Good for Downtown, and Who Else?

Will a new arena in Louisville help or hurt existing venues?

Last September, the Louisville Arena Task Force submitted its final report recommending an arena be built – after much debate – in downtown Louisville.

But there are many people who don’t really care where the new arena goes – just as long as it’s built. All arguments aside, plenty of folks stand to profit from the increased tourism the arena will bring, particularly Louisville’s downtown convention-centered businesses.

Louisville boasts two main convention centers, the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) located downtown, and the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center (KFEC) located near the Louisville International Airport. Both facilities are managed by the Kentucky State Fair Board, an agency of the Kentucky Commerce Cabinet. The arena task force recommends the fair board also manage the new arena.

Read the whole story.

Event celebrates two new Yew Dell buildings

Yew Dell Gardens will celebrate another step in its development Friday with a gala opening of two new components of the Oldham County property.

The third annual Twilight in the Garden Gala features a cocktail reception, dinner on the lawn and the grand opening of the Gheens Barn and Peyton Samuel Head Trust Pavilion. The refurbished Gheens Barn is one of the nation’s few remaining bank barns and, along with the glass-and-timber pavilion, forms a new meeting facility for Oldham and eastern Jefferson counties.

Yew Dell is the 33-acre former home, gardens and arboretum of plantsman Theodore Klein. When he died in 1998, development threatened his estate, but a group of volunteers formed the non-profit organization committed to preserving the gardens. Work began to restore Klein’s treasure to its former glory, and countless hours and dollars have been poured into the task.

Read the whole release, published by The Oldham Era.