Wine and Spirits Travel

It was the final day of the Bourbon & Beyond Festival, and I was ready for an exciting one, with interviews to do and bands new and old to see. My brother, Mark, and I checked out of our wheelchair accessible room at the Tru Hilton Louisville South and headed to the Kentucky Exhibition Center. The weather was still warm and humid, but it looked like we might be heading for some rain.   One of the acts I was most looking forward to was first up at Bourbon & Beyond. I had always been a fan of actor Kevin Bacon and was looking forward to catching his performance with his brother, Michael. The Bacon Brothers were fantastic, with Kevin as the lead singer. He also showed off his dance moves, especially when performing the title song from his most famous movie, “Footloose.” The growing crowd was dancing and singing along with them. It was quite a show. After they were done, I went back to the press area for a while to get my questions ready for upcoming interviews. I had met and...

My brother, Mark, and I both agreed we wanted to enjoy a good Kentucky barbecue meal in Louisville before we got started on the day at Bourbon & Beyond. I went online and searched for reviews. One place kept coming up: Shack in the Back . It was clear we picked the right place when we saw the crowd at 11:00 am on a  Saturday morning. It was even clearer when we tasted the food. I had a brisket sandwich, with a side of mashed potatoes and a side of corn. Mark went all out with the Sampler. It included brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and wings. He chose the mac and cheese and the green beans to go with it. We didn’t make it through all the food, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying. We had to get to the festival as I had interviews to do and music to watch. My first appointment was at Eastern Light Distilling. I was intrigued with this company and even more so after meeting with the owners.    Eastern Light is not “a” bourbon company. It is a group that is locally...

After all the problems with hotels the day before, we were settled into the Tru Hilton in Louisville and getting ready for a busy day at Bourbon & Beyond. I had made appointments between all the music. I was looking forward to it all. My brother, Mark, suggested lunch at Waffle House. He said it was on his bucket list. I hadn’t been in years and I’m never one to turn down waffles. It was actually very good, with big portions and reasonable prices.   We had no problem parking in the handicapped area and made it onto the grounds in time to pick up coffee in the press tent and watch Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, followed by Bruce Hornsby. It was a good way to start this bright day. We then headed to the Big Bourbon Tent. We arrived a little early for our appointment with Tyler Rothenberg of Chicken Cock Bourbon and enjoyed the bluegrass while we waited. Tyler set us up with the two cocktails made especially for Bourbon & Beyond :    Wildflower in Paris - C...

The first year of Bourbon & Beyond  in Louisville, Kentucky, had been wonderful, albeit ridiculously hot. The music, food, and bourbon were fantastic, and I was able to do many interviews for stories. When I left Bourbon & Beyond the second year, it was in a muddy mess. The torrential rains in the hours before the end of day three left the long trip to the parking lot in my walker extremely difficult. Had I been in a wheelchair then, I would have been one of the people stuck for hours in the mud. With the memories of 2018, followed by the event being skipped because of COVID, I didn’t think I’d return. Then my brother, Mark, brought it up.   Mark lives in California and we don’t get a lot of time together so it gave me a pause. Then, there was a lineup filled with performers I really wanted to see, such as Sting, Dave Matthews, Beck, Melissa Etheridge, and Larkin Poe , whom I had interviewed at the first Bourbon & Beyond. My first step was to contact the media ...

I covered Bourbon & Beyond two years in a row. It was by far the best music festival I had ever been to. Unfortunately, before the final day, there was a major rainstorm that continued for hours, and I had trouble getting my wheelchair through the mud. I was concerned about it happening again, and Covid put it off the festival that next year anyway. Then, this summer, I found out about a most amazing lineup, in a venue that is very accessible, the Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center.   It’s all aligned, and I am looking forward to Louisville, Kentucky, next month. Below is a summary of this fantastic event. There are still tickets left if you’d like to come along. Just visit the Bourbon & Beyond website for details . Headlining for Bourbon & Beyond this year is Sting, but he is far from the only top name. Among the list of 100 artists are: Beck Dave Matthews Band Zach Bryan Maren Morris The Beach Boys Melissa Etheridge Matchbox 20...

When I first received an email about Ravinia , I have to confess that I had no idea what it was. I had heard of it, but didn’t think of it beyond being a venue in Chicagoland. I was certainly wrong about that. Ravinia is actually the longest running outdoor music festival in North America.  Unlike what you would normally expect from a “festival,” this one lasts for four months and has been taking place for over 50 years. It is also non-profit. Each year, from June-September, Ravinia Festival schedules 140 musical performances, from classical to rock.  Among those for 2018 are Diana Ross , Tony Bennett, and Seal. My friend and photographer, Brittany, and I went through the schedule to decide which event would work best for us.  We decided on the concert with ZZ Top and John Fogerty, neither of which we had ever seen. We drove to see the event. I was not feeling my best and was immediately impressed with their complimentary and easy t...