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READER’S CHOICE THE

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OCTOBER 1-31, 2025 | VOL 34, ISSUE 30 | FREE

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EDITORIAL Managing Editor - Caleb Stultz

CREATIVE SERVICES Creative Director - Haimanti Germain Graphic Designer - Aspen Smit

DIRECTOR OF SALES Marsha Blacker

OPINION

READER’S CHOICE

CONTRIBUTORS Charles Brubaker

Aesthetics

Jeff Polk

Arts & Entertainment

Charlie Cy

Community

Daniel Cruse

Drinks

Food & Dining

Health & Fitness

Local Shops

Media

Chief Executive Officer

Nightlife

Chris Keating

Places & Attractions

Digital Operations Coordinator

Services

Staff Picks

STAFF PICKS

MUSIC

ARTS & CULTURE

ETC

Elizabeth Knapp Chief Financial Officer Guillermo Rodriguez

LEO Weekly is published by LEO Weekly LLC. Copyright LEO Weekly LLC. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Publisher. LEO Weekly is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the express permission of LEO Weekly LLC. LEO Weekly may be distributed only by authorized independent contractors or authorized distributors. Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO) is a trademark of LEO Weekly LLC.

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OPINION

CASH DROPS, CLASS DIVIDES Inside Louisville’s viral money hunt, where the thrill of the chase collides with the realities of a city divided by wealth. Freelance writer Charlie Cy recounts his race for the cash—and what he learned from the man behind the game. BY CHARLIE CY

Several weeks ago, I was introduced to

the Instagram account, “Find the Cash Louisville,” a relatively new but increasingly popular “local” social media business with over 111,000 followers devoted to money hunts. Multiple times a week, an unknown individual (or individuals) films himself dropping various denominations of cash around town—typically in iconic locations—and then uploads the video to their page’s Instagram Story. Thereafter, money-hungry Louisvillians scramble to pinpoint the drop and race to be the first to snag the loot. When my partner Lisa—who works in sports marketing—first showed me the account’s videos, we both agreed it was a fairly ingenious way to gain followers, build engagement and solicit brand partnerships. Undoubtedly, the goal of the business was to give away far less cash than it would reap in returns. We also agreed that if the next drop was anywhere near us, and we were free, we’d get in on the action for shits and giggles and maybe a shot at some spare coin. However, it was assumed that if one of us was going to be seriously racing for the cash, it was going to be me: the self-employed shameless freelance writer and working-class hustler with a flexible schedule, far from too proud to do various menial and unsavory odd jobs for some extra duckets. During Labor Day weekend, that presumption proved true.

The Hunt

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. Lisa was at the Cards’ L&N Football Stadium preparing for UofL’s season opener against EKU. I was at home in our third-story walkup in Old Louisville, relaxing on the couch, busy dog-sitting for friends when my Apple Watch dinged: a new cash drop was live! I raced to my fake “finsta” troll account and studied the video. In the footage, a stack of green notes topped with a $100 bill was tucked in a white envelope at the base of a small tree’s roots beneath a metal grate outside the Speed Museum—just blocks away. This is my shot! I thought. Immediately, I jumped up. Threw on my shoes. Grabbed my wallet and keys. Yelled to the amber Vizsla staring up at me, “Chai, I’ll be right back.”

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Out the door. Down the stairs. Through the back parking lot. Into the garage, I jumped into my car. Put it in reverse. And pulled into the alley . . . But in that narrow abyss—where I’ve witnessed gruesome beatings, gunshots, harmless drifters rifling through garbage bins and serious criminals committing carjackings—I was cursed by the Gods. A Buick the size of a blimp crept ahead of me, slow-poking its way down the alley between Third and Fourth. There was no way to bypass the boxy beast, flanked by the walls of carriage houses and garages in that tiny corridor once cobblestoned and trod by horses. So, I chose the next best option: ride up on its ass, hoping to impart some sense of urgency. But the lallygagging driver, apparently out for a leisurely weekend drive, completely ignored my tailgating protestations, as he turtled up to the intersection at Hill Street and put on his left-hand turning signal—THE SAME WAY I WAS TURNING. “Fuck!” I screamed. After several precious seconds were lost, I considered laying on the horn, but thought better of it and instead bit my tongue and patiently waited. Finally, the ball-busting Buick crawled out onto Hill as I sped behind it glued to its bumper, desperate to break free. But by now, I figured my fate was sealed. The Speed was so close, yet it was on campus, which meant some pimple-faced dorm-lizard, footsteps away, was bound to beat me to the Benjamins. At Hill and Third, though, I found a window of opportunity, cutting right into the turning lane, sidestepping the sloth-hooptie and several other cars idling at the stoplight. Liberated, I gunned it down Third, hitting multiple green lights before blowing threw one red signal at Cardinal Boulevard, where I chewed over the thought, maybe there’s still a chance. Swerving into a metered parking space across from the Speed, I leapt from the car. Left the door wide open. Darted across the median. Zigzagged through Third Street’s northbound oncoming traffic, dodging various maniacal Derby City drivers, before breaking into a full sprint over the northwestern museum lawn in dark pigmented, gold-studded boat shoes I’d purchased on

credit to wear while sipping Aperol Spritzes on the Amalfi Coast the previous summer. I’d not yet spied any sign of that would-be gloating penurious-freak waving newfound cash while being filmed by the cunning orchestrators of this dubious social experiment. So for a moment, I felt a sense of Darwinian elation, almost cockiness, undaunted, like a lone gazelle racing across Louisville’s green Serengeti under a blue sky and late August sun. But that feeling abruptly shifted as several sedans screeched to a halt in the driveway, directly in front of the Speed. “What the fuck were you thinking?” I cursed myself. “Why didn’t you park closer?” From one car, a lanky, moon-faced, mop-headed adversary, bounded out of the vehicle, flashing a condescending grin, as he relished in the fact he had the upper hand, being ten meters ahead of me, before he sprung like a cheetah towards the trees planted along the Speed entrance. Concurrently, a dark-skinned man jumped from the first car just as someone in the distance shouted, “they already found it!” “Shit,” I sighed as I bent over and caught my breath–my heart pumping with adrenaline. Each of us foolishly believed we were the first to arrive on the scene, and then as it became clear we weren’t, we began laughing amongst one another. It was cathartic acknowledging how seconds prior we were cutthroat antagonists, and here we were now, failed fellows grinning together. For a brief moment, we shared in the crystalline proletarian camaraderie of defeat, before the men nodded and climbed back into their cars, just as another vehicle pulled up—a woman inside, wearing a pink bonnet on her dome, shot out and too began to search in vain. As I walked back to my car, more competitors-turned-comrades swarmed, bug-eyed, peppering me with questions like desperate heroin junkies. “Did you get the money?” “Are you the Find the Cash guy?” “How much was it?” I fielded their queries, and we too giggled and communed momentarily, before bidding each other farewell, as I climbed back into my ride.

Looking out over the museum’s landscape (where I once attended a nauseating talk with the Hillbilly Elegy conman JD Vance, before he was an elected official), I watched with curiosity as more and more participants gravitated to the drop site as if they were compelled to descend on this precise location by some unseen dystopian hand. Surveying the scene, I could not help but feel both a sense of brotherhood and a pang of manipulation—like being a pawn in a low-rent Squid Game. Not slaughtered, not forced, but exploited nonetheless. “We were the marks, now weren’t we?” I thought. How many sadistic voyeurs would enjoy watching these videos of the hoi polloi feverishly scamper for chump change? How much money was there to be made off our desperation?

Prelude to an Interview

That uneasy feeling stayed with me and compelled me to write this essay, pitch the idea to “Leo Weekly” and directly email Find the Cash Louisville to request an interview. One of the two partners of the biz quickly replied, saying he was interested and could “hop on a call.” After some miscommunication, we finally spoke. He asked to remain anonymous, which I agreed to. Several details were also kept off the record— although one fact he’d asked to have redacted I’d already confirmed beforehand through my own due diligence: Louisville was not the only city with a “Find the Cash.” A simple Google search revealed Find The Cash Indy, Find The Cash Philadelphia, Find The Cash ATL, Find The Cash Boston, Find the Cash New York, Find the Cash Houston and more. The point being, before I ever heard the owner pronounce “Louisville” with a “ville” versus a “vulle” over the phone, I knew this was not a local mom-and-pop hustle but a corporate-minded carpetbagger pulling the strings. Key facts from the interview: 1. The Louisville operation began three months ago. 2. They gained over 5000 followers immediately after first post. 3. They give away roughly $160 -$200 a week. 4. They record for 20 minutes post-drop. 5. They are on the hunt for sponsors.

stopped paying people for views a few years ago. We make zero dollars from Instagram or Facebook or any social media platform as far as views are concerned. The hope would be in Louisville to acquire sponsors. Obviously, if we get sponsors, we can give away more. We can give away money that maybe would actually move the needle for somebody. Like $500 or $1000. I think $1000 would move the needle for a lot of people. Me included . . . If there are any brands out there who would want to sponsor what we do and give away more, that would be ideal and that’s kind of the goal and that’s where we are hoping to go with it. We have reached out to a couple of law firms and gotten some answers. We have an audience of 111,000 local Louisville people, so anybody who wants to advertise on a digital billboard, being on Instagram, and getting in front of basically all of Louisville, feel free to contact us.

Q&A

(edited for length and clarity) Charlie Cy: What was the inspiration

behind Find the Cash Louisville? Find the Cash: I’m a Christian myself. Obviously, I believe in giving back. So, it stems from that. But I would say the inspiration came from other content creators who give away money. We tried to come up with a fun way to give back that is also fair. Because we can only do so much. So, we thought of this as a way to give back to the community in a way that anybody can win. It’s fair. There is no favoritism. It’s just being at the right place at the right time. And being quick enough and enthusiastic enough to go grab it. Charlie Cy: Are you a Louisville native? Find the Cash: No, I’m not. I’m originally

from Georgia. Was in the Navy. Have bounced around quite a bit. Charlie Cy: Any horror stories or surprises? Find the Cash: No. It has been super posi-

tive. Everybody for the most part has a great time. Even if they don’t win. I think it’s the excitement of participating in an activity that has gone viral on social media. I think that aspect of it, people really enjoy just looking and participating. Unfortunately, there can only be one winner. People just like participating. All the vibes are good. No one has fought over it. We actually have had people split it. It’s a great social experiment. Because you get

to see what people do in real time if given the opportunity to split some money with people they don’t know. Charlie Cy: What about the potential

critiques about this being an almost Squid Game-esque [type competition], where people are so desperate to get to the money . . . Louisville is a poor city. I took part in one of these games and really enjoyed it, but I looked around and saw people who looked really, well, desperate. You may disagree with the term “desperate”? What do you say to that? Find the Cash: I do disagree. My viewpoint. I’ll speak on my expertise in Louisville . . . [section off record]. We could put five dollars in a piece of plexiglass somewhere out in Louisville and people would still show up. So, the way that we look at it, just because it’s a game that involves money, doesn’t mean people are desperate for money. And at the end of the day, it’s $60. It’s not going to move the needle for anybody. Right? If it does, you probably shouldn’t [he changes his train of thought from “shouldn’t” to “can’t”], can’t drive there to play. So, the way we look at it, and what we’ve seen is that people may be very adamant about getting it but that doesn’t mean that they’re broke or poor or that type of thing. What it is, people want to win. Who doesn’t want to win? You’re seeing people excited at the potential of winning. I’ll tell you; it’s not an easy game to win. When you have 111,000 people all trying to do the same thing.

It’s very difficult to win. I think people just want to win. I don’t think people are desperate for the 60 bucks. I think that’s a naïve way to look about it. Charlie Cy: I’ll tell you personally–to play

devil’s advocate–I live on a very lean budget as a freelance writer, and I’ll take every 60 bucks that I can get. So that’s the counter argument. Find the Cash: I think that speaking as a majority, I think that a majority of people who participate don’t really need 60 bucks that much and you’re going to have outliers and you’re going to have that one person who maybe that 60 bucks would’ve gave him some gas money and they really needed it, but that’s just life, you know. Charlie Cy: Do you interact much with the winners after? Find the Cash: No, we don’t. We do everything from a distance. We don’t interact with the winners. We record everything from a distance. It’s a social experiment at the end of the day. What we do is hide money. We don’t tell anybody to come get it. We don’t tell them where it’s at. We don’t tell them when we’re doing it. We just hide the money. Whoever shows up and whatever they do, that is the social experiment. So, we capture it all on camera and post it the next day for everybody to see.

Charlie Cy: What about age demographics. It seems like it’s a younger crowd. Is that accurate? Inaccurate? Find the Cash: I wouldn’t say so. If you check our analytics on Instagram, our main follower demographic is 25 to 35. So, it’s a lot of families. It’s more of a family activity. You would think it would be a bunch of college kids but it’s really not. It’s a lot of families. It’s a lot of single mothers. We see a lot. Single dads.

Closing Thoughts

Two things stood out. First, when the owner of Find the Cash led with being “a Christian” who just wanted to “give back to the community,” I nearly sharted myself from internal laughter. There’s no bigger business or con in America than Christianity. Meanwhile, conflating true charitable giving–which requires no cameras–with flashy algorithmic spectacle to entice sponsors, is peak capitalist branding. Second, his insistence that “at the end of the day, it’s $60,” and that this small amount of money is “not going to move the needle for anybody,” and moreover, these competitors aren’t “desperate”—they just want to “win”—told me how little he knows about this city. I got the sense, Louisville wasn’t a community to be served. It was merely another market to corner. And yet, in those fleeting moments after the hunt, when we strangers laughed together at our collective loss, I caught a glimpse of something real: the possibility of community forged not by cash, but by the absurdity of chasing it.

Charlie Cy: Does Instagram pay for

engagement?

Find the Cash: No, they don’t. Instagram

Charlie Cy

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Aesthetics Best Barbershop

Best Nail Salon

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Derby City Chop Shop Anchorless Barber Co. Arny’s Barbershop Handsome Fellows Fritz’s Salon for Men

Highland Nails Elevated Beauty Loft Blush Nail Lounge Glamorous Nails the Glssry @ Dollface Brows & Beauty

Best Body Piercing

Best Permanent Make Up

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. 2.

Twisted Images Tattoo Charlie’s Blade and Blossom / Louisville Piercing Artfully Insane Mythos Tattoo

Best Botox Studio 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Digenis Plastic Surgery and MediSpa The Spa at Mays Plastic Surgery CaloSpa Sage Beauty Aesthetics Bellatox

3. 4.

The Brow Babes Permanent Makeup By Jade Sage Beauty Aesthetics Feather and Blade Permanent Makeup by HortuSage Beauty Aesthetics

Best Tanning Studio

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Sage Beauty Aesthetics Sun Tan City Jamaica Me Beautiful Hair Salon Lashes by Rissy The Glow Mother

Best Brow Studio

Best Tattoo Artist

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Brow Babes Digenis Plastic Surgery and MediSpa Sage Beauty Aesthetics Dollface Brows and Beauty Feather & Blade

Lyndi Lou at Mama Tried Tattoo Parlour John Embry at Muse & Myth Joey Vincent at Tattoo Envy Betty Pain at Bluebird Ink Lyndsey Elliot at Sage Beauty Aesthetics

Best Day Spa

Best Tattoo Studio

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Digenis Plastic Surgery and MediSpa The Spa at Mays Plastic Surgery Sage Beauty Aesthetics Z Salon & Spa CaloSpa

Best Hair Salon 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Atomic House of Hair Salon Rogue Hali B & Co Elevated Beauty Loft Jamaica Me Beautiful Hair Salon

Tattoo Charlie’s Bluebird Ink Mama Tried Tattoo Parlour Twisted Images Spring Street Tattoo

Best Waxing Studio 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Sage Beauty Aesthetics Jeeka Does It The Beaver Barber Dollface Brows & Beauty European Wax Center

Best Lashes Studio 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Dollface Brows & Beauty Lashed by Keliana Michaela Frances Artistry Permanent Makeup By Jade Sage Beauty Aesthetics Lashes by Rissy

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Arts & Entertainment Best Art Gallery (that is not a museum)

Best Live Music Venue

Best Music Festival

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Worldwide Showcase Gallery Revelry Boutique + Gallery Grady Goods Artpunk Gallery KORE Gallery Lowber Pilates and Gallery

Best Band/Musician Performing Original Music 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Jack Harlow My Morning Jacket Carly Johnson Cowboy Preachers Club Lacey Guthrie

Best Cover Band 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Louisville Leopard Percussionists The Crashers Most Wanted Steely Danish Lampus

Best Drag King 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Vic Leon Mykul J Valentine Shane West Avon Gard David Bond

Best Drag Queen 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Dusty Ray Bottoms Leah Halston Champagne Vanessa T Demornay May O’Nays

Louisville Palace Iroquois Amphitheater Headliners Music Hall Mercury Ballroom Whirling Tiger

Best Live Theatre Venue

Best Outdoor Art Show

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts The Louisville Palace Actors Theatre Kentucky Shakespeare in the Park Derby Dinner Playhouse

Best Performing Arts Group

1. 2.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

3. 4. 5.

My Morning Jacket “IS” The Daddy Sisters “Beast with Two Backs” Lacey Guthrie “Flower Eating Monster” Earl Bowman “ Wannabe” Andy Branton “Travelin Days”

The Louisville Leopard Percussionists Kentucky Shakespeare Drag Daddy Productions Stage One Family Theatre Va Va Vixens

Best Local Comedian

Best Place to See Comedy

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Jake Hovis Keith McGill Mandee McKelvey Steffi Taylor Skinny J.

Louisville Comedy Club Planet Of The Tapes The Caravan Comedy Club Kaiju Bar Highview Arts Center

Best Local Song in 2025

Best Theatre Production

1. “River Road” by My Morning Jacket 2. “Little Rooms” by Cowboy Preachers Club 3. “Wannabe” by Earl Bowman 4. “Something Amazing” by Level Ground

Best Movie Theater

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Baxter Avenue Theatre Great Xscape Blankenbaker Cinemark Tinseltown Cinemark St. Matthews Xscape Jeffersonville

Best Karaoke Bar

Best Museum (that is not a gallery)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

NoraeBar Akikos Miki’s Karaoke Bar Chill Bar Big Bar

St. James Court Art Show Cherokee Triangle Art Fair Unfair Big Four Bridge Arts Festival Butchertown Art Festival

Best Local Album in 2025

Best Improv Troupe Improv 502 Extra Crispy Improv Troupe Louisville Improvisers Kentucky Bill Improv Anonymous

Bourbon & Beyond Louder Than Life Garvin Gate Blues Festival Abbey Road on the River The Big Stomp

“Hedwig and The Angry Inch” by Drag Daddy Productions 2. “Much Ado About Nothing” by Kentucky Shakespeare 3. “Ride the Cyclone” at Highview Arts Center 4. “Lilly and the Pirates” by StageOne Family Theatre

Best Visual Artist 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Friday Love Co. Damon Thompson Lyndi Lou Sheila Fox John Embry

Speed Art Museum Frazier History Museum Kentucky Science Center Muhammad Ali Center KMAC Contemporary Art Museum

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Community Best Charity CharityEvent Event Best

BestPlace PlacetotoWorship Worship Best

1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4.

1.1. 2.2. 3.3. 4.4.

Crusadefor forChildren Children Crusade St. Joe’s Joe’sPicnic Picnic St. ReachFood FoodProgram Program44Kids KidsGala Gala Reach TKO Parkinson’s Progress Park TKO Parkinson’s Progress Park

BatesMemorial MemorialBaptist Baptist Church Bates Church CentralPresbyterian Presbyterian Church Central Church St.Patrick PatrickCatholic Catholic Church St. Church Open Door Community Fellowship Open Door Community Fellowship

Best Local LocalActivist Activist Best

BestThing ThingThat’s That’sHappened Happenedthis thisYear Year Best

1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5.

NoKings KingsRallies RalliesAcross Across US 1.1. No US PopUp UpEmergency Emergency Shelter Louisville 2.2. Pop Shelter atat Louisville StrEatery StrEatery SavingCreason CreasonPark Park 3.3. Saving MadeMarket MarketEvent Event 4.4. Made

Dr. F. F.Bruce BruceWilliams Williams Dr. TaraBassett Bassett Tara AtticaScott Scott Attica Chris Hartman Chris Hartman Exit00 Exit

Best Place PlaceYou YouWish Wishhad hadNever Never Best Gone out outof ofBusiness Business Gone 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5.

Ear-x-tacy Ear-x-tacy Lynn’s ParadiseCafe Cafe Lynn’s Paradise TheBack BackDoor Door The PhoenixHill HillTavern Tavern Phoenix Aurora Gallery andBoutique Boutique Aurora Gallery and

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Drinks Best Bar: Butchertown

Best Bar: South Indiana

Best Dive Bar

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Whirling Tiger YachtSea Play Louisville Tartan House TEN20

Best Bar: Clifton/Crescent Hill 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Spring Street Bar & Grill Hilltop Tavern Pretty Decent Gallant Fox Volare Italian Ristorante

Best Bar: Downtown 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Hell or High Water Taj Louisville Hereafter Proof on Main Monk’s Road Boiler House

Best Bar: East Louisville 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Blind Squirrel Club K9 Dog Park & Bar The Village Anchor Selena’s at Willow Lake Tavern Gander An American Grill

Best Bar: Germantown/Schnitzelburg 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Hauck’s Corner Four Pegs Smokehouse The Merryweather Canary Club The Pearl Of Germantown

The Alcove Pride Bar and Lounge Outcast Fish & Oyster Bar The Earl

Best Bar: South Louisville 1. 2. 3. 4.

Rubbie’s Southside Grill & Bar The B.A. Colonial Cave Valley Kava Hooters

Best Bar: St. Matthews 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Gerstles Saints Pizza Pub & SkyBar Black Rabbit Drake’s Fox Den

Best Bar: West Louisville 1. 2. 3. 4.

Noble Funk Brewing Granville Pub Birdie&Vi’s Fleatique Portland Beer Depot

Best Bartender 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Bryan Abell at The Golden Nugget Tavern Mark Corley at Big Bar Alanna Hudson at Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Bandit Grubb at Hereafter Brandon Hayden at Big Bar Jessi Mosqueda st Whiskey Thief Louisville

Best Bar: Highlands

Best Beer List

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Holy Grale Big Bar Darlings O’Sheas PG&J’s Dog Park Bar

Best Local Craft Beer 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Atrium Brewing Monnik Beer Company TEN20 Craft Brewery 3rd Turn Brewing Gallant Fox Brewing Company

Best Place To Buy An Old Fashioned 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Jack Fry’s Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Monk’s Road Boiler House Whiskey Thief Louisville

Best Place To Buy A Margarita 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

El Mundo El Nopal Guacamole Modern Mexican Galaxie Bar Limón y Sal

Best Wine List 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Canary Club Nouvelle Bar & Bottle Volare Italian Ristorante LouVino Monk’s Road Boiler House

Holy Grale Atrium Brewing Sergio’s World Beers Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Four Pegs Smokehouse

Best Bar: NuLu

Best Bourbon List

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

High Horse Galaxie Bar Taj Louisville West 6th Brewing Bar Nada Nada

The Pearl Of Germantown NachBar Magnolia Bar High Horse Bar More Shenanigans

Neat Bourbon Bar Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Watch Hill Proper Bourbon Bistro Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse

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Best Food Truck/Cart

Food & Dining Best Appetizers

Best Burrito

Best Coffee Shop

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Le Moo Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Naïve The Village Anchor Selena’s at Willow Lake Tavern

Bandido Taqueria Mexicana El Mundo Guacamole Modern Mexican Taco City Louisville Chuy’s

Witches Brew Coffee Sunergos Coffee Heine Brothers Quills Coffee Phalcha

Best BBQ

Best Cajun Restaurant

Best Cuban Restaurant

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Four Pegs Smokehouse Momma’s Mustard, Pickles & BBQ Shack in the Back FABD Smokehouse Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar

Lou Lou on Market North of Bourbon Lou Lou Food + Drink Selena’s at Willow Lake Tavern Gumbos

Havana Rumba La Bodeguita de Mima Mojito in Havana Mojitos Tapas Sweet Colada

Best Bakery

Best Caterer

Best Deli/Sandwich Shop

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Nord’s Bakery Blue Dog Bakery and Cafe Plehn’s Bakery Bae’s Baekery Wiltshire Pantry

Ladyfingers Catering Inc. Four Pegs Smokehouse Brooklyn & The Butcher Catering Chef It Up Shalimar

Morris Deli Frank’s Meat Shop & Deli Good Belly Steven’s & Steven’s Jersey Mike’s

Best Boozy Brunch

Best Local Restaurant Chef

Best Fine Dining

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Le Moo Gralehaus Bar Vetti The Village Anchor Four Pegs Smokehouse

Best Breakfast 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Con Heuvos Wild Eggs Big Bad Breakfast Foko First Watch

Best Burger 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Toasty’s Tavern Bourbon & Burgers Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Le Moo The Louisville StrEatery

Joshua Moore - Volare Italian Ristorante Noam Bilitzer - Meesh Meesh Chris Williams - Four Pegs Smokehouse Ben Deustch - Retta’s Scoops Jamie Givan - Momma’s Mustard Pickles & BBQ

Best Chili 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Skyline Chili Check’s Cafe Four Pegs Smokehouse The Village Anchor

Best Chinese Restaurant 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Oriental House August Moon Double Dragon Double Dragon II Asian Wok

Volare Italian Ristorante Jack Fry’s Steak & Bourbon Le Moo Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse

Best Fish Sandwich 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Mike Linnig’s The Fish House The Fishery Cunningham Creekside Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar

Best Food Hall 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Logan Street Market The Louisville StrEatery Paristown Hall Oldham Gardens Village Market

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Four Pegs Smokehouse Jay’s Burgers Bamba Eggroll Co Kabuki Hibachi Food Truck Traveling Kitchen

Best Fried Chicken 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Eagle Mellwood Tavern Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar The Village Anchor Khao Boys

Best Hot Brown 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

J Graham’s Cafe in The Brown Hotel Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar The Village Anchor Red Yeti Troll Pub

Best Hot Dog 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Lonnie’s Taste of Chicago Red Top Hot Dogs Costco YachtSea Dairy Del

Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Graeter’s Louisville Cream Dairy Del Retta’s Scoops The Comfy Cow

Best Indian Restaurant 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Kashmir Indian Restaurant Shalimar Indian Restaurant Tikka House Indian Restaurant Taj Louisville Clay Oven

Best Italian Restaurant 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Volare Italian Ristorante Grassa Gramma Bar Vetti Ciao Ristorante Silvio’s Italian Restaurant

Best Korean Restaurant 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

CM Chicken of Louisville Nami GOGi 1055 Korean BBQ K-Pot Lee’s Korean

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Best Late-Night Bite

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant

Best Raw Bar (that is not sushi)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Burger Girl / Burger Boy Spring Street Bar & Grill Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Four Pegs Smokehouse MoonDog

Meesh Meesh Safier Mediterranean Deli Queen of Sheba Shiraz The Grape Leaf

Best Latin Restaurant

Best New Restaurant

Best Restaurant: Butchertown

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

La Bodeguita de Mima Havana Rumba Mayan Cafe Seviche Guacamole Modern Mexican

Sake A GoGo Bourbon & Burgers Naïve Retta’s Scoops M Peppers French Bistro

Pizza Lupo Chik’n & Mi Naïve Vernon Lanes MoonDog

Best Lunch Spot

Best Outdoor Dining

Best Restaurant: Clifton/Crescent Hill

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Taco Luchador Good Belly Four Pegs Smokehouse Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar The Village Anchor

River House Restaurant and Raw Bar Captain’s Quarters La Bodeguita de Mima Selena’s at Willow Lake Tavern Naïve

Volare Italian Ristorante Irish Rover Red Hog Varanese Retta’s Scoops

Best Mexican Restaurant

Best Patio for Pets

Best Restaurant: Downtown

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Gustavo’s El Nopal Guacamole Modern Mexican El Mundo Foko

PG & Js Dog Park Bar Hauck’s Corner Club K9 Dog Park & Bar The Village Anchor Naïve

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse Steak & Bourbon Proof on Main Safier Mediterranean Deli

Best Pho

Best Restaurant: East Louisville

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Vietnam Kitchen District 6 VinBun Vietnamese Bistro MoonDog Eatz Vietnamese

Best Pizza 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Post Pizza Lupo Bearno’s DiOrio’s Pizza & Pub Danny Mac’s

Best Place for a Romantic Dinner 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Jack Fry’s Volare Italian Ristorante Steak & Bourbon Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse Le Moo

Best Ramen 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

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River House Restaurant and Raw Bar Jeff Ruby’s Outcast Fish & Oyster Bar YachtSea Monk’s Road Boiler House

Ramen House Chik’n & Mi Renshoku Ramen Kiwami Ramen Hokkaido

Grassa Gramma Steak & Bourbon Selena’s at Willow Lake Tavern The Village Anchor Malone’s

Best Restaurant: Germantown/ Schnitzelburg 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Toasty’s Tavern Four Pegs Smokehouse Check’s Cafe The Post Hammerheads

Best Restaurant: Highlands 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Jack Fry’s Dragon Kings Daughter Le Moo Ramsis Cafe on The World Sapporo Japanese

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Best Restaurant: NuLu

Best Taco

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

La Bodeguita de Mimi Meesh Meesh Mayan Cafe Bar Vetti Guacamole Modern Mexican

Best Restaurant: Southern Indiana

Best Take Out

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Dragon King’s Daughter The Exchange Pub & Kitchen Red Yeti Brooklyn and the Butcher Outcast Fish & Oyster Bar

Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Taco Luchador The Louisville StrEatery Shalimar Indian restaurant Take Thai

Best Restaurant: South Louisville

Best Thai Restaurant

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Vietnam Kitchen Mike Linnig’s The Louisville StrEatery Anko Sushi

Simply Thai Time 4 Thai All Thai’d Up Take Thai Mai’s Thai

Best Restaurant: St. Matthews

Best Vegetarian Restaurant

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Simply Thai District 6 Lou Lou Food + Drink Mojitos in Havana Taco Luchador

Heart & Soy/Roots Ramsis Cafe Queen of Sheba Naïve Shahar Cafe

Best Restaurant: West Louisville

Best Vietnamese Restaurant

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Indi’s Chicken Barry’s Cheesesteaks The Table Lucretia’s Kitchen Bud’s Tavern

Vietnam Kitchen District 6 VinBun Vietnamese Bistro MoonDog Nam Nam Cafe

Best Salad

Best Wings

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Green District Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Rafferty’s Malone’s Le Moo

Best Steakhouse 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse Steak & Bourbon Le Moo Steakhouse Pat’s Steakhouse

Best Sushi 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

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Agave & Rye Taco Luchador I Love Tacos Taco City Louisville Veronica’s

Dragon King’s Daughter Sapporo Japanese Restaurant Anko Sushi Sake Blue Oishii Sushi

Four Pegs Smokehouse Momma’s Mustard, Pickles and BBQ Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Spring Street Bar & Grill Str8 Drop

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Health & Fitness Best Acupuncture Practice

Best Doctor

Best Pickleball Court

Best Place to Buy CBD Products

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Louisville Community Acupuncture Meridian Acupuncture St. Matthew’s Beargrass Acupuncture & Healing Arts Community Acupuncture

Best CBD Oil 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

502 Hemp Wellness Center One Love Hemp Dispensary Cornbread Hemp Rainbow Blossom HeadPlant Modern Alchemy

Best Chiropractor Clinic 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Awaken To Wellness Chiropractic Louisville Spine & Wellness Pathaways Fern Creek Chiropractic St. Matthews Chiropractic

Best Cosmetic Surgeon 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Dr. Alexander Digenis Dr. Chet Mays Dr. Angela Prescott Dr. Bradley Calobrace Dr. T. Gerald O’Daniel

Best Cycling Studio 1. 2.

CyclSt8 CycleBar Middletown

Best Dental Practice 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

UofL Dental Associates Craig Johnson Harmon Dental Key Family Dentistry Aiken and Wilson Dental

Best Dermatology Practice 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Associates in Dermatology Dermatology Associates PSC Forefront Dermatology The Skin Group Brownsboro Dermatology

Dr. Chet Mays Dr. Alexander Digenis Dr. Angela Prescott Dr. Deborah Massey Dr. T. Gerald O’Daniel

Tom Sawyer State Park Tyler Park Good Bounce Trager Family JCC Iroquois Park

One Love Hemp Dispensary 502 Hemp Rainbow Blossom New Dawn Myotherapy Center Total CBD

Best Family Practice

Best Pilates Studio

Best Place to Buy Edibles

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. 2. 3.

Norton Community Medical Associates Kaplan Barron Pediatrics Norton Healthcare: Christina Breit MD 502 Direct Primary Care Caring Hands

Best Gym 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

THE CAV Shred415 YMCA Elevate Fitness Planet Fitness

Paradigm Pilates Studio Sweat Society Barre3 Tremble Studio Pilates

One Love Hemp Dispensary 502 Hemp Hemptopia

Best Yoga Studio 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Bend and Zen The Inner Warrior 502 Power Yoga YogaSt8 Hot Yoga Louisville

Best Head Shop 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

One Love Hemp Dispensary 502 Hemp Electric Ladyland Trippy’s 812 Hemp

Best Massage Studio 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Mokosh Holistic Massage Fascia Therapeutic Bodywork Louisville Lymphatic Total Rustic Retreat Alchemy Massage Therapy

Best Mental Health Provider 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Bridge Counseling & Wellness Choose Hope Derby City Counseling Care Angel Mental Health & Wellness Grace Psychological Services

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Local Shops Best Adult/Erotic Store

Best Furniture Store

Best New Store/Business

Best Wine Shop

1. 2. 3.

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Cirilla’s Love Boutique Adam & Eve

Best Antique Store 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Fleur de Flea Vintage Market Peddlers Mall Mellwood Antiques Derby City Market Birdie&Vi’s Fleatique

Best Bicycle Shop 1. 2. 3.

Middletown Cycling Shifty Business Parkside Bikes

Best Bookstore 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Carmichael’s Bookstore A Novel Romance Foxing Books Nook & Nowhere Butcher Cabin Books

Best Chocolate/Candy Shop 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Muth’s Candies Schimpff’s Confectionery Chocolate and Nut Kingdom The Sweet Spot Candy Shoppe Art Eatables

Best Comic Book Shop 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Great Escape Pop’s Comics & Collectibles Miso’s Game Room and Collectibles The Destination Comic Book World

Best Consignment Shop 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Sassy Fox Fat Rabbit Margaret’s Fine Consignments Barret Babes Peddlers Mall

Derby City Market Red Tree Schmitt Furniture Havertys

Best Hardware Store 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Oscar’s Hardware Brownsboro Hardware Keith’s Hardware J-Town Hardware Ace Hardware St Matthews

Best Health Food Store 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Rainbow Blossom Paul’s Fruit Market Whole Foods Market Seeds and Greens Next Level Sports Nutrition

Best Instrument Shop 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Doo Woo Shop Mom’s Music Mel Owen Music Maxwell’s House of Music Steilberg String Instruments

Best Jewelry Store 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Work the Metal Twisted Images Davis Jewelers Goldheart Stones and Such From The Vault Jewelers

Best Liquor Store 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Old Town Liquors Total Wine and More Evergreen Liquors The Wine Rack Schreck’s Baxter Liquors

Nook and Nowhere 502 Hemp at Logan Street Market 7 Brew Le Lieu Next Level Ranges

Best Place to Buy Vape Products

Best Women’s Clothing Boutique

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

One Love Hemp Dispensary 502 Hemp Trippy’s Smoke Shop Derb E Cigs Nonstop Smokeshop

Magnolia and Fig Surprise Lily Barret Babes Dot Fox Darling State of Mind

Best Place to Buy a Plant 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Above the Dirt Garden Shop Mahonia The Plant Kingdom Wallitsch Garden Center Frank Otte Nursery

Best Place to Buy a Unique Gift 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Work The Metal One Love Hemp Dispensary Revelry Boutique + Gallery A Taste of Kentucky Barret Babes

Best Record Store 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Guestroom Records Better Days Records Matt Anthony’s Record Shop Surface Noise Derby City Market

Best Tobacco Store 1. 2. 3.

Cox’s J. Shepherd Kremer’s Smoke Shoppe

Best Men’s Clothing Boutique

Best Vintage Clothing Store

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Evolve: The Men’s Resale Store Him & Her Boutique Jos A. Banks Rodes For Him & For Her Paxton’s NuLu

The Wine Rack Total Wine and Liquors Old Town Liquors The Breeze Vines Wine Bar

The Nitty Gritty The Fleur de Flea Vintage Market Fat Rabbit Aster Vintage Really Good Vintage

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Media Best Local Influencer

Best Local TV Personality

1. 2. 3. 4.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Israel McCullough @spacecowboy_af Amy and Aaron @datelistlou Chet & Family @chetandfamily Ryan Alexandra Cecil @ BestLouisvilleAgent Allison Lewis @absolutelyalli

Best Instagram 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

One Love Cannabis Company, @ onelovecannacoofficial Mays Plastic Surgery, @ maysplasticsurgery Ryan Alexandra Cecil, @ BestLouisvilleAgent Dog Friendly Louisville, @ dogfriendlylouisville Dr. Chet Mays, @drchetmays

Best Local Blog 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Lou What Wear BestLouisvilleAgent The Gallery Pass Card Chronicle 502 Hemp

Dawne Gee Jude Redfield Candyce Clifft Keith Kaiser Monica Harkins

Best Local Writer 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Olivia Krauth Maggie Menderski McKenna Graham Terrance Sullivan Leah Bomar

Best Place to Pick up a LEO Weekly 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Heine Brothers Rainbow Blossom Valu-Market One Love Cannabis Company Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar

Best Local Podcast 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Woman Owned Wallet My Skeptical Sister Big And Lazy Podcast 502 Sports Away From Desk

Best Local Publication 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

LEO Weekly Louisville Public Media Queer Kentucky The Courier Journal The Voice Tribune

Best Local Radio Station 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

WFPK 91.9 WDJX 99.7 WFPL 89.3 WAKY 103.5 WQNU 103.1

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Nightlife Best Bar Scene

Best Place to Play Trivia

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Big Bar Play Louisville Galaxie Bar Mag Bar The Hub

Best Club DJ

Best Place to Shoot Pool

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

DJ Syimone Taylor DJ Springbreak DJ Bradley Hammond DJ Sleepy T DJ Matt Anthony

Barret Bar Fox Den Vernon Lanes Highlands Taproom Railyard Billiards & Sports Pub

Best Gay Bar/Club

Best Strip Club

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Big Bar Play Louisville Chill Bar Pride Bar and Lounge The Hub

Best Happy Hour 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Big Bar The Pearl Of Germantown Chill Bar Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar Hereafter

Best New Bar/Club 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

YachtSea The Last Refuge Whiskey Thief Louisville Monk’s Road Boiler House Brass Social

Best Place to Dance 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Play Louisville Big Bar Galaxie Bar The Hub Atomic Louisville

Best Place to Find a Date IRL

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

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The Merryweather Planet of the Tapes Chill Bar Club K9 Dog Park & Bar The Louisville StrEatery

The Pearl Of Germantown Play Louisville PG&J’s Dog Bar Club K9 Dog Park & Bar Chill Bar

PT’s Showclub Thorobred Lounge Pussycat Lounge Sugaland Hot Legs Lounge

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Places & Attractions Best Apartment Complex

Best Local Brewery

Best Mural Location

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Stables at English Station Main and Clay Apartments AMP Apartments Upton Oxmoor Station House Apartments

Monnik Beer Company Atrium Brewery 3rd Turn Brewing Noble Funk Brewing Mile Wide Beer Co.

Nulu Area Logan Street 900 S Shelby St “What we need is here” Butchertown Market Building Matt Anthony’s Record Shop

Best Place to Take Kids in the Summer

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Louisville Zoo Kentucky Science Center The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork Kentucky Kingdom Glow Worm Cafe & Play

Best Farmers Market

Best Local Distillery

Best Park

Best Place to Take Your Dog

1. 2.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

3. 4. 5.

Douglas Loop Farmers Market St Matthews at Beargrass Christian Church Jeffersontown Farmers Market Bardstown Road Farmers Market Old Louisville Farmers Market

Best Flea Market 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Peddlers Mall The Fleur de Flea Vintage Market Flea Off Market Birdie&Vi’s Fleatique 7th Street Flea Market

Angel’s Envy Rabbit Hole Distillery Copper and Kings Old Forester Distilling Co. Log Still Distillery

Cherokee Park Parklands of Floyd’s Fork Waterfront Park Iroquois Park Seneca Park

Best Neighborhood

Best Place for Free Entertainment

Best Senior Living Community

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1. 2.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Highlands Germantown Crescent Hill Clifton Old Louisville

3. 4. 5.

WFPK Waterfront Wednesdays Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park Paristown Hall Logan Street Market Whiskey Thief Louisville

Best Place for an Event/Party 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Mellwood Art Center The Waterfront Botanical Gardens Louisville Palace TEN20 Progress Park Airstream Resort & Event Venue

Best Place to Play Trivia 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The Merryweather Planet of the Tapes Chill Bar Club K9 Dog Park & Bar The Louisville StrEatery

Best Place to Swim 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

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PG&J’s Dog Park Bar Club K9 Dog Park & Bar The Parklands of Floyd’s Fork Tom Sawyer Dog Park Waterfront Park

Lakeside Swim Club Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center Trager Family JCC American Turners - Louisville Myriad Hotel

Masonic Homes Eastern Star Home Treyton Oak Towers Signature Healthcare Episcopal Church Home

Best Sports Venue 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Lynn Family Stadium Churchill Downs Louisville Slugger Field The KFC Yum! Center Next Level Ranges

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Services Best Accounting Firm Best Accounting Firm

Best Boutique Hotel Best Boutique Hotel

1. Bourke Accounting LLC Hat Rack BusinessLLC Solutions 1. 2. Bourke Accounting Louis T Business Roth & Co CPA 2. 3. Hat Rack Solutions Riedel-Hogan CPA 3. 4. Louis T Roth & Co CPA Northwestern Mutual 4. 5. Riedel-Hogan CPA 5. Northwestern Mutual

1. Hotel Genevieve 21C Genevieve 1. 2. Hotel Bellweather 2. 3. 21C Hotel Bourre Bonne 3. 4. Bellweather Hotel DistilBonne 4. 5. Hotel Bourre 5. Hotel Distil

Best Credit Union Best Credit Union 1. L&N Federal Credit Union

ParkFederal Community 1. 2. L&N Credit Credit Union Union Commonwealth CreditUnion Union 2. 3. Park Community Credit Advanz Credit Union 3. 4. Commonwealth Credit Union 4. Advanz Credit Union

Max Strategic 1. 2. Lemonade PR Communications Debra LockerCommunications Group 2. 3. Max Strategic FDL Locker communications 3. 4. Debra Group 4. FDL communications

Best Doggie Daycare Best Doggie Daycare

Best Photographer Best Photographer

1. Bark Louisville Camp Fur Kids 1. 2. Bark Louisville Derby City Dog Walk LLC 2. 3. Camp Fur Kids Almost Home Boarding 3. 4. Derby City Dog Walk LLC& Training Pet Station 4. 5. Almost Home Boarding & Training 5. Pet Station

1. Jake Zaepfel Neat 3 Photography 1. 2. Jake Zaepfel Jordan Pantoja 2. 3. Neat 3 Photography SavvyPantoja Snaps 3. 4. Jordan Jon Cherry 4. 5. Savvy Snaps 5. Jon Cherry

Best Lawyer Best Lawyer

Best Plumber Best Plumber

1. Darryl “The Hammer” Isaacs Nick “The Neumann 1. 2. Darryl Hammer” Isaacs Jared Smith 2. 3. Nick Neumann Russell Smith Attorneys 3. 4. Jared Smith AllisonSmith Holt Attorneys 4. 5. Russell 5. Allison Holt

1. Klein Plumbing H20Plumbing Service LLC 1. 2. Klein Anthony 2. 3. H20 ServiceBoone LLC DurbinBoone Plumbing 3. 4. Anthony Guelda Zeller Plumbing 4. 5. Durbin Plumbing 5. Guelda Zeller Plumbing

Best Local Bank Best Local Bank

Best Real Estate Team Best Real Estate Team

1. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Republic 1. 2. Stock YardsBank Bank & Trust PNC Bank 2. 3. Republic Park Community Credit union 3. 4. PNC Fifth Third 4. 5. Park Community Credit union 5. Fifth Third

Best Local Pet Grooming Best Local Pet Grooming

The Feather Hurley Team Realtors at Lenihan Sotheby’s International The Feather Hurley Team Realtors Realty at 2. Lenihan Paige isSotheby’s My Agent International Realty RickisShaw Realtors 2. 3. Paige My Agent SRSShaw Louisville 3. 4. Rick Realtors The Weil Team 4. 5. SRS Louisville 5. The Weil Team 1.

Best Realtor 1. Realtor Tanis Linning Gaines Best

1. Bark Louisville Round of A-Paws 1. 2. Bark Louisville CampofFur Kids 2. 3. Round A-Paws Hounds Love 3. 4. Camp Fur of Kids Hai Max 4. 5. Hounds of Love 5. Hai Max

Debbie Noe Brewer 1. 2. Tanis Linning Gaines Paige Noe Williams 2. 3. Debbie Brewer Jeni Williams Carr 3. 4. Paige Melody 4. 5. Jeni Carr Malone 5. Melody Malone

Best Mechanic Best Mechanic

Best Roofer Best Roofer

1. Nathanson Auto Repair Reece Service 1. 2. Nathanson Auto Repair Brenzel’s Germantown Automotive 2. 3. Reece Service HeustisGermantown Automotive 3. 4. Brenzel’s The Shop Jtown 4. 5. Heustis 5. The Shop Jtown

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Best PR Firm Best PR Firm 1. Lemonade PR

1. Highland Roofing HKC Roofing 1. 2. Highland Roofing Enterprise 2. 3. HKC RoofingHome Improvements AmericanHome Roofing 3. 4. Enterprise Improvements Redemption Roofing 4. 5. American Roofing 5. Redemption Roofing

OCTOBER 1-31, 2025 LEO WEEKLY | 39

Best Collectible Shop

Ultra Pop 960 Barret Ave, Louisville, KY 40204

The Back Door

For fans of Godzilla, blind box figures, and art books. Sonny Angels and Smiskis have taken over the world of figure collecting, and Ultra Pop is the best place to find Sonnys, with consistent drops that can not be found anywhere else in the city. Ultra Pop carries an assortment of trinkets and figurines that make for great gifts, desk toys, and more. You can also find a variety of books, graphic novels, and local art along the walls. Ultra Pop is a vibrant destination for collectors of all kinds. — Daniel Cruse

Of course it had to be when I’m in my 20s for The Back Door to go out of business. It feels like so many great things are being taken away as I’m heading into the supposed “prime” of my life. I remember going to The Back Door with my friends while hopping around having a great time, looking forward to the warm charm of the bar’s atmosphere. It was so fun just under two years ago when I’d go there to watch football, have a beer with my friends, and shoot pool until late. — Caleb Stultz

Best Used Video Store

Best Steak Spot To Blow Your Tax Refund

Book & Music Exchange 1616 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40205

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Best Place You Wish had never Gone out of Business

Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse 101 W Main St #101, Louisville, KY 40202

Don’t let the name fool you, Book & Music Exchange is the place to go if you are looking to start a Blu-ray collection, trade in some old DVDs, or expand your movie taste. Animated classics, Westerns, horror movies, even releases from the Criterion Collection and other boutique labels line the shelves. The trade-in value is better than what you find at larger, more corporate discount media stores, making it a great place to sell or trade old discs you want to exchange for money or store credit. Book & Music Exchange has one of the largest and most affordable selections of used Blu-rays and DVDs in Louisville. — Daniel Cruse

Repeal Oak-Fired Steakhouse hosts one of the best reputations in Louisville for a great night out with a lovely date that you’re trying to impress sometime in late April (or whenever you get that tax return that definitely won’t go to car repairs this time). Repeal’s medium-rare steaks don’t pull so hard and are actually chewable instead of gnawing for 20 minutes like a wild animal. You can also find a good assortment of very expensive drinks that you can sip through. There’s something for everyone at Repeal, which is why I personally recommend it for that one special occasion. — Caleb Stultz

Best Tasty Drink That Will Get You Hammered

Best Looking Louisville-Based Tattoo

Soju

Louisville Skyline

If you’re out with friends and find yourself at a spot that serves Korean liquor, make sure to pick up a bottle of soju. If you haven’t had it already, you can find a bottle at a few spots around the city. They would have it at Norae Bar, if it was staying open. The main place I got a nice bottle of plum soju is down at Kaiju near Germantown. Be careful after a bottle and give yourself a moment to think about how buzzed you are before snagging another. — Caleb Stultz

It’s not every day you find Louisville-based tattoos. One would need a lot of pride in their city to ink it onto their bodies. This is my personal favorite that I’ve seen around online. I nearly decided on a Rick Pitino tattoo, but that ship has sailed unfortunately. The Belle is a beautiful touch at the base of the tattoo! — Caleb Stultz

Best Song to Sing at a Karaoke Bar

Best Thing For Free In Louisville

Man In The Box - Alice In Chains

LFPL

Let’s set the scene: You’re five beers deep at the karaoke bar when your close friend signs you up to go on stage. What song do you choose? I know what I’m going for. Just going up there in front of dozens of strangers and starting the song off with some mix of gurgles and Gregorian chants before rattling off about feeling trapped by our oppressors in the form of Alice In Chains’ Man In The Box. No better feeling than that. — Caleb Stultz

It’s unfair to really pick anything other than the Louisville Free Public Library here? Whether it be any of the books, audiobooks, music, movies or magazines that you want, or using their digital resources to learn a new language or go onto online learning platforms for free, there really is something for anybody to bring help to those that need it and/or want it. Even when I was younger I used the local library a ton to help me study when I needed a quiet space to read and catch up on homework. — Caleb Stultz

Best Sport To Watch For A Cheap Price

Best Ginger Shaved Ice In Louisville

Volleyball

Nami

Have you been to a Louisville men’s or women’s volleyball game recently? They are amazing! I spent less than $15 to watch nearly three hours of rallies back and forth from some extremely athletic players on our side of the net. There is a fierceness and technicality from the sport that I only just recently came to appreciate. Do yourself a favor in 2026 and watch a Louisville college volleyball match in person. You won’t regret it. — Caleb Stultz

There are many dishes to obsess over at Nami–Chef Edward Lee’s award-winning modern Korean steakhouse in NULU–including the spicy tunatare served with decadent gochujang butter and the monstrous chicken katsu sandwich slathered in spicy slaw. But there is arguably no more memorable menu item or dessert in all of Louisville than their ginger shaved ice. It, pardon my French, ejaculates flavor!

Best New Louisville Player to Watch Out For Mikel Brown Jr.

Mikel Brown Jr. is a name you will be hearing a lot this basketball season as a Cardinals fan. Projected as a top 10 player in his class, Brown has the makings of a lottery pick and then some as a freshman heading to U of L this season. Brown sits as a fivestar recruit heading into the 2025-26 college season. At guard, Louisville will look to Brown to generate offense via his long ball. — Caleb Stultz

The large portion of palate-cleansing shaved ice–a beloved mainstay on the menu since the restaurant opened during Derby weekend of 2023–is soaked in coconut-infused condensed milk and topped with pearls of tropical lychee fruit, crushed gingersnap cookies, candied ginger and toasted black sesame. The spicy brightness (and unique texture) of the gelatinous ginger candy and crumbled cookie is exquisitely counterbalanced by the creamy ice and subtle notes of rose water from the lychee–a piquant amalgam rounded out by the remarkable smokiness of the toasted sesame. If you LOVE ginger and your tastebuds are craving an INTENSE dessert, go order yourself a bowl, sing some karaoke upstairs and chat up Jay, the hilarious, multi-talented manager and front-of-the-house extraordinaire. — Charlie Cy

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EAT, DRINK AND SEE IN THIS WEEK’S STAFF PICKS

THURSDAY’S - SUNDAY’S IN OCTOBER Boo at the Zoo

Louisville Zoo | All ages | $7.25 and up A tradition for over 40 years, Boo at the Zoo transforms the Louisville Zoo into a living storybook, complete with some of your favorite characters brought to life ,fun music, and a safe place for tick-or-treating for kids 11 and under. Celebrate with an all-inclusive party experience designed to give all the kooky you love with less of the spooky. A Spooktacular Carousel, ‘not-so-itsy-bitsy” Spider House, and a Headless Horsemen of Sleepy Hollow experience are all included with admission. Boo at the Zoo is a rain or shine event, no refunds or exchanges. All tickets must be purchased in advance on their website. A ticket is required for all guests ages 3+.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2

Louisville Jack O’Lantern Spectacular

Iroquois Park, 1080 Amphitheater Rd, | All ages | $16 and up Fall favorite Jack O’Lantern Spectacular is back at Louisville Iroquois Park for another season of Halloween fun. Visitors can stroll along a 1/3 mile path to enjoy over 5,000 carved pumpkins, illuminated every evening as part of the nightly show. This family-friendly fall celebration is the perfect ending to a day of excitement and exploration around Louisville and has become one of the area’s most popular October traditions. Take note, expect long lines (but fast moving - average 30-45 min wait on a weeknight). This is an outdoor event and operates rain or shine, however, in the event of dangerous weather conditions that force the show to be delayed or postponed, your tickets for that particular night will be honored on any other comparable day.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11

THROUGHOUT OCTOBER Halloween on Hillcrest

Hillcrest Avenue | All ages | FREE Residents along Hillcrest Avenue have been going above and beyond the grave for Halloween since the early 1980’s, turning their homes and street into haunted attractions worthy of Hollywood productions. The spooky tradition has made headlines and invites locals and out-of-towners to enter “Halloween Street” if they dare. The residents of Hillcrest Avenue, between Frankfort and Zorn, take it upon themselves to turn out their whole street in Halloween decorations, making it a must-see attraction during October. Some keep it simple, some go impressively over the top! They often collect donations for local charities. It is good, clean, free, family-friendly fun! Weeknights will be less crowded than weekends. And daytime visits can be just as fun! It is better to walk up and down each side of the street than to try and view it from the car, but be cautious of uneven, dark sidewalks at night.

Louisville Book Festival

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 SUNDAY OCTOBER 19

Parklands of Floyd’s Fork | All ages | FREE

Kentucky International Convention Center | All ages | FREE

Old Louisville Neighborhood | All ages | FREE

The Midwest’s premier cryptid and monster event taking place at the home of the legendary Pope Lick Monster. Enjoy expert cryptozoology celebrity meet and greets, seminars, special tours, vendors, movies, music, and so much more. There is even a haunted attraction featuring the legendary Pope Lick Monster! With a selection of OVER 40 art, craft, and cryptid vendors for you to enjoy and get into the spooky spirit. Come learn about the legend and see why the Legend at Pope Lick is Louisville’s home to monsters & folklore. The Outpost Cafe will be serving delicious hot food with a NEW menu including Bigfoot BBQ, Mothman Nachos, Goatman Gutbuster, and much more! Featuring a game yard with a full playground, corn hole, oversized yard pong, oversized connect 4, Kan Jam, Spike Ball, 9-hole mini golf, and Soccer Billiards. This is a cryptid event unlike any other you will find and it is only in Kentucky.

The Louisville Book Festival was founded to celebrate and promote the love and benefits of reading, writing, and literacy while striving towards the goal that all children have access to books in their homes. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with dozens of authors and storybook characters, participate in arts and crafts, and kids will be able to take home a free book (while supplies last). The festival is free and there is something to appeal to all ages and backgrounds. Don’t miss the biggest book party in Louisville with activities for kids, free presentations on the industry of writing and publishing, and important community conversations.

Visit one of America’s most haunted neighborhoods during this annual ghost tour in Old Louisville, created by Louisville local and New York Times-reviewed author David Domine. This limited-time event will bring spirits to life with actors portraying figures that allegedly roam some of the neighborhood’s most haunted buildings. If you can’t make it through the weekend, Louisville Historic Tours offers nightly ghost tours throughout the fall. This year’s event is presented by the South Fourth Street Association and is directed by Keith McGill. David Dominé’s Victorian Ghost Walk® is part of Louisville Historic Tours, LLC.

Goatman Festival

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11

Victorian Ghost Walk

STAFF PICKS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 Urban Bourbon Half Marathon

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24

Chaos, Cupcakes, & Caffeine

The Train Depot, 2230 Beuchel Avenue | 18+ | $38 | 6-8pm

Downtown | 21+ to participate/race | FREE to watch & support

Louisville Slugger Stadium | All ages | $15+ | 6-9pm

The Urban Bourbon Half Marathon is a 13.1-mile experiential destination event that celebrates and promotes 200 years of Louisville and Kentucky distilling history. The race starts and finishes in downtown Louisville and winds through the fall foliage of one of Louisville’s most scenic parks, Cherokee Park. New this year, the Urban Bourbon 5K, which is a shorter, smoother version of the UBHM. All UBHM and UB5K participants receive a long-sleeved shirt and unique bourbon-themed medal. All registered participants are invited to the award-winner postrace Urban Bourbon Bash, with live music by the Louisville Crashers. UBHM registrants receive bourbon samples, beer, pizza and soup as part of their registration. Our UB5K participants can purchase a discounted wristband for $20 to enjoy the same bourbon samples, beer, pizza and soup. Since the Urban Bourbon Half Marathon and 5K are meant for those age 21 or older, and includes bourbon and bourbon-themed medals, you must be 21 or older on Oct. 18, 2025, to register.

Join Second Chances Wildlife Center at Louisville Slugger Field, as they celebrate and raise funds to continue their efforts to rescue wildlife and bring engaging environmental education to Kentuckians. This family friendly event features different specials of bats, including Slugger, one of their life-time sanctuary animals and an endangered Indiana bat. Also at the festival will be LIVE music by Dean Heckel, a silent auction, tastings from a local brewery, food available from Slugger stadium, educational tables, children’s crafts, arts and crafts vendors, popular children’s storybook character, Stellaluna, and a free mini bat to each attendee. Kentucky is home to 16 species of bats, including 4 endangered species. They are critical members of our ecosystem - providing us with natural pest and disease control. Second Chances Wildlife Center specializes in bat rehabilitation and aims to change the way we perceive these incredible members of our natural community.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2

Hillcrest Avenue | All ages | FREE | 4-9pm

RePurposed, 615 W. Main St., | All Ages |FREE | 2-7pm

This free, family-friendly evening of dining, shopping, music, and discounts is a great way to experience Frankfort Avenue. Features for this evening include: Abol Coffee Truck will be parked in the Mellwood Arts Center Parking Lot to sell ice cream, popsicles, snowflake ice, coffee and tea while you wait for a trolley to arrive. Bri Weaves, located at 107 N. Jane Street, will offer 30% off select works, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. As a bonus, they have goats! For more information, please visit Bri Weaves. Butchertown Brewing, located in the Mellwood Arts Center, 1860 Mellwood Avenue, will off $1 off any draft pour or $3 off any flight from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Witches Brew Coffee, located at 1813 Frankfort Avenue, will offer $2 off any large drink, from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Louisville Downtown Partnership and Against the Grain Brewery are partnering to bring the popular Oktoberfest celebration Steins on Main to Downtown this October. The outdoor celebration will feature German-inspired cuisine, games, and contests, live music by German polka band Boom Pah Pah, and more than a dozen local breweries. Attendees can purchase a branded .5L stein featuring the 2025 Steins on Main logo at LDP’s booth for $20, which includes one free pour at any participating brewery during the event. From 2pm – 3pm, participating breweries will offer $1 off beers. LDP is offering a limited number of $20 vouchers for Uber rides on event day to encourage safe and easy transportation. Participants can reserve their one-time ride online. Steins on Main is presented by Block By Block with additional sponsors including Cornbread Hemp and Wilson & Muir Bank & Trust.

Decorate cupcakes. Drink coffee. Get roasted. Includes 4 Halloween cupcakes + a medium coffee. It’s not a class—it’s an experience for the adult who hasn’t had a night out in three months and thinks frosting might fix your life. Ages 18+ only because they can only handle one tantrum demographic at a time. It’s a cupcake decorating “class” - but not the helpful kind. Not actually a class at all. They hand you the supplies. You figure out the rest. There might be instructions. There will be judgment. They’ll provide four cupcakes, the frosting, the tools, the caffeine (a medium hot or iced coffee from Fuel and Flow), and trauma. You bring the energy. And maybe a friend to roast your work. Cupcake decorating for the emotionally unstable and over-caffeinated.

F.A.T. Friday Trolley Hop

Steins on Main

Kentucky Bat Festival

ColorFest at Bernheim Forest

2075 Clermont Road, Clermont, KY | All ages | $15+ Named one of the Best Places to See Fall Colors in the US, Bernheim Forest will show off the region’s famous fall foliage with two days of activities. Enjoy crowd-favorite activities like the giant slides, mud pie kitchen, pumpkin rolling, and more, while also experiencing new activities that elevate the science of color in nature. Other highlights of Bernheim’s longest-running festival also include live music, hands-on nature activities, and delicious local food and drink. It’s Bernheim’s longest-running festival, and each year it celebrates the colorful changes to the forest’s roughly 16,000 acres of foliage.

OCTOBER 1-31, 2025 LEO WEEKLY | 43

MUSIC

HERE’S WHAT WE EXPERIENCED AT LOUDER THAN LIFE 2025 Louder Than Life returned September 18-21, 2025 to a new location inside the KY Exposition Center, featuring over 170 bands on seven stages. BY JEFF POLK FUCKIN’ SLAYER!!! There’s your Louder Than Life review. That’s all you need. Actually, if we’re being honest here, FUCKIN’ SLEEP TOKEN!!! Because no other band or artist at Louder Than Life, this year or any previous years, has drawn the crowd size that Sleep Token did Friday night. But I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s that time of year again where we trade out the blue and white collar, clean-cut, CEO and managerial crowd of Bourbon & Beyond for the spiked collar, ripped-clothed, disenfranchised youth of Louder Than Life. Loudmouths from all 50 states and numerous countries around the world descended upon Louisville, pumping much-needed revenue into our city and forcing all of the local and regional news networks to contend with the fact that metal is still alive, is a very viable resource for our city and state, and for the past two years has made them all repeatedly mention Slayer. Those coming in through Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport were greeted with a message reading “Knocked Loose welcomes you to Louisville,” regardless of whether they were here for the festival or not. And with all the pop-up festival shops, events, and promotions going on around the city, there was no misinterpreting what everyone in the city and surrounding areas was focused on this week, which was FUCKIN’ SLAYER! And also Louder Than Life as a whole, I suppose. This is the one time of year that I can fully indulge the teenage soul that dwells within me, although my body is quick to remind me of my actual age on a minute-by-minute basis while at the festival. I’ve come to refer to Louder Than Life as my Christmas over the past several years, and I suspect I am not alone in that sentiment. And this year, Santa Danny Wimmer Presents delivered in spades with the biggest and, in my opinion, best LTL lineup ever with an absolutely astounding 175 bands spread out over seven total stages. Basically every genre of hard rock and heavy metal, from mainstream to extreme fringe, was represented. You have to be in awe of the absolute beast of a festival that DWP has grown with Louder Than Life. And I will never get over the fact that it’s happened right here in Louisville. There is no way you could have convinced me 20 years ago that any kind of major music festival, regardless of genre, would have ever stood a chance in this city. And then Forecastle Festival led the way, and may it always be remembered fondly

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for being the pioneer, and hopefully one day make its triumphant return. But it was a start-up festival promotions company from Los Angeles called Danny Wimmer Presents that really took the reins and ran with it, turning Louisville into a music mecca to which the whole world now looks to, if only for a couple of weeks a year. And this year, barely a month before Bourbon & Beyond was set to take place, we got the unexpected news that stopped attendees of both festivals dead in their tracks; both festivals were moving once again. Sure, it was literally just across the street from the previous site, but this was a whole new, much larger layout that none of us knew how we were going to navigate. Thousands of questions hit us all at once, leading to concerns and fears, and then the complaints began to spread like wildfire in the online communities for both festivals. While the complaints never really stopped (mostly because the festival wasn’t catered to the specific complainer’s whims and desires), Danny Wimmer Presents certainly set everyone at ease and quickly reminded all of us why they are North America’s

premier festival producers. The new layout was easy to navigate and had numerous welcomed additional features such as the big upgrade for Mint VIP attendees with a new three-story viewing deck, more shade, and far more open space than ever before. The general admission crowd wasn’t left out in the cold either, with abundant food and drink choices (the Bar Service stands were perhaps a little too abundant), numerous free water refill stations, much better crowd flow, much more room, and a massive upgrade as far as shaded areas to escape the sun (even air conditioning!) The new indoor merch area was wonderful, and the Vintage Merch section that sold leftover merch from previous years’ festivals at a deeply discounted price was a huge bonus. I bought way more stuff than I needed, but damnit, it was cheap! The last-minute decision to open Broadbent Arena to the Loudmouths for additional seating and air conditioning was certainly greatly appreciated. And the skull with glowing red eyes in the middle of the water fountain out front of Freedom Hall in the Mint VIP section was quite a nice touch! Sorry, general admission.

But the biggest and best upgrade by far was the incorporation of Kentucky Kingdom into the festival mix; keeping more than 18 rides operating for festival attendees only and, in LTL’s case, utilizing the built-in amphitheater for an additional stage. Side note: if you’re wondering, they actually took down a good portion of the stage used for the regular Kentucky Kingdom programming to open up a larger pit area between the stage and the bench seats. This was especially necessary, seeing as a good number of hardcore, metalcore, and death metal bands were scheduled for this stage. And also Silly Goose, whom I’m told the band and fans went absolutely apeshit during their set, as always. The thing I really love about Louder Than Life is the sense of community. Everyone belongs. You can be yourself, whoever that is, and there are no judgments here. If you want to wear a full costume in 90+ degree weather, you go ahead. If you want to wear as little as legally possible, regardless of your shape, size, or age? You do you. There is no body shaming here, just thousands of people comfortable in their own skin. It’s such a beautiful thing to see people so uninhibited and able to freely be themselves. In fact, you can even be an old ass man in cargo shorts wearing obscure band t-shirts in hopes that people will see what awesome taste you have in music, although no one asked or cares. Not that I would have any experience with that last one or anything. Even if you’re not into the music, coming out for at least one day should be on everyone’s bucket list. Reading about it and watching videos online do not do this festival justice; it’s just something you need to see and experience for yourself. Guaranteed the best people-watching experience of your life! Speaking of which, it bothers me that locals still look at the people who attend Louder Than Life as these mean, horrible, dangerous people when nothing could be further from the truth. They may come off as scary because of how they dress, how they style their hair, how many earrings they have in their face, and because they’re young and still have hope. But it is here among them that you will find some of the nicest, kindest, most genuine, down-to-earth people you will ever meet. Anything you need, you won’t have to ask many people for help before you get it (that goes for both the good stuff and the REALLY good stuff). I’m sure fights are going on, but you rarely, if ever, see them. The majority of the Loudmouths just want to

help each other have the best festival experience possible. And if the gossip in the LTL Facebook groups is correct about people having sex in the porta-potties, maybe some people are helping a little too much. But I haven’t even gotten to the music yet, which is why we’re all here. As for this year’s Louder Than Life, Danny Wimmer Presents certainly seemed to be testing the limits of the question “Is there too much of a good thing?” So many bands, so many stages, so much overlap; hard choices had to be made. So let’s start there.

Thursday, September 18th:

For me, Thursday’s main stages bill was the greatest festival lineup I’ve ever seen in my life; Louder Than Life or otherwise. It was just backto-back bands that I wanted to see. But in doing so, it meant foregoing a lot of great bands playing on the other stages. And while I would never say I regret watching Carcass, because they were awesome and put on a great set, I do wish I had chosen to go see Californian hardcore band Big Ass Truck I.E. in the Big Bourbon Bar instead during that time slot. Watching videos of the set after the fact, they absolutely destroyed! That would have been amazing to be a part of. The same can be said for skipping both Silly Goose on the Kingdom Stage and Sanguisugabogg, (a band name that I have given up on trying to pronounce), on the Decibel Stage; both of whom played at the same time but overlapped both Exodus and Cavalera on the main stages, and I wasn’t willing to miss

either of those bands. Exodus would have been great if whoever was running the sound for that stage hadn’t, I’m assuming, gone on lunch break during the set, leaving them with a horrible mix. Max Cavalera, whom I had the opportunity to interview before his Louder Than Life appearance, with his brother Iggor (both original members of Sepultura), and their band Cavalera, absolutely did not disappoint. Although time restraints forced a few songs to be cut, the Cavalera brothers and band tore through Sepultura’s landmark Chaos A.D. album with as much intensity as they did in 1993. Towards the end of their set, they paid tribute to Ozzy by covering Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe,” which is one of my favorite songs of all time. And cheers to Max for wearing the throwback Lamar Jackson UofL jersey during their set! Down’s return to the stage was something I have been looking forward to, and they sounded great. So great, actually, that I stayed and watched their whole set even though I was damn near ready to pass out from the heat. This, of course, necessitated a retreat to air conditioning during the first half of Marilyn Manson’s set. Thankfully, he was still on after I had rested and dehydrated, and I was able to catch the last few songs of his set. To Manson’s credit, his legal troubles seemed to have straightened him up, as he sounded better than he has in years. Lamb of God always puts on a great show, and Louder Than Life this year was certainly no exception as the band ripped through their

11-song setlist, drawing from a good selection of songs from the past 25 years, also paying tribute to Ozzy with a crowd-favorite cover of Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave.” I honestly hadn’t listened to White Zombie’s Astro Creep 2000 album in years until the announcement that Rob Zombie was going to be playing it in full at Louder Than Life, which necessitated a long-overdue listen. I’d forgotten how solid that record was. So, although I’d have loved to catch XweaponX (featuring members of Knocked Loose and Gates To Hell), on the Kingdom Stage at the same time as Rob Zombie, I wasn’t willing to. And Zombie crushed it! I’ve seen some people complaining about his voice, and there were times he was struggling to keep up, but the amount of effort, energy, and stage production that Rob Zombie and band present, you should forgive him for being a little winded at times; he’s busy working his ass off for you! And have I mentioned FUCKIN’ SLAYER?!!! After the remnants of a hurricane wiped out any chance of Slayer playing their headlining reunion gig at 2024’s Louder Than Life, I know a lot of people felt robbed by Mother Nature. But apparently, even she fears Slayer fans’ rage and kindly cooperated this year, providing an ideal night for hell to be unleashed, almost quite literally. I can only assume that whoever sold all the propane that was needed to fuel Slayer’s stageshow at Louder Than Life no longer needs to work for a living. This side of Kiss, I’ve never seen that much fire pyro used for a stage effect before. But it was done brilliantly

and highlighted Slayer’s aggressive thrash metal perfectly. Having been a fan of the band for 40 years now, but not having seen them live in over 15 years, I was shocked at how good they sounded over their 20-song, hour and a half long set. Closing out Thursday’s Louder Than Life with the perfect festival anthems, “Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death.” Hopefully, we have not heard the last of them yet.

Friday, September 19th:

After you take into consideration the size of the new layout and just how many people it can hold, the words “Sold Out” don’t really cross your mind. Friday, however, completely sold out in advance, so I knew it was going to be a ridiculously large crowd, but I had no idea of just how big it was actually going to turn out to be. I’m not sure when System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian’s new band, Seven Hours After Violet, was added to Friday’s lineup as the opening act for the day, but I didn’t notice it until after the fact. That would have been great to catch. I had every intention of going over for Anthrax’s Scott Ian’s son’s band XCOMM that morning on the Big Bourbon Bar stage, but I physically couldn’t. I wasn’t prepared for the level of exhaustion I felt on Friday morning. I finally forced myself out the door later that afternoon. Although some great bands were playing early on Friday, I just wasn’t familiar enough

OCTOBER 1-31, 2025 LEO WEEKLY | 45

with the music of most of them I watched. Highlights really started later in the day for me. Watching Insane Clown Posse launch 2-liter bottles of Faygo out into the crowd like bottle rockets, using the pressure of their own carbonation for propulsion, is always fun to watch. They certainly brought the Juggalos out in force to Louder Than Life, who in turn brought their energy to ICP’s set. Although I remained Faygofree, the thought of getting drenched in soda on a very hot, sunny afternoon has never been more enticing. 5:00 p.m. brought about the announcement they’d been teasing all day: My Chemical Romance as a headliner for 2026. It was met with equal parts “Ahhhh!” excitement and “Ahhhh” disappointment. Hatebreed absolutely killed on the Loudmouth Stage that night, and obviously, people went nuts in the pit. It was very cool for vocalist Jamey Jasta to give props to NYHC hardcore legends Sick of it All, reminding the crowd that SOIA are indeed the first band to do the wall of death (although they called it Braveheart). Also of note was Jasta saying, “We don’t do a wall of death. We do a ball of death” before a giant volleyball with the Hatebreed logo and “Ball of Death” printed on it was tossed out in the crowd and surfed around. Celebrating their 40th year as a band, Dream Theater sounded great. Just getting to watch Mike Portnoy play live has long been on my drummer bucket list. Now I’d like to quote myself from my 2023 Louder Than Life review: “I can pretty much guarantee you that Sleep Token will be headlining a main stage at Louder Than Life in the next few years, and rightfully so.” I’d just like to say how right I was, even though no one has ever asked or even questioned it. Although I can see on paper why a new-ish band like Sleep Token wouldn’t headline over a seasoned band like Avenged Sevenfold or any of the other three headlining bands, in seeing the number of people that turned up for their set,

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they should have gotten the overall headliner spot. No band that I have ever seen at Louder Than Life has drawn the crowd Sleep Token did Friday night. Not Metallica, not Guns N’ Roses, not Slipknot, no one. When looking at the drone pictures of the crowds each night, I can honestly say that it wasn’t nearly as bad as it looks for any of the days other than Friday. When you look at the picture for Friday, taken during Sleep Token’s set, it actually was every bit as bad as it looks. It was shoulder-to-shoulder from the front railing all the way back through the shade area next to the food vendors in the back. I had watched most of Dream Theater’s set, which overlapped with Sleep Token’s start. So by the time I made it back over to the main stage to catch the rest of their set, there was nowhere to stand that I could find that wasn’t already packed. I squeezed into the crowd in the back, barely able to see the stage from my vantage point. Thankfully, DWP upgraded the number of video monitors, or I would have been staring at the back of a bunch of heads. Although I have to say I’m not particularly a fan of their music, you can’t ignore the massive amount of talent in this young band. Their songs are epic in their recorded form, yet they come to life when played live, taking on an existence all their own when coupled with the fantastic light and stage show. Sleep Token live is less a concert and more of an experience. Nothing will quite prepare you for the spectacle and majesty of their stage production and performance. With their backdrop of what appeared to be an ancient tomb built into rock (from what I could see from my place in the back, anyway), Sleep Token’s set was absolutely amazing and completely enthralling! They will be the overall headliner for at least the night they play the next time Louder Than Life brings them back, that’s definite. I get why Avenged Sevenfold was the Friday night headliner, but they really shouldn’t have had to follow Sleep Token. If I were more into A7X’s music, that may have made up for it. Don’t

get me wrong, they sounded great, but they just didn’t pack the visual or energetic punch to match Sleep Token’s set, I’m sorry to say.

Saturday, September 20th:

This will go down as my favorite LTL day in history, but not because of the lineup or events happening there, but because my 17-year-old daughter finally wanted to go and experience it for herself. This has been years in the making! She loved it and even came back the next day and is already asking about next year, so we have a new Loudmouth convert! Now I just have to work on my 13-year-old son for next year. Anyway, highlights for me start with SpiritWorld and Snot back-to-back Saturday afternoon on the Decibel and Reverb stages. It’s just great to see a band come out wearing cowboy hats, pearl-snap shirts, and sequined Nudie suits in 90-degree weather to a crowd of metalheads, some of whom had no idea what the hell was happening, then just shred some seriously vicious thrash riffs, which is exactly what SpiritWorld did, completely winning over any doubters in the process. The Snot reunion brought the nu-metal, SoCal punk rock vibe to the stage and had everyone in the very energetic crowd moving. It had been a decade since they last toured, but you’d never have known it the way new singer Andy Knapp has stepped into Lynn Strait’s role perfectly, keeping Strait’s legacy alive and vibrant in 2025. Acid Bath’s reunion has been long-awaited and brought out a lot more people than I expected. I know I certainly would have appreciated it more if I didn’t feel like I was being cooked alive by the sun on my back while watching them. But they delivered a seven-song set of sludgy, Sabbath-y riffed goodness. Even my wife dug them, and that’s not normally her style of music at all. I had planned on watching Kittie on the Reverb Stage following Acid Bath, but the need for shade and to just sit for a while brought us over to Kentucky Kingdom and the Kingdom Stage, where we could certainly hear Kittie perfectly, just not see them. They definitely sounded great, though, and I highly regret not forcing myself over there for their set. Instead, we watched Ft. Knox-based, U.S. Army musical outreach band As You Were struggle through PA issues for two songs. They did, however, maintain their professionalism in a situation that would send most other musicians flying into a rage. Even when the PA did work, Kittie just completely overpowered them. The bleedover from the Decibel and Reverb Stages at the Kingdom stage was absolutely awful. Next up was Stone Temple Pilots on Main Stage 1. Man, what a great set! The band sounded excellent, and vocalist Jeff Gutt really embodies the spirit of Scott Weiland live, comfortably playing the role of rock star frontman on stage. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the person crowdsurfing with a pizza during the band’s opening number, “Crackerman,” and literally handing out slices from the inside box while surfing. Definitely a great way to incentivize people not to drop you! All in all, STP did an excellent nine-song set of all hits, with surprise

guest Josh Freese (who was fresh off a tour with Nine Inch Nails and was scheduled to play later in the night with A Perfect Circle), stepping in on drums to play STP’s closing number “Sex Type Thing.” I had also meant to catch Machine Head that night, but food and rest needed to be had first. By the time we got back to the Decibel stage, they were literally wrapping up their final song of the night. However, we were just in time to get a good spot for Cypress Hill. The intention was that we were going to catch a few Cypress Hill songs, then head over to catch the end of A Perfect Circle’s set on the main stage. That didn’t happen. Once Cypress Hill started, you quickly realized you weren’t going anywhere. The original members of Ramones could have all been reanimated back to life and playing on the stage next to Cypress Hill at the same time, and I still wouldn’t have left. Actually, yeah, I would have to go see that. But anything else, and I wouldn’t have left. They did a 13-song set comprised of older 90’s tracks of theirs that I happen to love, plus an unexpected cover of Rage Against The Machine’s “Bombtrack” that sounded damn near perfect! Did I mention that most of their set was with a full live band? B-Real stated at one point that they hadn’t used a live band in years, but they wanted to do something special for LTL. Probably my favorite Cypress Hill album is Live at the Fillmore, where they use a band and just jam out all their classics in a nu-metal style. I never expected to get to see that live, but that’s exactly what they gave us, and it was spectacular! Their set was the highlight of Louder Than Life this year for me, personally. I’m not familiar with Bad Omens, but I was certainly in the minority Saturday night. Although they didn’t pull a crowd as large as Sleep Token had the night before, they weren’t very far behind them either. Not really my cup o’ tea musically, but it also wasn’t hard to see or hear why they are so popular. An insanely talented group of musicians playing what I referred to my wife as sounding like K-pop metal. Then they played what would be the final song of their set, “Dethrone,” which hit out of nowhere, sounding like Slipknot in their prime, and it was then that I realized that I should probably give this band a closer listen. Having already seen Deftones in Indianapolis earlier this year, we kind of knew what to expect. However, the Indianapolis show was before the release of Private Music, which has been revolving heavily in my playlist since its release, and I was excited to hear some new tunes live. And they didn’t disappoint, playing four tracks off the new album, including the live debut of “Ecdysis.” They sounded great, and their light and video show was even grander than when I last saw them. But let’s talk about the elephant in the room here: the song “Passenger” from their White Pony album. Maynard James Keenan from Tool guests on that track. The same Maynard James Keenan who also sings for A Perfect Circle, and who had just performed on the very same stage Deftones were on not even an hour-and-a-half beforehand. It was a foregone conclusion that he would be joining Deftones onstage for a live rendition of

that song. And then…he didn’t. At one point between songs later in the set, you could audibly hear the fans at the front chanting “Passenger,” to which lead singer Chino Moreno gave them a confused look and kind of shrugged as if to say, “I have no idea what you mean.” Otherwise, a stellar set and a fitting end to the night.

Sunday, September 21st.

Mother Nature was up to some shit again with the potential of severe weather looming over us Sunday morning and casting 2024 flashbacks. Doors were pushed back to 1:00 p.m., and thankfully, no further severe weather materialized. But unfortunately, Chained Saint, 12 Stones, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Louisville’s own Gates To Hell, who all had set times earlier than 1:00, got cut from the day’s lineup. Sleep Theory, who were originally scheduled to play the main stage at 11:45 a.m., was pushed to the Loudmouth Stage for a 9:30 p.m. set time. Mag Bar once again stepped up and offered their stage to any bands that got cut, although it doesn’t look like anyone took them up on it, unfortunately. Chained Saint vocalist Sean Sterling at least made it on stage at Louder Than Life when Slaughter To Prevail brought him out to guest on a song during their set. 12 Stones vocalist Paul McCoy also made a surprise appearance on stage too, but more about that later. The greatest highlight for me on Sunday was finally having a day that wasn’t scorching hot. In fact, for most of the day, the weather was perfect in the 70s with a cloudy cover and a nice breeze. Highlights of the day were the aforementioned Russian deathcore band Slaughter To Prevail and Alex Terrible’s inhuman voice. Testament killed it on the Reverb Stage, sounding tighter and meaner than they have in the past 25 years. Chuck Billy still has an incredible voice, guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson both proved just how underrated they are, Steve Di Giorgio has always been one of the best thrash and death metal bassists, and Chris Dovas is an absolute beast on drums. Opting not to utilize the giant video monitor behind the stage, instead playing in front of a giant banner that simply read “Knocked Loose’s Louisville,” our own Hometown Heroes, (even if they don’t have an official banner yet), Knocked Loose took to Louder Than Life’s main stage for the first time and showed the crowd exactly how we do it here, flooring everyone with an 11-song set that didn’t let up, and prompting the biggest, wildest pits of the day. In short, they made all of us locals proud. Check out the interview I did for LEO Weekly with vocalist Bryan Garris here! For a metal legend, Bruce Dickinson was playing for an incredibly small crowd. Sadly, he had the smallest crowd I had seen at the Decibel and Reverb Stages all weekend. He and his solo band still gave it everything they had, and he sounded incredible. I am really hoping DWP brings in Iron Maiden at some point as a headliner for Louder Than Life, but after seeing the small turnout for their vocalist’s solo act, that may just be a pipe dream now. Evanescence, who, like Sleep Token, had one of the largest crowds of the festival despite

not being a headliner, just completely crushed their hour-long, 14-song set. Vocalist Amy Lee has one of the most incredible voices in rock music, and she was on fire at LTL. I’m not even into their music, but I was feeling it. 12 Stones vocalist Paul McCoy made a surprise appearance, reprising his role duetting with Amy Lee on Evanescence’s first and biggest hit “Bring Me To Life” to close out their set. Before Sunday night, I couldn’t picture Bring Me The Horizon as a worthy festival-closing band, especially not for Louder Than Life. I was wrong. While I can admit I’m not big on their music, they had quite the amazing set with plenty of pageantry and pyros, while occasional between-song videos made to look like a video game revolving around their latest album, Post Human: Nex Gen, kept a surprisingly compelling and funny storyline. The biggest surprise came in the form of the live debut of the song “A Bullet w/ My Name On,” which featured Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath on guest vocalist. Walking home on that last day after the festival is over is such a horrible feeling. Not just because you’re tired and your feet hurt, but because the knowledge of it being all over now hits way too hard. There were numerous moments over the past two weeks when I had to wonder if I was crazy for doing these long days at both Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond for two extended weekends in a row. Dealing with the heat, the high food and drink prices, suffering exhaustion and near constant

foot and back pain after standing for hours on end, and after-show nights where I didn’t think I had the stamina to make the 20-minute walk home, then wondering the whole walk home if I had anything left in my body to make it the next day. But you wake up and you do it all again for FOMO! Because you know damn well you are going to miss out if you don’t, and you know it’ll be a full year of regrets until the festival rolls around again. But then it’s suddenly all over, and you find yourself walking through the exit for the last time that year. And although hours sometimes seemed like days while you’re there, it all suddenly seems like a quick blur, and you wonder how the hell it’s already all over so fast, and what the hell you’re going to do now. Suddenly, it seems strange to be home for a full day, and not to have a list of bands you want to make sure you don’t miss that day. The post-festival blues set in, and I’m certainly feeling them. Numbers aren’t in as of this writing, but this had to have been the biggest Louder Than Life ever, if not the largest Danny Wimmer Presents festival to date. Each year, Danny Wimmer Presents expands on both Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life, making each festival bigger and better than the year before. So the question becomes this: how does Danny Wimmer Presents top 2025? I said this in my Bourbon & Beyond 2025 review, and I’m saying it again – given that DWP is barely using any of the Expo Center’s 1.3 million square feet of indoor space and only

a fraction of the 500 acres of outdoor space, the mind boggles at the possibilities of just how big these two festivals could grow. Potentially, these could go on to become the two largest music festivals in the world. But for now, I’m just glad I’m around to see just how big both have become, and experience everything they have to offer. Regardless of what DWP has in store for 2026, God willing, I’ll be back out there questioning my sanity for opting to burn up all day in the sun while listening to great music and having a great time with all you Loudmouths once again! Dates have already been announced for 2026, with Louder Than Life happening September 17-20, 2026, while Bourbon & Beyond takes the later dates next year, running September 24-27, 2026. Early bird ticket specials for both festivals will be announced shortly. For more information, check out louderthanlifefestival.com and bourbonandbeyond.com

Fans front row experience at Louder Than Life. Nathan Zucker Louder Than Life fans file into the festival. Nathan Zucker Slayer performing at Louder Than Life. Steve Thrasher Louder Than Life audiences raved at the festival. Logan Rouse

OCTOBER 1-31, 2025 LEO WEEKLY | 47

48 | LEO WEEKLY OCTOBER 1-31, 2025

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

STUDENT ARTEFFECT EXHIBIT AT SOUTHWEST REGIONAL LIBRARY HONORS UNSUNG HEROES THROUGH ART Pleasure Ridge Park High School students showcase history-inspired artwork, with two Kentucky finalists named in the international ARTEFFECT competition. BY: CALEB STULTZ

A powerful student art exhibit at the

Caleb Stultz

Southwest Regional Louisville Free Public Library is shining a spotlight on history’s Unsung Heroes. Created by students from Pleasure Ridge Park High School, the exhibition is part of the international ARTEFFECT competition and runs through early October in the library’s teen space. Under the guidance of visual art teacher Denise Webb, students spent the spring semester researching figures from history who made an impact but often go unrecognized. Each student then created a work of art to honor their chosen hero, accompanied by process papers and related library resources. The partnership between PRP and the Louisville Free Public Library highlights Webb’s role as a 2024–25 ARTEFFECT Ambassador, where she developed the exhibit as her capstone project. With its success, the show is intended to become a traveling exhibit, bringing stories of courage and resilience to the wider Louisville community.

OCTOBER 1-31, 2025 LEO WEEKLY | 49

50 | LEO WEEKLY OCTOBER 1-31, 2025

ETC.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY October 1-31

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In ancient

ROB BREZSNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): In Zen Buddhism,

satoris are sudden flashes of illumination that are fun and clarifying. I’m happy to tell you that you’re in a phase when these sweet breakthroughs are extra likely to visit you. They may barge in while you’re washing dishes, in the grocery store check-out line, or during your fantasies before sleep. Be on high alert for intimations from the Great Mystery. PS: Some satoris could be gems you already half-knew.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You are eligible to be named “The Most Brilliant and Effective Complainer” for October. If you want to secure this prestigious award, spend time organizing plans for changing what’s amiss or awry. Decide which irritating off-kilter situations are most worthy of your thoughtful attention. Figure out how to express your critiques in ways that will engage the constructive help of others. And then implement a detailed strategy to compassionately achieve the intriguing transformations. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): On certain

medieval maps, an island paradise known as Hy-Brasil had a fuzzy presence west of Ireland. Did it truly exist? If so, it was said to be a blessed land that could restore lost youth and offer extravagant happiness. The place was thought to be rarely visible, and only under certain magical or auspicious conditions. I suspect you Geminis are within range of an experience like this. It won’t appear in a specific location but as a state of mind that settles over you. Don’t chase it. Allow it to find you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A stalactite is

Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com BrezsnyAstrology@gmail.com

a stony formation that hangs like an icicle from the ceiling of a cave. It forms over long periods as mineral-rich water drips down and incrementally deposits hard calcium carbonate through precipitation. This marvel is an example of earth’s creativity at its most leisurely. A four-inch-long stalactite might take a thousand years to make. With that as your seed thought, Cancerian, I invite you to attune yourself to the slowest, deepest, most ancient parts of your soul. Important developments are unfolding there. A wound that’s ripening into wisdom? A mysterious yearning that’s finally speaking in your native tongue? Be patient and vigilant with it. Don’t demand clarity all at once. Your transformation is tectonic, not flashy. Your assignment is to listen and be receptive.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When bilingual speakers engage in the behavior known as “code-switching,” they may begin a sentence

friendship? A neglected dream? A forgotten promise? You can play the role of restorer: not to make things as they were, but to render them better than they’ve ever been.

in one language and finish it in another. Or they may move back and forth between two different languages as they deliver a discourse. Why do they do it? To enrich their meaning, to dazzle their audience, to play and experiment. In a larger sense, we could say that code-switching happens anytime we swivel between different styles of presenting ourselves: from formal to casual, serious to humorous, cheerful to skeptical. I bring this up, Leo, because you are in the heart of the code-switching season. Have fun!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the Arctic, polar

bears move through the world not by sight alone, but through scent trails that stretch miles across the ice. Their sense of direction is olfactory, intuitive, and primal. If I’m reading the omens correctly, Virgo, your navigation system will also be more animal than logical in the coming weeks. I advise you to trust subtle cues—like goosebumps, a sweet or sour taste in your mouth, or an uncanny pull toward or away from things. Your rational mind might not be fully helpful, but your body will know the way. Sniff the trail. Access your instincts.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In ancient Egyptian

myth, the goddess Maat ruled truth, divine law, harmony, and moral order. After death, each person’s heart was weighed against Maat’s feather of truth on a scale in the Hall of Judgment. If the heart, which embodied the essence of a person’s actions in life, was equal in weight to the feather, the deceased was assessed as virtuous and cleared to continue to the glorious afterlife. If it was heavier . . . well, I’ll spare you the details. Maat’s scales were not symbols of punishment, but of fairness and justice. That’s also your special power right now, Libra. You have subtle insight into every choice. You understand that your wisdom is best used to bless, not censure. My hope is that you will foster gentle clarity and offer forgiveness to all, including yourself. Lay down the old guilt! Let grace be the law!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The I Ching is an ancient divinatory book compiled in China over 2,500 years ago, Amazingly, it’s still quite useful. In accordance with astrological omens, I call your attention to one of its oracles: “Work on What Has Been Spoiled.” It tenderly counsels us to be brave as we repair what’s broken. But it’s crucial that we make the correction with patient grace, not blame and anger. The good news, Scorpio, is that you now have an uncanny ability to discern what’s out of tune, what’s crooked, what has been wrongfully abandoned. I hope you will offer your genius for re-weaving. A frayed

Egypt, the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet wielded both intense heat and nourishing warmth. She had the power to destroy and heal. When outbreaks of chaos threatened, she incinerated them. Once order and balance returned, she served as a physician. I dare you to summon your inner Sekhmet, Sagittarius. Give your bold attention to an obstacle that needs to be crushed or an injustice that needs to be erased. If necessary, invoke sacred rage on behalf of sacred order. But remember that the goal is not merely combustion. It’s transmutation. Once the fire has cleared the way, unleash your gorgeous cure.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Nepal, there’s a tradition among Sherpa mountaineers. Before ascending Mt. Everest, they perform a ceremony led by a Buddhist monk or Lama. It’s a way to honor the sacredness of the mountain, ask for grace during their climb, and return from the journey in good health. As you eye the peak ahead of you, Capricorn, consider making similar preparation. Ritualize your intention. Direct it with clarity and care. Bless your journey before you surge forward. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When people call something “glamorous,” they usually mean it has an elegant, captivating style. Its beauty is sophisticated and luxurious. But the original meaning of “glamour” was different. It referred to a deceptive magical enchantment designed to disguise the truth, whipped up by a conjurer or supernatural being. That’s the sense I want to invoke now, Aquarius. You have been seeing through the glamour lately—of the media, of consensus reality, of false stories. Now it’s time to go even further: to actively tear down illusions and dismantle pretense, preferably with tact. When you see through the spell, don’t just call it out—transmute it into clarity. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Pisces-born Nina Simone (1933–2003) started playing piano when she was three years old. At age 12, her debut concert was a classical recital. She developed a yearning to become the first Black female classical concert pianist. But her dream collapsed when the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music refused to let her study there. Then came the plot twist. She redirected her disappointment ingeniously, launching a brilliant career as a singer, composer, and pianist that won her global fame. The rebuff from the Curtis Institute was ultimately a stroke of good luck! It became a catalyst for her greatness. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to designate a frustration that you will use to fuel future success. Homework: Give yourself a second chance at a worthy goal!

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SAVAGE LOVE

THINK OF THE CHILDREN BY DAN SAVAGE Hey Dan: I need help figuring out how to tell my kids I am non-monogamous. I’ve been non-monogamous for over five years and have been married for nearly fifteen years. My husband and I have three kids together, the oldest of which is now 14. My husband and I have not been sexually active for nearly eight years, but we’re best friends, fabulous co-parents, and wonderful nesting partners, and I still love him very much. I reclaimed my sexuality and intimacy about six years ago and have been in a relationship with a wonderful man for nearly four years. My husband, dad, sister, and friends have all met and like him. I love him very much. But my kids do not know that their mom is non-monogamous! Being ethical is very important to me and telling them that I am “just going to see a friend” is wearing me down. I am concerned my oldest see might his mom holding hands with someone who isn’t his dad or hear from a friend who saw us. I do not want to hide my relationships from anyone but have waited because I just don’t know how to say it. What advice do you have for coming out to kids about being non-monogamous? I am scared they will hate me or feel betrayed. Or worse yet, that it will change my relationship with them forever as we are very close. —Mulling Over My Secret

Most kids don’t wanna think about their parents fucking each other, MOMS, and no kid wants to think about their parents fucking other people. But you’re not just fucking this other guy, MOMS, you’re in a relationship with him. You’ve taken steps to integrate your boyfriend into your life — something we all owe our romantic partners — and your boyfriend has been embraced by your husband, your dad, your sister, and your friends. But you have to tell your kids, arguably the most important people in your life, that you’re “seeing a friend” when you’re heading out to see your boyfriend and that gloss — I’m not going to call it a lie (he’s also your friend, right?) — doesn’t square with your ethics and being ethical is very important to you and blah blah ethics blah. So, here’s an ethical question for you: If unburdening yourself — if no longer having to keep a secret from your kids — means shifting the burden of secret keeping onto your kids, is telling them the truth the more ethical choice? Take your plan to tell your 14-year-old son but not your other kids: If you tell him but not his siblings, you’ll be putting your son in the position of having to lie to his younger siblings or other people in your orbit who don’t know. I’m no ethicist, but it seems to

me that asking your eldest to lie for you is worse than continuing to tell him a glossy lie yourself until all of your kids are old enough to know that your marriage is companionate and that you have another romantic partner. You could tell all of your kids at once — you could rip that bandage off — and there are poly parents out there who are out to their kids, and their kids are fine. But do you live in a place where you can be out as open or poly couple in your community? Because if you don’t — if this is something your kids will have to keep from their friends, your neighbors, relatives who don’t know, etc. — then you would be asking all three of your kids to lie for you. And while your eldest child might be able to wrap his head around mom and dad’s marriage being loving, stable, and companionate, knowing you’re in love with someone else could make the younger ones worry their parents might split up at any moment. So, I would ask you… what’s more ethical: waiting to tell your kids that your good friend is your boyfriend until they’re all old enough to understand the complexities of adult lives and relationships — to say nothing of the complexities of their parents’ marriage — or dumping some very complicated shit on them so that you can feel ethically pure? If you do decide to tell them — all of them, all at once — you will need to pour on the reassurance. It won’t be enough to tell them you, and your husband are solid, MOMS, you’re going to need to show them. And seeing your husband and your boyfriend interact without tension will help, but you shouldn’t force your kids to interact with your boyfriend if they don’t want to be around him and/or don’t want him around. And if you decide not to tell your kids until they’re a little older, then you need to be discreet. That means no public displays of affection — no holding your boyfriend’s hand — in places where your eldest or one of his friends might see you. You won’t have to sneak around forever, but sneaking around right now, while your kids are young, might be the more ethical choice. Hey Dan: I’m a 40-year-old married man who has had one male lover (who is also 40 and married) since we met in college. We are not married to each other. We’ve both been married to women. We were best friends for several years before we had sex and began our sexual affair before we got married. Our wives and children are all friends, and we often take joint vacations together. In addition to having sex with our wives during these joint vacations, we also have sex with each other. Our wives and families are ignorant of this arrangement. We’ve only had gay sex with each other. We are in love with our wives, but we have admitted that we love each other more. While we have many more opportunities to have sex with our wives (all the time, at least in theory) we have sex with them one to two times a week. While we can’t be alone overnight very often, we have sex five to six times when we do spend a night together. All the information I can find about bisexual men who are married to woman and sexually active with other males

focuses on “hook-ups” and never on a relationship like ours. I know that there are variations in everything, but have you ever come across men like us? —Friends And Longtime Lovers

while your wives and kids are sleeping in the next room. Follow Dr. Kort on Instagram @DrJoeKort. To learn more about his books, his practice, and his podcast, go to www.joekort.com.

My first thought reading your letter: You should be less concerned about whether I’ve come across a relationship like yours, FALL, and more concerned about your wives or kids coming across the two of you fucking the shit out each other on one of your shared family vacations. My second thought: This is a case for Dr. Joe Kort, the psychotherapist, sexologist, and author who specializes in marital problems faced by couples in “mixed orientation” marriages. “I am non-judgmental and can even be supportive of a situation where a man has another guy or guys on the side,” said Dr. Kort. “However, I draw the line when the wife knows the other guy and the guy is in their friend group, as it is insensitive and unfair to the wife. Many people will feel it’s unfair to the wife that her husband is with anyone else, but it is more problematic when the two guys are the kind of friends who vacation together with their families.” There is a name for the kind of relationship you describe: two married straight-identified/ straight-perceived men who only have gay sex with each other are in a “closed loop.” The term was popularized by swinging couples where the men were open to their wives about being bisexual, Dr. Kort explained, and their wives consented to the arrangement, FALL, which doesn’t describe your situation. (Also, if a “straight” married man is having sex with other men, it’s important that he get the consent of his wife and take precautions to protect her sexual health. If the husband and wife are no longer intimate with each other, the man should be taking steps to protect his own sexual health and the health of his male partners, e.g., getting on PrEP, getting tested regularly, using condoms when appropriate, etc.) Like me, Dr. Kort, who has written extensively about straight and/or straight-identified men who have sex with other men, is concerned about how this is going to play out when — not if — your wives find out. “Given that they are doing this right under everyone’s noses, discovery seems inevitable,” said Dr. Kort. “And when they are discovered, the scale of this betrayal will make it very hard to recover from. The show Grace and Frankie made light of a similar situation — two old friends who were lovers leaving their wives for each other — but once exposed these things rarely go the way it did on that sitcom, where everyone remained friends. A revelation like this devastates everyone — including the men involved. When this comes out, their relationships with their wives and kids will never be the same.” Maybe you and your male lover will continue to get away with it and your wife and kids will never discover that you’ve been something more than close friends for decades, FALL. But if you want to up the odds of getting away with this — if you wanna take his loads and your secret to the grave —you gotta stop fucking the shit out of each other

Hey Dan: Our teenage son does not allow us in his room. His room is sacred, and we must respect his privacy. And we do. So long as his room isn’t filthy and doesn’t smell, we never go into his room. He doesn’t show the same respect for our privacy. Every inch of the rest of the house is his to roam through and there isn’t a drawer or a closet he hasn’t inspected. The issue is we don’t want him using drugs and he believes it would be hypocritical of us to use drugs, hence his searching through our things for evidence that we’re doing what we don’t allow him to do. My wife and I are into BDSM. We don’t practice BDSM at home, but our “date nights” involve getting a hotel room or going to a fetish club. We have gear and fetish attire that we keep in a locked trunk in a corner of the garage. We don’t even open it at home! If we’re going to a kink event, we toss it in the trunk and only open it after we get there. Well, our son found the key, rifled through everything, and was appalled and disgusted. We’ve relocated our trunk to a friend’s place, at my wife’s insistence. He’s barely speaking to us and I’m not sure what to say. —Kid Now Knows

You could say this: “When you snoop, you sometimes find out things you don’t want to know, you sometimes you find out things you don’t need to know, and you sometimes you find out things you can never un-know. So, now you know some things about your parents you didn’t need or want to know because you refused to respect our privacy the way you respect yours. And that’s entirely on you.” And if you really wanna get under his skin — and you shouldn’t want to (this is a humorous aside, not actionable advice) — you could say this: “Hey, have you seen the results of this study?” Researchers found that kinks may have a genetic component and could be heritable, e.g., your parents may have passed their kinks on to you, KNK, and you might’ve passed yours on to him. (That study came out in 1994, but there’s been more research and more speculation since.) While an individual’s unique life experiences play an enormous role in the formation of sexual fantasies and the cementing of kinks, mom and dad — the ones you get your DNA from — might pass kinks on to their offspring in the same way some personality traits can be passed on. It’s just a theory, of course, but it would explain the huge number of letters I’ve received over the years from distraught young adults who ran into their parents at a fetish club. Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

OCTOBER 1-31, 2025 LEO WEEKLY | 53

CLASSIFIEDS Crown Castle is proposing to modify an existing 43-foot 2-inch small cell telecommunications tower at the following site: 5494 Orchard Ridge Lane, Glenview, Jefferson County, KY 40025 (38.311116¬∞ N, -85.643702¬∞ W). The structure will be in the public right of way at the intersection of Orchard Ridge Lane and Lime Kiln Lane. Crown Castle invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed action on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or specific reason the proposed action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Specific information regarding the project is available by contacting Erika, e.diak@trileaf.com, 314-997-6111 during normal business hours. Comments must be received at 1515 Des Peres Road, St. Louis, MO 63131 by October 6, 2025. Crown Castle Fiber, LLC is proposing to collocate antennas at a height of 35 feet on an existing 43 foot tall overall height small cell structure located at 2865 S Floyd Street, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky (38¬∞ 12’ 12.7” N, 85¬∞ 45’ 25.1” W). Crown Castle Fiber, LLC invites comments from any interested party on the impact the proposed undertaking may have on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Comments may be sent to Environmental Corporation of America, ATTN: Annamarie Howell, 1375 Union Hill Industrial Court, Suite A, Alpharetta, GA 30004 or via email to publicnotice@eca-usa.com. Ms. Howell can be reached at (770) 667-2040 x 108 during normal business hours. Comments must be received within 30 days of the date of this notice. 25-000199b JMS Assistant Accountant; Golden Gate Wholesale LLC; Louisville, KY - Assist w/ prep & analysis of client workpapers & documents; Assist w/ prep of corp, partnership, fiduciary, & individual Fedl, State & local tax returns; Prep monthly & quarterly bookkeeping duties; Tax projections & planning, incl gaining a basic understanding

54 | LEO WEEKLY OCTOBER 1-31, 2025

of tax regs & acct’g pronouncements; Assist management w/ prep for client meetings * client communication, participating when appropriate; Actively pursue prof’l devel activities; Set individual goals that support departmental & firm goals; Utilize bookkeeping s/ware, spreadsheets, & d/ bases; Assist w/ technology questions & troubleshooting as necessary; 1099 reporting & e-filing; Research tax related issues. Req’s a Bachelor’s (U.S. or foreign equivt in accounting, finance, or a related field, & 24 mo’s accounting exp. Reqs 2 yrs exp w/ Microsoft Office & QuickBooks; & Tax software. Send resume to Zaid Matar, 2910 W Jefferson St., Louisville KY 40212 or goldengate198699@gmail.com. Leo’s Towing and Recovery LLC at 715 S Jackson St, Louisville, Ky 40203 with phone number of 502-727-9503 has intention of obtaining title to a 2023 Nissan Altima bearing VIN# 1N4BL4CV8PN360635 registered in the name of Taylor Dillon Marshall, last known address of 218 E Oak St Apt 103, Louisville, KY 40203. Lienholder Nissan Motor Acc Cor, 8900 Freeport Pkwy , Irving, TX 75063. Owner or lien holder has 14 days after last publication of this notice to object. Objections must be sent in writing to the above address. Zschimmer & Schwarz Interpolymer Inc. Applications Chemist Zschimmer & Schwarz Interpolymer seeks one candidate for the position of Applications Chemist. Duties include developing formulations for the cleaning and coatings markets. Interested candidates should mail resume and references to: Zschimmer & Schwarz, 7501 Distribution Drive, Louisville, KY 40258 or email c.lewis@ zschimmer-schwarz.com. Zschimmer & Schwarz Interpolymer Inc. Product Development Scientist-Emulsion Polymerization Zschimmer & Schwarz Interpolymer seeks one candidate for the position of Product Development Scientist-Emulsion Polymerization. Duties include designing new products using emulsion and solution polymerization methods. Interested candidates should mail resume and references to: Zschimmer & Schwarz, 7501 Distribution Drive, Louisville, KY 40258 or email c.lewis@ zschimmer-schwarz.com.

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE

COURSE CORRECTION

BY KAREEM AYAS Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz

22 Look (like)

Kareem Ayas is a high school teacher of English literature in Harlem. He grew up in Syria and Lebanon, where he attended Arabic schools until the fifth grade. He says he learned English from watching ‘‘The Simpsons’’ (‘‘when my mom wasn’t looking’’) and from reading and rereading the ‘‘Goosebumps’’ novels. His favorite part of this puzzle is 102-Down, his favorite food, which, amazingly, has never been an answer in a Times puzzle before. — W.S.

23 Hears, in a way

ACROSS

At bay, say?

One directive in preparing a turkey

11 Onetime Volvo competitor 15 Actress Gadot 18 *‘‘Oh, what’s the point?’’ 19 Alternative 20 Mexican dish with ahi

24 Tripe 25 Light, short-sleeved, collared garment

28 Ringing endorsements? 29 Pointy parts of a Batman costume 30 Uses one’s employee badge to enter, say

32 Get straight

50 Dirtball

90 Lincoln or Ford

47 Invites to a movie, say

53 Descendants

92 Brown beer

49 A/C capacity

54 It’s an affront

95 What ‘‘:’’ might mean

50 ‘‘Wayne’s World’’ or ‘‘MacGruber,’’

57 Bit of curling equipment

99 *Number with 18 zeros

59 Young fellow

100 Animal in the Premier League logo

60 Bit of casino equipment

101 Chinese two-stringed fiddle

62 Words of remembrance

104 Satisfied

64 Parts of one’s history, say

105 Built like the Hulk

65 Binding agent in baking

106 Colorado’s ____ Park

66 Amazon Handmade competitor

108 Canine teeth

69 Intense cycling sessions . . . or

110 Legend has it

what you must do to complete the answers to this puzzle’s starred clues

55 Preschool basics 56 Trial program 58 Chromite and hematite 61 Grandiloquent 63 Account

113 Toy with one’s food, perhaps? 115 Made nutritious choices

73 1980s TV star in the W.W.E. Hall

117 Gave support

guide

52 Testing humor’s boundaries

111 Word before rain or wash

72 ‘‘My word!’’ of Fame

informally

51 *Like restaurants in a famed dining

66 First responders, for short 67 Set off, as an alarm 68 Be up on the latest news 70 Types

118 Blue, in a way

71 Cousin of kinda

34 ____-Tiles (kids’ building toy)

74 Work hard

35 ____ favor

75 Star turn, often

36 Tourney sponsor since 1939

76 Word before milk or over

122 *Recap

38 *Voids

78 Member of la familia

123 Nursery rhyme name that’s said twice

77 Texter’s qualification

39 Nails

79 Throws, informally

40 Iowa college town

81 Beach bird

124 Superlative finish

82 Shade of green

42 Break before college

83 Bestow, as a quality

125 Like 1-2-3

85 Ones suddenly canceling plans

44 Counterpart of ‘‘thx’’

84 Adware detection program

126 Historic Vegas casino where the Rat

87 Roast rostrum

45 Like some mindless entertainment

86 Nickname that drops -ney

48 Wail

88 You might walk on this at night

121 Language from which we get ‘‘cashmere’’

72 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame architect 74 Like some stems and situations

in a row

Pack performed

127 Affliction treated with a hot compress

80 Moved like a crab

89 ‘‘____ Jackson & the Olympians’’ (fantasy series)

91 Chinese fruits with leathery rinds DOWN

93 Tax-advantaged savings plan

What cuteness tends to evoke

‘‘That’s all ____ wrote’’

Ophthalmologist’s work

Madison Avenue exec

97 Poet Hughes

Genre of the 2024 film ‘‘Bob Marley: One Love’’

98 Tense parts of games, for short

Greedy person’s ‘‘choice’’

99 Allotments

Pieces of the heart

102 Pita dip made from chickpeas and tahini

____ Chisholm, first Black woman elected to Congress

Caddie’s appointment

94 Incorporate before shaping and baking, say

96 Find amusing

103 Bring into play 105 Apathetic 107 Distance ÷ time 109 Chiromancers read them

10 Sounds of hesitation

111 Historic Indian city

11 Wall support

112 ____-bitty

12 Post-mortem order 13 Tiny exemplars of collaboration 14 Honey

114 Many email attachments 116 Kyle’s little brother on ‘‘South Park’’ 117 Hard core features, informally

15 Events for bargain hunters 16 Stereotypical squirrel’s stash 17 Plenty o’ 21 Cloying sentimentality

119 Like some humor 120 Turn to ash, perhaps

Answers

26 ____ Explorer, classic web browser 27 Gets caught (on) 28 They’re just for openers 30 Masseur’s employer 31 *Part of the funnies page 33 Student transcript figs. 34 Sources of some syrup 37 Sounds in massage parlors 41 Floor 43 Traffic marker 46 Retrovirus molecule

OCTOBER 1-31, 2025 LEO WEEKLY | 55