Every Spring, Louisville is the stage for an internationally known festival of contemporary plays. Now in its 36^th year, the Humana Festival draws actors, producers, playwrights, critics, and theater lovers  from Louisville and far beyond. This year, the festival of New American plays will run from February 27 – April 15 and will present an exciting array of full length, one act, 10-minute, and short plays, many of which will be picked up and produced elsewhere. If you live in Louisville, you can see great theater here first!

Throughout the history of the festival, the Actors Theater has presented over 400 plays by over 200 playwrights. The plays that have made the schedule come from the nearly 2,000 scripts submitted each year.  Some past productions have won Pulitzer prizes, such as The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn, Dinner With Friends by Donald Margulies, and Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley, while many others have won awards and prizes and gone on to become popular favorites. Over 90 million Americans have seen productions of plays premiered at the Human Festival. Most years, the plays are published for your reading pleasure and available for less than $20.

The plays attract visitors from all over the world, but the festival reaches out to its hometown of Louisville and entices local residents to see the plays with a special Humana Locals Pass good from March 1-11. You can choose six plays for $99 with first come first serve seating in the theater in this age of social media, you can tweet and post about the plays you like, to encourage other folks in the area to see them to. The festival also has attractively-price ticket packages for college students, getaway weekends, and industry professionals.

So, what are this yea’rs plays that may someday be famous? You can be among the first people to ever see The Veri**on Play, Oh, Gastronomy!, Eat Your Heart Out, and more. Click here for a full schedule of plays you can see right here in Louisville.

If you really want to drink in the whole experience you can enjoy several other events running during the month. On Monday, February 27, the Festival will kick off with a press conference. On March 1, you can enjoy the free Humana Festival Kickoff Party, or see the costumes on display on March 2 with the Trolley Hop. On March 30 or 20th, you can meet the staff of Actors Theater, tour the facilities, enjoy some light refreshments and see a rehearsal by calling the theater at 502.584.1205 for a free ticket. Concluding Locals Week, you and your family can enjoy a Locals Fair that will feature art, jewelry, and other offerings brought by members of Louisville’s Local Independent Business Association (LIBA).

Each each year, the Humana Foundation, an offshoot of one of Louisville’s largest employers, sponsors the festival, as it has done since 1980. Their generosity represents the longest continuous and current partnership between a theater and a corporation in the United States. The Humana foundation is known for forging city and cultural partnerships in any city where is from.

If you like theater and the arts, you’ll love Louisville. If you want to see our amazing stock of new and historic homes, contact me, Mollie Younger of The Younger Team.  We Know Louisville.

Events in Louisville, March, 2012

3/1/2012           Humana Festival Kick-Off Party 

3/2/2012           Kentucky National Beef Exposition 

3/2-3/3/12        University of Louisville Dance Marathon 

3/2-3/4/12        63rd Louisville Home, Garden and Remodeling Show 

3/2/2012           Brightside’s 6th Annual Green Tie Bash 

3/3/2012           Disney Live! Presents Three Classic Fairytales 

3/5/2012           Anthem 5K Fitness Classic 

3/6/2012           Animal House Volunteer Orientation March. 6 

3/7/2012           Looking for Dinner

3/7/2012           Sushi in the City 

3/9/2012           Celtic Crossroads World Fusion Tour presented by Republic Bank 

3/9-3/12/12      Kentucky Flea Market 

3/10-3/11/12    Antique Automobile Club of America Kentuckiana Regional Swap Meet 

3/10/2012         St. Patrick’s Parade 

3/10/2012         MAS in St. Patrick’ s Day Parade 

3/10/2012         MS Walk Kick Off Party: Donut Building Contest 

3/10/2012         Humana Festival Local’s Fair 

3/12/2012         100th Anniversary Celebration -Girl Scouts

3/14/2012         Kentuckiana Cluster All Breed Dog Show 

3/15/2012         PetSmart Volunteer Orientation March. 15 

3/15/2012         2012 NCAA DIVISION I Men’s Basketball First and Second Round Games 

3/15/2012         Greater Louisville Training Club, American Kennel Club Agility Trials 

3/17/2012         Rodes City Run 10K 

3/17/2012         Animal House Volunteer Orientation March. 17 

3/17/2012         St Patrick’s Biergarten

3/17/2012         St Baldrick’s Event

3/18/2012         Summer Camp Open House 

3/24-3/25/12    Parent Leadership Academy 

3/24/2012         14th Annual Hwang’s Martial Arts Spring Charity Expo 

3/24/2012         Humana Festival Soiree

3/24/2012         Run For Kids

3/24/2012         Mother & Daughter Tea – Sun Valley Community Center 

3/29/2012         Kentucky Derby Festival Spring Fashion Show Presented by American Founders Bank

3/30/2012         =Sesame Street Live! “1-2-3… Imagine! With Elmo and Friends”

3/30/2012         FREE Tax Preparation on March 30

3/30/2012         Women of Joy

3/30/2012         CK Scrapbooking Convention – Louisville

3/31/2012         Papa John’s 10 Miler

3/31/2012         Children’s Easter Party – Sun Valley Community Center

The real estate market generally heats up with the temperature. This year after a mild winter, however, the springtime of real estate is starting now for first-time buyers in Louisville. Are you planning on being in the number this year who buys your first home?

If so, you have a lot of things to think about, starting with your finances. With interest rates low and housing prices reasonable, you have a good chance of being a homeowner if your credit score is good, you job is stable, and you have access to the down payment. What should you look for in your first house? Here area  few “A” words to keep in mind.

Affordability. If you’re buying your first home, you may be in your 20s and 30s, establishing your career, maybe planning to start your family. Unless you are independently wealthy, aim for a starter house that may be smaller and in a less costly neighborhood then you hope to original eventually own. As your parents are probably quick to tell you, you don’t need to start at the top. None of this means that you should buy a house you hate that is next to a landfill, but it translates into buying a place you can afford – regardless of what the bank says you can afford.

Appeal.  Even if your first home is not your dream home, you should be happy with the layout, most features of the home, and its potential. Can you see yourself living there for a few years? What would you have to do to the home to make it closer to what you want?

Acceptability. You may want to upgrade the home you buy, but if you’re like most young buyers, you find that your remodeling plans exceed your funds. Your best bet may be to find a home with a recently renovated kitchen and bathroom, that allows you to make a few improvements you’d like to make and save the more upscale improvements for your next home. You do not want to transform your shack into a castle if you hope to keep the value of your home comparable to the prices of other homes in your neighborhood.

Adaptability. You might be thinking that you will only stay in your first house for 3 to 5 years, but current stats indicate that first-time buyers tend to stay put for 7 to 10 years. Why? Stuff happens. Your income doesn’t grow. Homes in your neighborhood aren’t moving, so neither are you .Will the home that you pick accommodate your predicted needs for a few years and beyond? Few homes come equipped with a crystal ball, but if you’re planning on having a big family, have a hobby or business that requires home storage, really value a yard, etc., look for a home in line with those goals. An open floor plan tends to be more flexible if your needs change.

Amenities. Even if your home is smaller than you’d like, nearby amenities will offer you a larger living space. For example, if you live near a park or an urban garden, you may be able to satisfy your love for outdoor activities and feeling the soil between your fingers without having much property. If home is small, but the neighborhood features green space, a community pool, a rec center, and other facilities to accommodate your family, you will feel less confined in your home.

Access. That old real estate adage “location, location, location” translates into what is convenient for you. If the home is near work, church, school, highways, and perhaps other things you value such as shopping, nightlife, sports facilities, entertainment, you will be satisfied there for a longer time frame – and have an easier time selling it when the time was right.

Fortunately, in Louisville you will be able to find a first home, at an affordable price, with many of the features you’d like in a neighborhood. Just contact me, Mollie Younger . My team and I at Younger Group Real Estate can list your home and show you affordable homes in Butchertown, St. Matthews, The Highlands, and other great Louisville neighborhoods that are close to work and school. Give us a call. We know Louisville.

When irritated taxpayers say they want smaller government or speak out for less social spending, the question becomes, “Who  will take care of the less fortunate in society?” The local community? Churches? Families? Budget cuts on all levels of government, unemployment, and lower tax revenues make the problem of funding to feed the hungry and offer other needed services a major concern in cities like Louisville.

In our city, Eastern Area Community Ministries in Northeast Louisville has helped fill the gap for needy families who lack food, housing, and funds needed for emergencies. This year, less grant money is available, so the organization is reeling under a loss of 35% of its grant revenues plus a 10% budget cuts.

The lack of funds has not made the New Director of Mission Advancement, Kathy Robertson, redefine the organization’s mission in view of the budget. The ministry is a food bank for Louisville’s Dare to Care program, but also provides food, toiletries, diapers, and other necessities to about 300 families per month. Eastern Area Community Ministries wants to continue and even expand its work.

Robertson’s approach is to forge alliances with local businesses and organizations to supplement their budget. Louisville businesses have always provided about $11,000 in support each year, but Robertson’s goal is to nearly double this in 2012. Moreover, she is not just seeking one-time gifts, wants to form the type of relationship that will make the donors involved.

So far, the approach is working:

• State Farm insurance donated $500 for books for teen parents to read to their children.
• The Montessori School of Louisville held a food drive in January and will soon be painting a mural in the lobby of the ministries, which is housed in John Knox Presbyterian Church on Westport Road.
• A Plus Paper Shredding is committed to holding a fundraiser in April where it will exchange shredding services for donations.
• Local utilities will host March Madness Slam Dunk Saturday on Saturday, March 24 to support the cause.

Eastern Area Community Ministries has many programs operated with the help of volunteers. Aside from distributing food, the ministries has a Meals on Wheels program, offers rent and utility assistance, has a Latino Outreach center which acclimates residents to the neighborhood and offers English as a second language, and delivers other family and children services.

The Ministry is a joint effort of nearly 40 churches in Northeast Louisville.  While no one is turned away, the target audience for programs are those who live in zip codes 40018, 40027, 40059, , 40222, 40223, 40241, 40242, 40243 and 40245 – the area east of Watterson Expressway and north of I- 64.

If you want to join this effort, either as an individual or as a representative of your business, contact the office at 502-426-2824

If you want to live in a caring community, contact me, Mollie Younger . My team and I at Younger Group Real Estate can list your home and show you affordable homes in Butchertown, St. Matthews, The Highlands, and other great Louisville neighborhoods that are close to work and school. Give us a call. We know Louisville.

As Louisville enjoys a fairly mild winter, some 75 years ago, in January 1937, our city was not so lucky. In mid-January, intense rains fell in Louisville, which caused the Ohio River to rise to unprecedented  levels. Floods engulfed Louisville, causing disaster for people throughout the city. As Louisville cleaned up and re-built, the city was never quite the same. In a 2007 book, Great Flood of 1937: Rising Waters, Soaring Spirits, historian Rick Bell notes, “Everything changed.”

Provoked by 19 inches of rain, the flood covered 70% of the city. Over 175,000 people were evacuated after the River crested 30 feet above the flood stage on January 27. Ironically, on January 26, 2012, the city was once again under a flood watch. 90 Louisville residents died, but the flood killed at least 400 as far south as Arkansas. Among the victims in Louisville, a police officer and a Army private drowned when their car slid down the hill on Patterson Avenue in Crescent Heights. Over 3000 farm animals were killed in the flood. Power was disrupted, and businesses suffered as well as residents. The Ford plant near Shawnee Park had to scrap all cars on the assembly line and later moved outside the city. Damage exceeded $3.3 billion in today’s currency.

In Louisville, the hardest hit areas were downtown, the area called The Point near Butchertown, Portland, and Western Louisville were most affected, but the floods swept the region. The Dixie Highway was under 8 feet of water. Parts of Cherokee Park near Beargrass Creek were under water. There were fish in the lobby of the flooded Brown Hotel. Churchill Downs was flooded along with the rest of the city, but the Derby ran on schedule in May.

Many residents left the city to higher elevated areas such as St. Matthews, a former potato field, Shively, and other communities. At the time, only 20% of Jefferson County residents lived outside the Louisville city limits. For those who remained, shelters popped up in any dry areas in the city in churches, schools, and businesses.

The US Army Corps of Engineers built a 1800 foot floating pontoon bridge from empty whiskey barrels to move people from Jefferson Street to Baxter Avenue and dryer areas in Crescent Hill and the Highlands. Over 75,000 people crossed the makeshift bridge in four days. The Corp later built 29 miles of flood walls and developed other flood protection measures to prevent damage in the future. As historian Bell says, with the floodwalls, more than twice as much rain would have to fall in a short time for flood to ever do as much damage to Louisville.

These efforts were not the first time that waters in Louisville had to be put in check. The city, built on a wide flood plain, was originally part swampland. Areas were drained as the city developed, and area creeks and streams were rerouted or channeled through canals to prevent damage and disease. As evidenced by the flood threat this year, Louisville is better protected, but never really immune from potential flooding. There are currently 16 pumping stations managed by the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), which work around the clock to pump floodwaters in the city back into the Ohio River. In addition, MSD has completed nearly 700 neighborhood drainage projects and added 11 more storage basins, able to hold about 1,000,000,000 gallons of water.

The 1937 flood and our continual challenge of flooding are an important part of Louisville history that change the patterns of where people live in our city and put in motion a huge infrastructure of flood protection measures. In commemoration of the flood 75 years ago, the Photographic Archives at the University of Louisville has placed its more than 1000 flood photos in an exhibit that opened January 26. It includes interesting local photos, plus many taken by noted photographer Margaret Bourke White for Life Magazine. The book by Bell plus another new book written by David Welky, The Thousand Year flood: the Ohio – Mississippi Disaster of 1937, also offer many interesting anecdotes and insights about the flood.

Though occasionally soggy, Louisville is a great place to live. My team and I at Younger Group Real Estate can list your home and show you affordable homes in Butchertown, St. Matthews, The Highlands, and other great Louisville neighborhoods that are close to work and school. Give us a call. We know Louisville.