Why don’t you don an evening gown, tuxedo or a Victorian-inspired costume and join me for the 3rd Annual Spirit Ball on Saturday, October 25 at the Conrad-Caldwell House on lovely St. James Court? This will be the third year that I’ve served as the official greeter for this fall event, and it’s already turning out to be a highlight of the October social calendar in Louisville.

For the uninitiated, the Spirit Ball is a Victorian-inspired masquerade ball that celebrates the haunted past and bygone splendor of Old Louisville, one of the grandest historic preservation districts in the country. With the oppulent Conrad-Caldwell House as a backdrop, most people arrive in elegant masquerade or costumes that would have been en vogue during the Victorian and Edwardian eras – many come dressed as ghostly characters from my books GHOSTS OF OLD LOUISVILLE and PHANTOMS OF OLD LOUISVILLE. Lots of people come dressed as southern belles and Civil War soldiers as well. It’s a great way to celebrate Halloween the old-fashioned way.

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While enjoying a spirited evening of live music and dancing, party-goers can also bid on items at a silent auction or compete for prizes in the best costume contest. Admission includes an open bar with expertly mixed cocktails and food catered by Masterson’s.

Penny Brisson of Brown-Forman Corporation will be hosting a special vodka tasting featuring the Finlandia label, making a spooky cocktail she has fittingly named the ‘Finlandia Ectoplasm’  In the VIP Spirit Lounge, guests will also enjoy a premium bourbon tasting with exclusive treats that include a Mediterranean cheese tort with pita wedges, jumbo shrimp shots and all the Happy Balls (the official bourbon ball of Old Louisville) you can eat.

Tickets to the 2008 Spirit Ball cost $99 and VIP passes, which include exclusive access to the VIP Spirit Lounge in Haskins Hall, cost $149. For more information, check out the Spirit Ball web site. Proceeds for the neighborhood fundraiser go the Conrad-Caldwell House, an opulent mansion completed in 1895 for Theophilus Conrad. For more information about this Old Louisville landmark, go online.

If you can’t make it to this year’s Spirit Ball, try to make it to the Fifth Annual Victorian Ghost Walk, sponsored by the West St. Catherine Street Neighborhood Association. This annual jaunt through the haunted highlights of Old Louisville is, like the Spirit Ball, a part of the Gathering of the Spirits festival, a fall-themed celebration designed to draw attention to the great things going on in Old Louisville.

This year, costumed tour guides will walk groups of thrill seekers through the neighborhood on Friday, October 24, Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26. Tours depart from the Old Louisville Information Center in Central Park every 15 minutes starting at 6:00 p.m. – the last group departs at 7:30 p.m. The tour takes anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours and tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 the day of the tour.

Along the way, costumed interpreters and spectral visitors from the netherworld will entertain participants with tales of true-life hauntings and intrigue from the neighborhood’s heyday. I’ll be leading the 6:00 group on the October 24 and the 26, so come and join me if you can. If you miss me, make sure to ask for Kelly – she dresses up as a southern belle and is a hoot. People keep coming back year after year to hear her telling her version of the stories. It’ll be a great time. Hope to see you down in Old Louisville this weekend!

by David Dominé, The Bluegrass Peasant

On Monday July 21 a group of Sullivan University students got a send-off at Louisville International Airport as they boarded a flight that would take them half way around the world. The final destination is China, and you could say they are the Bluegrass delegation to the Beijing Olympics. The National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) at Sullivan is sending 22 students and three chef instructors to China to cater for the U.S. athletic team at the 2008 Olympic Games. The NCHS is the only culinary program in the United States to have been formally invited to cook for the 2008 Olympic athletes and sponsors.

“We are honored to have been chosen to work with Framboise Catering at the Olympics in Beijing,” says Sullivan University president Glenn Sullivan. “Our students and faculty have been preparing for this singular opportunity for several months and they are excited and energized. They all look forward to serving their countrymen and representing the United States in China.”

Framboise Catering of New York City will utilize the skills of Sullivan University’s culinary students for a wide array of tasks, including maintaining athletes’ diets at the United States Olympic Committee High Performance Training Center and creating elaborate spreads at the USA House.

The USA House will provide a business center for USOC staff, sponsors and national governing bodies of various teams. With its multi-level facility with restaurant and night-club venues, the USA House will also host many special entertainment events. The menus will change daily and will include interactive stations, buffets and grill stations, cocktail receptions and plated lunches and dinners. With the Bluegrass contingency, it appears that American athletes and supporters will be enjoying a distinct touch of Kentucky hospitality this year.

Instrumental in organizing the collaborative effort with Framboise was Chef Kimberley Jones, who will be the lead chef at the USA House with duties that include oversight of catering for U.S. Olympic sponsors. “The most difficult aspect of the project. . .” says Jones “. . .was the selection of the 22 students to represent the university out of more than 100 original and very qualified applicants.”

Part of the interview process included on-campus visits with Framboise representatives who ultimately made the final decision, and since then, the team has been rigorously preparing for their time abroad. Chef Becky Woehrle will be responsible for all baking and pastry for both venues and Chef Collen Engle will serve as the lead chef at The High Performance Training Center. Go Team Sullivan!