Bardstown prepares to party
20th anniversary of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival September 13-18, 2011

BARDSTOWN, KY – AUGUST 2011 – The Kentucky Bourbon Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary, September 13 to 18, in historic Bardstown – the Bourbon Capital of the World – and invites you to come celebrate the Spirit of Kentucky. Thirty-nine events are planned, including two new ones: “Half Pint of Whiskey History with a Shot of Humor,” hosted by noted historian Dixie Hibbs at Wickland Home of Three Governors; and “Any Way She Likes It,” a private bourbon tasting just for the girls (although significant others are welcome), hosted by former Master Bourbon Taster Peggy Noe Stevens and the Bourbon Women.

“With the rapid growth of the new Bourbon Women’s association, it seemed like a natural fit,” says Noe Stevens. “I plan to have great fun teaching women about bourbon and taking them on a deep sensory dive into distinguishing flavors.”

Don’t miss events
With signature Kentucky warmth and hospitality, the five-day festival celebrates “America’s Official Native Spirit.” Highlights include the Kentucky Bourbon All-Star Sampler™ with an opportunity to meet the master distillers of the bourbon industry; Mixed Drink  Challenge™ competition to create the next world-class bourbon cocktail; Boots and Bourbon™ country event; the Culinary Arts, Bourbon Style Cooking School™; Bourbon, Cigars and Jazz™;
and the black-tie Great Kentucky Bourbon Tasting and Gala™.

Roll out the barrels
Family-friendly fun includes the Balloon Glow, which kicks off the festival on Tues., Sept. 13 and, on Fri., Sept. 16, the Whiskey City Cruisers Car Show, touring the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, including displays featuring Abraham Lincoln, and the World Championship Barrel Relay. On Sun., Sept. 18, enjoy hands-on activities at the Family Fun Area and the music of the Bourbon Idle contest on the lawn of Spalding Hall.

Rounding out festival fun: music by the Kentucky Headhunters (Saturday), The Spirit Garden™, Let’s Talk Bourbon™, a golf tournament and a poker run and a Kentucky Bourbon Breakfast at Spalding Hall on Sunday.

PHOTO
Barrel racing is one of 39 events that will take place during the Kentucky Bourbon Festival’s 20th anniversary celebration. Photo: Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist & Convention Commission.

Kentucky Bourbon Festival 20th Anniversary
Festival website: www.KyBourbonFestival.com

Date Tues., Aug. 13-Sun., Aug. 18. Opens 7:30 p.m., Tues. with Balloon Glow. Concludes Sun., 5 p.m.

Place  Bardstown, various locations, including Spalding Hall

Cost  Varies by event.

Note  Kentucky Bourbon Festival offers a “Safe Ride Home” program Wed.-Sun.

ABOUT Bardstown │ With its quintessential Southern small town sensibility, nearly 200 National Register of Historic Place buildings and charming circular Courthouse Square, Bardstown seems more like a yesteryear village than a bustling town in central Kentucky. But bustle it does: The “Bourbon Capital of the World” is a spirited community that is home to the Barton 1792 Distillery, plus three of the six distilleries on the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam. Bardstown has one of the four most important Civil War museums in the country, the Civil War Museum of the Western Theatre, as well as the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History and The Kentucky Railway Museum. It is the backdrop for “The Stephen Foster Story,” Kentucky’s official outdoor drama, and for a vibrant restaurant landscape that includes numerous historic dining venues and plenty of locally owned eateries, many of them situated – along with a lively collection of shops, boutiques and galleries – in the historic downtown district. Additionally, Bardstown has four 18-hole golf courses, three self-guided tours (Historic Downtown Walking, Architectural and African-American), two wineries and numerous religious attractions.