KFTC to Host 4th Annual Smoketown GetDown for Democracy

The history of Smoketown – and the innovative ideas from local residents for its future – will be celebrated at the fourth annual “Smoketown GetDown for Democracy,” a neighborhood block party powered by the people and open to the public.  



The block party will take place outside the Kentuckians For The Commonwealth Smoketown office at 735 Lampton Street (corner of Lampton and Shelby Streets) on Friday, September 15 from 4 to 10 p.m. KFTC and Kertis Creative are co-hosts.



Featured performers include DJ Yared Sound, Str8Diamonds Studio, Otis Junior & The Jesse Lees, Junior J and Piff the Dragon, and The Afrophysicists. 

The family-friendly GetDown will also include arts and crafts activities, local food trucks, dozens of Smoketown organizations and businesses, voter registration, and a free photo booth courtesy of Kertis Creative. Gore’s SmokeOut, Lexie Lu’s, Heine Brothers’ Coffee, and West Sixth Brewing will sell delicious local food and drinks. 



Reflecting on last year’s Smoketown GetDown, Hannah Drake with Project H.E.A.L. said, “We connected. We were walking, living and breathing what community should be. Not just one day but every day. For that moment we took it all in, hoping that the GetDown got down into our souls and made us stay connected as one community – Smoketown!" 



Smoketown also has a lot to celebrate this year. The Smoketown Neighborhood Association is quickly approaching the three-year mark after its reorganization following the inaugural Smoketown GetDown in 2014. The group meets monthly and is working with residents, neighborhood organizations, and University of Louisville Urban and Public Affairs department to create a neighborhood plan.



Contributing GetDown sponsors include the ACLU of Kentucky, Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research, Bates Community Development Corporation, Ben Carter Law, PLLC, Brett Marshall, Bryan Burns, Calliope Arts, Carla Wallace and Lisa Osanka, Chris and Patricia Haragan, Clifton Universalist Unitarian Church, Coalition for the Homeless, Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith, EHI Consultants, Family Health Centers, Inc., Habitat for Humanity of Metro Louisville, Heine Brothers' Coffee, IDEAS xLab, Kertis Creative, Louisville Metro Housing Authority, Metro United Way, Metropolitan Sewer District, PNC Bank, Sallie Carter, Stephen and Stephanie Kertis, Sustainable Health Choices, UFCW Local 227, Unity of Louisville, West Sixth Brewing, Wiltshire Pantry, Smoketown Family Wellness Center and Smoketown Wheelhouse Project. 



Organizers encourage walking, biking or busing to the event. Bicycle parking will be provided by Bicycling for Louisville, and the event is located on TARC routes 23 and 43. Street parking will be available on Lampton, Shelby and Clay Streets. 
 


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