and in their local communities, on April 18. The event is a celebration of success and survival in an age of declining music sales and downloadable music.
Record Store Day at CD Central is a free and all-ages event. The day's activities include live music performances by Chico Fellini, The Sundresses and Ben Sollee, as well as a storewide sale, contests, giveaways, a parking lot cookout and art from local artists.
CD Central is located at 377 S. Limestone St. For more information, visit www.cdcentralmusic.com.
Park Daze events planned for Woodland Park
The Void Skateshop, Local First Lexington and a number of other local sponsors will kick off the spring picnic season with Park Daze, an all-ages, all-local event at Woodland Park, on April 19. The event will feature live music by local bands The Swells, The Tallboys, Warmer Milks, Caboladies, Candy, Tiny Fights, Attempt and Everyone Lives, Everyone Wins, as well as informational and vending booths from local businesses and reasonably priced food. While a free-to-enter skateboard contest for "best trick" will commence, Void Skateshop owner and Park Daze organizer Reid Small says he wants the event to be family-friendly and fun for everyone, not just skateboarders.
"It's more like a fun cookout for lots of kids and people hanging out at the park on a Sunday," he said in a press release. "Blankets are encouraged."
In addition to The Void and Local First Lexington, sponsors include CD Central, WRFL. Stella's Deli, Al's Bar, The Black Market, Ale-8 One soda, Cricket Press, Gumbo Ya Ya, BusTacos, Puccini's, and Charmed Life Tattoos. For more information, call The Void Skateshop at (859) 231-8643.
City to launch "Lexington Clean Means Green"
Hundreds of local volunteers will fan out across Lexington this spring and summer, collecting everything from litter to old tires, for Lexington's biggest cleanup effort, which will run from April through July this year.
This year's cleanup, dubbed "Lexington Clean Means Green," will include several projects to help the environment. The city is also promoting neighborhood cleanups and will send crews out to help with debris, such as old appliances, batteries and other discarded trash. Last year, approximately 4,000 volunteers collected about 200 tons of garbage and litter.
Coordinators for the cleanup are seeking more volunteers this year. To organize a cleanup in your neighborhood, call (859) 425-2429.
Local builders honored as green finalists
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced that Lexington's WreckCREATIONS is a finalist for the 2009 NAHB National Green Building Awards. The award honors home builders, remodelers, home builders' associations and other organizations for advancing green building through innovative design and construction techniques, excellent education programs and successful advocacy efforts.
WreckCREATIONS was nominated in the Green Remodeling category for a project at 3322 Grasmere Dr. The home was profiled in the January issue of the Southsider Magazine; search www.southsidermagazine.com to read the article.
It was an extensive exterior and interior remodel designed and executed with sound environmentally friendly practices and initiatives. The remodel addressed the esthetic and lifestyle demands of a busy family as well as their commitment to incorporating globally responsible building standards into each phase of the project.
The awards will be presented at a gala dinner during the NAHB National Green Building Conference on May 8 - 10 in Dallas. For more information on WreckCREATIONS, call (859) 269-8211.
Also, co-owner Millard Blackey has earned the Home Energy Rating System's Rater Certification, and co-owner Boo Blakey has received the Green Advantage Environmental Residential Certification.
Authentic tea steeping in Henry Clay Estate
Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate, has partnered with Elmwood Inn Fine Teas in Perryville, Ky., to create a Fine Chinese Black Tea for the historic residence. Elmwood Inn Fine Teas co-owner, Bruce Richardson, will be on hand at an afternoon tea at the Woman's Club of Central Kentucky (210 N. Broadway) to talk about the research done to create a historically appropriate tea for Henry Clay's estate. The tea, which comes with custom designed art on the tin, will be available at Ashland beginning in April. For more information or to reserve a space for the afternoon tea, call (859) 266-8581. For more information on Elm Wood Inn, visit www.elmwoodinn.com.
Volunteers needed for Reforest the Bluegrass
An army of volunteers will gather in Shillito Park on April 11 to plant 7,000 trees in six hours for this year's Reforest the Bluegrass event. More than 160,000 trees have been planted over the past 10 years during the annual event in places such as Masterson Station Park, Coldstream Park, Jacobson Park and several other greenways. Crews have worked for several weeks, clearing out brush and invasive plants from the area where the seedlings will be planted at Shillito Park.
Visit www.lexingtonky.gov/rtb for more information on Reforest the Bluegrass.
Local fitness instructor lands national credentials
Jazzercise recently honored local instructor Sarah Sechrist with the prestigious President's Club Award - Bronze status.
At Bronze status, Sechrist is one of the top money earners in the Jazzercise franchise operation for the year 2008. Sechrist's sales contributed to Jazzercise, Inc.'s record $93 million in system-wide sales last year. Sechrist has been an instructor in the Lexington area, which has four Jazzercise locations, for five years. For more information, visit www.jazzercise.com.
The Future of Fashion
On Friday, May 1, a new coalition of local artists and individuals working in the areas of fashion will be exhibiting their collective work (ranging from sewing, designing and fabric dying to fashion photography, modeling and styling) at a runway show at the Old Tarr Distillery (899 Manchester St., 7 p.m.). The event will showcase handmade clothing, handbags and jewelry, as well as the fashion photography of Richie Wireman and the work of local hair and make-up artists. The idea is to "bring together individuals, organizations, and businesses that are interested in supporting local and national talent in an area that has been taken over by massive production of low quality goods."
The event is $5 with donations accepted. Part of the proceeds will go to the sewing project of Bluegrass Literacy, a non-profit local organization. Designers include Kentucky's Laverne Zabielski, Coco Jackson, Jessamine Kane, Farad Delshad, Laura Cox, Soreyda Begley, Nancy Todd, Roxanne Kribel, Lamin Swann, Josie and Mark Williams, as well as Atlanta's Andrea Junca. Music will be provided by DJ Selektro. If you are interested in supporting the local show in any way, contact Soreyda Begley at (859) 576-0924.
New Businesses
Counter Culture Plus celebrated the grand opening of its new showroom, located at 944 National Ave., in conjunction with the store's third anniversary on March 26. Locally owned Counter Culture Plus features an environmentally friendly onsite fabrication shop that recycles waste products, custom cabinetry from Southeast Kentucky Wood Products and other accessories. For more, call (859) 246-0007.
Kentucky Proud Market, a new store endorsed by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture located in the Lexington Center, opened it doors in March. The store will carry Kentucky wines, cheeses, meats, sauces, spices, crafts and Kentucky Crafted merchandise. Kentucky Proud Market was developed by Curtis Sigretto, proprietor of Elk Creek Vineyards and the creator and franchiser of Halloween Express. For more, visit www.kentuckyproudmarket.com.
To read more about the store and its owner, visit our sister publication Business Lexington, at www.bizlex.com, to read their March 17 feature.