KenSUCKy

Late in posting this, but our trip began with a Lady Gaga concert in Dallas and on to Louisville for Hullabalou.

Gaga
Fire/sparks came out of her breasts and crotch and on top of the piano. She said the people outside were the freaks. One girl was dressed in a deck of cards. Gaga looked like a walking lampshade, a fiber optic snowflake and had stage blood on her sternum--changed clothes a lot. Lady Gaga ranges from Catholic girl to Gypsy Rose Lee to Rosie, the Jetson’s robot maid, as someone said.

Louisville Slugger
The wood spins 1,500 times; a farmer comes in and gets 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of sawdust every couple of days. A system sucks it up. Bats are 50 percent ash and maple. The sweet spot is the strongest part of the bat. They pay athletes $5,000 to use their name and picture. Some order 120 a season. They are ready in 48 hours. The bats are branded at high temperature. There are templates on lathes. They are carted on BATmobiles. Pink bats are used on Mother’s Day only. The factory has been there since 1884. They make 1.8 million bats a year.

Churchill Downs
Just wow!!

Maker’s Mark Distillery
It’s been around since 1805. It’s 117 degrees in the distillery; dark helps keep it hot and not see any mildew. The logo was a cattle brand. People once used their own containers, so it’s the oldest retail package market (1889). Seventy percent is corn grown locally, soft red winter wheat and malted barley for the meal that is mixed with limestone spring water on property. The still is 38 feet tall. The red wax dipping is dangerous; they wear gloves and take breaks every 30 minutes. No. 46 is the new recipe for 46th recipe tried. They slam dunk some bottles deep just for fun and those could be worth something on the Internet. Nineteen people are on a taste panel that approves the release after aging over three hot summers. They still roll the barrels by hand.
I remember some of the Maker’s Mark Ambassador gifts being BIG ICE CUBE TRAY, WRAPPING PAPER, TAGS, BOTTLE SWEATER.

Lynn’s Paradise Café—we went in, but the line was too long--wacky décor, supposedly great French toast, has World of Swirl gift shop, it’s where Dali meets Dolly.