It’s Fall Y’all
Lexington’s Fall Guide 2024
“A world of regret awaits you at Mammoth Cave! Come experience what has disappointed millions of people for over 225 years! Mammoth Cave National Park recently rated as one of the ‘most disappointing U.S. tourist attractions’! While we think the world’s longest cave system and over 4,000 years of human history is AMAZING, others find that the cave is ‘very dark’ and there is ‘nothing cool’ here to see. If you would like to experience the disappointment of Mammoth Cave, visit our website and choose from one of our many activities that will leave you unfulfilled!”
— Mammoth Cave National Park Service, social media
Look. Lexington is admittedly no Mammoth Cave, where the National Parks Service mans an unrivaled and unmatched social media presence in the world of tourism. (Yes. It’s a man. One man. His name is Matt.)
So. We’re not going to try to top Matt.
Welcome to Lexington, Kentucky’s Annual Fall Guide for 2024, where we have left out all of the NPS Bear Safety tips (“If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down…even if you feel the friendship has run its course.”)
We rarely have bears here (except for that one time, at UK, and that other Bluegrass Conspiracy thing), but it is that time of year when we don’t have to choose between football, basketball, or horses because there’s ample time to enjoy all of them — sometimes all in one day. We don’t have to choose between rain, frost, snow, sleet, ice, and heat advisories, because they might all arrive on the same day.
Every year since 1989, Ace has published an Annual Summer Guide, Fall Guide, and Holiday Guide, along with the annual Real Best of Lexington.
When Ace’s very first Fall Guide rolled off the presses (in black and white newsprint, no less) in the 80s, Google was another ten years in the making and the iPhone wouldn’t roll out for two more decades. Social Media wasn’t a thing, the internet was barely a thing, and we rode downtown on horseback when we wanted to see a movie at the Kentucky Theatre. (Of course we didn’t. Because the Kentucky Theatre was still shuttered during its long, dark, post-fire era)
It was easy to lose track of what was happening and when back then. Sometimes, it still is.
But not if you have the Ace Fall Guide at your fingertips, digital or otherwise.
*As always, times and dates are subject to change. Confirm with the venue.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Art
SEP 7 Waveland Art Fair
SEP 20 Art on the Town, Pavilion
SEP 20 Gallery Hop, downtown
SEP 20 Reimagine Exhibit opens, Living Arts & Science Center
OCT 19 KY Guild of Artists and Craftsmen Fall Art Market, Berea
OCT 6 Eclectic Expressions, Harstad Fine Arts Series
NOV 15 Gallery Hop, downtown
Comedy
SEP 6 Iliza Shlesinger, Louisville Palace
SEP 13 Earthquake, Comedy Off Broadway
SEP 14 Kathleen Madigan, Lexington Opera House
SEP 20 Steve Martin & Martin Short, Louisville Palace
OCT 5 Leanne Morgan, Rupp Arena
OCT 12 I Mom So Hard, Lexington Opera House
OCT 19 Jeff Dunham, Rupp Arena
OCT 21 An Evening with David Sedaris, Lexington Opera House
OCT 22 David Cross, Lexington Opera House
OCT 24 Bored Teachers, Lexington Opera House
OCT 27 Marlon Wayans, Louisville Palace
Concerts & Live Music
SEP 1 Jazz on the Lawn, Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate
SEP 6 Jason Isbell, Rupp Arena
SEP 10 Joan Osborne, Kentucky Theatre
SEP 15 Ben Sollee, Harstad Fine Arts Series
SEP 16 Ben Sollee, Woodsongs, Lyric Theater
SEP 20 The Supersuckers, with Nine Pound Hammer, The Burl
SEP 25 Todd Rundgren, Louisville Palace
SEP 26 Louder than Life, Louisville
SEP 27 Sturgill Simpson, Rupp Arena
OCT 4 Here Come the Mummies, Manchester Music Hall
OCT 5 ZZ Top, Norton Center (Danville)
OCT 17 Sam Bush, Kentucky Theatre
OCT 26 The Avett Brothers, Rupp Arena
NOV 8 Jelly Roll, Rupp Arena
NOV 9 Steep Canyon Rangers, The Burl
NOV 20 Justin Timberlake, KFC Yum (Louisville)
DEC 20 Ricky Skaggs, Louisville Palace
The Henry Clay Memorial Foundation invites the public to its annual Jazz on the Lawn concert on Sep 1, 2024.
This ever-popular concert takes place on the back lawn of the mansion, where guests are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics. The Ashland estate is located at 120 Sycamore Road in Lexington.
Thursday Night Live
SEP 5 Mercy Men
SEP 12 Big Maracas
SEP 19 Witness Protection
SEP 26 Rewind Band
OCT 3 Rebel Without a Cause
OCT 10 Vinyl Richie
Read
SEP 7 Jim Embry speaks, Downtown Library
OCT 8 Henry Louis Gates, Norton Center (Danville)
NOV 9 Carnegie Classics: Murder on the Orient Express, Carnegie Center
at the MOVIES
FREAKY FLICKS
OCT 4 Hocus Pocus, Masterson Station
OCT 11 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Moondance
OCT 18 Corpse Bride, Moondance
ROSA GODDARD FILM SERIES
SEP 11 Barbarella, Kentucky Theatre
SEP 18 Fantastic Planet, Kentucky Theatre
SEP 25 Ghost in the Shell, Kentucky Theatre
CLASSICS SERIES AT THE LIBRARY
SEP 9 The Royal Tenenbaums, Farish Theater
SEP 22 Amores Perros, Farish Theatre
SEP 25 Sin Nombre, Farish Theater
OCT 1 Spy Kids, Farish Theater
OCT 6 Pan’s Labyrinth, Farish Theater
OCT 23 Sunset Boulevard, Farish Theater
OCT 30 The Shining, Farish Theater
SALONS
Celebrate Eclectic Lives in Eclectic Homes in support of Moveable Feast. On three Sundays in September, hosts will open their architecturally significant homes to celebrate art, music, and literature all while supporting the mission of Moveable Feast. Each event will be styled with entertainment, food, drinks, and up-close encounters with the arts. Attendance is kept to small numbers to help ensure a unique experience. Purchase tickets in advance.
SEP 8 David Bartley and Shelby Reynolds in Kenwick
SEP 15 Jennie Leavell, featuring Ellen Skidmore and Frank X Walker
SEP 22 Art Shechet and Marilyn Robie, featuring George Ella Lyon and Tall, Dark & Handsome
STAGE/THEATRE
SEP 10 Seniors Got Talent, Lexington Opera House
SEP 12 Boeing Boeing, Studio Players
SEP 19 Old Dry Frye, Lexington Children’s Theatre
SEP 20 The Book of Mormon, Lexington Opera House
SEP 24 Artrageous, EKU Center for the Arts
OCT 2 Dracula, EKU Center for the Arts
OCT 8 Charlotte’s Web, Lexington Children’s Theatre
NOV 6 Winnie the Pooh, Lexington Children’s Theatre
NOV 8 Last Out: Elegy of a Green Beret, Norton Center (Danville)
NOV 14 As You Like It, UK’s Guignol Theatre
PUSH Physical Theatre’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novel, Dracula, is an experiment in collaboration, and a departure from the award-winning company’s usual ‘silent treatment.’ By combining PUSH’s speechless artistry with traditional dialogue-driven theatre, the collaborators have created an unforgettable ride into the warped world of one of literature’s most famous villains. Wed, Oct 2, EKU Center for the Arts.
EAT + DRINK
SEP 9 Lexington Coffee and Tea Week
SEP 13 Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bardstown
SEP 14 Kentucky Food Truck Championship, Renfro Valley
SEP 26 World Chicken Festival, London
SEP 27 Ham Days, Lebanon
OCT 5 Wilmore Arts & Crafts Festival
OCT 5 Bourbon on the Banks, Frankfort
OCT 19 Country Boy Brewing Fall Bazaar
September is National Bourbon Month. Toast responsibly.
FAIRS + FESTS
SEP 14 Harvest Festival, Evans Orchard
SEP 15 Southland Street Fair
SEP 19 Bourbon & Beyond, Louisville
SEP 20 Christ the King Oktoberfest
SEP 27 Wildside Winery Balloon Festival
SEP 27 Festival Latino de Lexington, Downtown Lexington
OCT 11 Mary Queen Fall Festival, Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary
OCT 20 Thriller, Downtown
PUMPKIN SPICY
SEP 28 Pumpkin Patch Train Rides (thru Oct 26)
OCT 5 Pumpkin Festival at Wildside Winery
OCT 24 JackOLantern Trail, McConnell Springs
OCT 27 PumpkinMania, Transy
HOLIDAYS
NOV 9 Christmas Bazaar, Versailles
NOV 21 A Christmas Story, Lexington Opera House
NOV 22 Junior League Holly Day Market, Alltech Arena
DEC 8 Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Rupp Arena
DEC 29 Mannheim Steamroller, Lexington Opera House
To advertise in Ace’s Holiday Guides, call 859.225.4889, x235.
HOME + GARDEN
SEP 14 Household Hazardous Waste Disposal, Old Frankfort Pike
SEP 15 Mentelle Park Home & Garden Tour
SEP 26 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway announced
SEP 28 Free Mulch Giveaway, Old Landfill Pad
OCT 5 Home & Garden Show, Oleika Temple
HORSE
“A bit like Cuba’s, Kentucky’s economy depends almost entirely on things that are good for you but are said to be bad for you: Cuba has sugar, rum and tobacco; and Kentucky has bourbon, tobacco, and horse racing. When you see the Derby run on TV, the cameras linger on opulence in hats and horseflesh, and the farms often look like rolling feudal estates, but if you go to Keeneland [sic] racetrack at Lexington you see…real, popular participation in the sport of kings.”
—Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair Magazine
SEP 7 Festival of the Horse, Georgetown
SEP 9 Keeneland’s September Yearling Sales begin
OCT 4 Keeneland Fall Meet begins
OCT 13 LRWH Hunter Pace, Shaker Village
OCT 23 National Horse Show, Kentucky Horse Park
SPORTS & OUTDOORS
BIKE
SEP Cycle September (activities continue throughout the month)
SEP 28 Community Garden Walk & Bike Tour 10 am West Sixth
NOV 2 Lex Glow Ride
RUN/WALK FOR IT
SEP 26 Bourbon Country Burn, KY Horse Park
OCT 4 Bourbon Chase, Clermont to Lexington
OCT 12 Yes, Mamm 5k, RJ Corman’s Nicholasville
OCT 13 Iron Horse Half Marathon, Midway
DEC 14 Reindeer Ramble, Keeneland
UK Football
SEP 7 UK vs South Carolina, home game
SEP 14 UK vs Georgia, home game
SEP 21 UK vs Ohio, home
SEP 28 UK at Ole Miss
OCT 12 UK vs Vanderbilt, homecoming
OCT 19 UK at Florida
OCT 26 UK vs Auburn, home
NOV 2 UK at Tennessee
NOV 16 UK vs Murray State, home
NOV 23 UK at Texas
NOV 30 UK vs Louisville, home
UK BASKETBALL
OCT 11 Big Blue Madness, Rupp Arena
OCT 18 Blue-White Exhibition, Memorial Coliseum
OCT 23 UK vs KY Wesleyan Exhibition, Rupp
OCT 29 UK vs Minnesota State Exhibition, Rupp
NOV 4 UK vs Wright State, Rupp
NOV 9 UK vs Bucknell, Rupp
NOV 12 UK vs Duke at Atlanta
NOV 19 UK vs Lipscomb BBN Invitational
NOV 22 UK vs Jackson State BBN Invitational
NOV 26 UK vs Western Kentucky BBN Invitational
NOV 29 UK vs Georgia State, Rupp Arena
DEC 3 UK at Clemson
DEC 7 UK vs Gonzaga at Seattle
DEC 11 UK vs Colgate, Rupp
DEC 14 UK vs Louisville, Rupp
DEC 21 UK vs Ohio State at Madison Square Garden
DEC 31 UK vs Brown, Rupp Arena
ELECTION DATE REMINDERS
Don’t Forget to Vote!
OCT 7 Voter Registration Deadline, 4 pm
OCT 31 Early voting begins
NOV 5 In-Person Polls Open, 6 am to 6 pm
This article begins on page 7 of the September 2024 print edition of Ace.
Click here to page through a digital copy of the Sep 2024 print issue of Ace. To subscribe to digital delivery of Ace’s print edition each month, click here. Click here to join the Ace Eats Out Facebook.
