Let’s talk movies!

We're looking to expand our movie series that was offered at the Iroquois Amphitheater last summer.

Louisville Metro Parks
Community Relations Staff
e-mail us

When we kicked around the idea of asking the public what types of movies they’d like to see during the Iroquois Amphitheater’s movie series during the summer and fall, one place where we went for assistance was the blog Consuming Louisville, which  has its finger pressed firmly on the pulse of what takes place around the River City.

It’s hard to better describe the feedback we’re looking for than how CL described it:

Read Full Post »

“Owl” see you … at the Forest Feb. 5!

A barred owl is one of the animals that will be on display at the Forest February 5.

by Christa Weidner
Naturalist, Jefferson Memorial Forest
e-mail Christa

An exciting program is coming to the Jefferson Memorial Forest taking place February 5 at the Horine Conference Center. This program is part of our Winter Nights Series – Owls in the Forest. A variety of owls, native to Kentucky, will be on hand as ambassadors of their species. Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky is bringing these amazing owls to share exciting facts. You will get the chance to see these birds up close and hear them. Of course, some owls are more vocal than others. Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky has been rescuing raptors or birds of prey, since the 1980’s.

Read Full Post »

State of the… parks

Mayor Abramson would like to see major parts of the Louisville Loop project completed by 2015. If you were asked to create a wish list for park improvement projects, what would it include?

by Jason Cissell
Public Information Officer
e-mail Jason

Last week, Mayor Jerry Abramson presented his 21st and final State of the City address, offering a compelling vision of what Louisville will look like in 2015. He described:

• new parks being developed through the City of Parks initiative, including 4,000 acres of park land along Floyds Fork, and 1,000 acres at the Jefferson Memorial Forest
• further progress on construction of the paved Louisville Loop bike/walking path, including along the Olmsted Parkways
• pedestrian access across the Ohio River via the old Big Four railroad bridge
• development of new recreation opportunities at Louisville Champions Park and Riverview Park
• implementation of a new aquatics plan, serving more neighborhoods beyond the traditional summer swim season, (we’ll do this with more spraygrounds, a second indoor natatorium and our summer pools)

To drill down a little further on that vision, we would add some more stuff from our own wish list:

Read Full Post »

Great C-J story on free fitness classes

Metro Parks community centers offer a variety of fitness classes and equipment.

by Jason Cissell
Public Information Officer
e-mail Jason

There’s always a nervous period between the time a reporter interviews you and the time the story actually runs… even when the topic is a positive one. Will all the facts be right? Will the headline writers set the right tone? Fortunately, we get to work with some great local reporters, so we’re rarely let down. Even when stories aren’t about friendly topics, we usually find them fair.

Today, Sheryl Edelen at The Courier-Journal wrote a great piece about a new free fitness program we’re offering, in partnership with the health department. She was able to spend some quality time with a few citizens taking part in the free classes — something that’s not always possible in these days of newsroom cutbacks. Sheryl’s written about Metro Parks for several years, so she’s got a knack for figuring out when a story’s worth getting out of the office to cover.

The first three paragraphs of Sheyl’s story wonderfully captured the potential we feel this new program offers:

Read Full Post »

Stay off the ice!

You might think our streams, ponds and lakes are safe to walk on, but they're not.

By Louisville Metro Parks
Community Relations Staff
e-mail us

Thanks to Louisville’s Fred Alan who submitted the photo above of McNeely Lake. Clearly visible in the middle portion of the photo is a gaping space in the ice. If someone were to tempt fate and try and walk on the ice, that’s an indicator of the lack of thickness and they surely would be in trouble.

As long as man has walked the earth, we’ve tried to climb the highest mountains, swim across the widest rivers, explore the depths of the deepest caverns and crevasses. Some would say that being a daredevil is part of our nature.

However, walking out on ice in our parks isn’t permitted. So, just don’t do it. You don’t really know how thick the ice might be, and there’s a chance no one will be there to rescue you if you fall through. And hypothermia isn’t a pleasant way to go.

Thus concludes todays public service announcement, courtesy of Common Ground.

( :

Read Full Post »

Be a Loser … in a good way!

By BJ Levis
Recreation Administrator
e-mail BJ

Calling all New Year’s Resolutions Makers!

We want to help you keep those resolutions. Metro Parks and Recreation Douglass Park (Douglass Community Center and Adapted Leisure Activities) offers an integrated program entitled “The Douglass Park Biggest Loser.”  If your goals are to lose weight, become more physically fit or eat healthier – we have the program for you.

Join us each Thursday, starting January 7,  from 3-4 p.m. at Douglass Community Center for a fun afternoon! The program will consist of a weigh-in, where percentage of weight loss will be calculated, a 30 minute dyna-band workout and 15 minutes of fitness and nutritional education. Incentives will be given throughout the program as milestones are met. Each week you attend, you will earn “Douglass Bucks” that can be presented for other fun and exciting programs offered at Douglass Community Center and/or Adapted Leisure Activities.

We’re ready to get our New Year off to a good start – are you? For more information call 456-8148 of 456-8120.

Read Full Post »

Things are looking up for Breslin Park

Construction is well underway on a large new playground in Breslin Park.

by Jason Cissell
Public Information Officer
e-mail Jason

Kids in the neighborhoods of Irish Hill, Phoenix Hill and Clifton will have a large new playground to enjoy when spring weather arrives. A $60,000 playground will be completed later this month in Breslin Park.

A master plan completed for Breslin Park in 2001 called for a new playground, a walking path, a bandstand for concerts, and more, but funding was never available to implement the plan. The park remained relatively little-used, with an outdated play set, an obsolete skate park (closed when the much bigger Louisville Extreme Park opened not too far away in 2002), and a summer swimming pool.

Read Full Post »