Hardin County Events Apr 22–26: Earth Day, Derby Murder Mystery

Key Takeaways

• Earth Day is Wednesday April 22 — and Hardin County has three different events stacked the same day: Seed Bombs at Saunders Springs, the Denizen plant sale downtown, and Plant Bingo at The Straight and Narrow.
• Cornerstone Caregiving's Ribbon Cutting is Thursday April 23 at noon on Woodland Drive — open to the community, lunch provided.
• Death of the Downs Derby Murder Mystery at The House on Helm Friday night — Mulberry Players, expect a sellout.
• Crusade for Children Car Show Saturday at Freeman Lake — Central Hardin Fire Department, free to attend, family-friendly.
• Kids Creative Market Saturday in Radcliff — young entrepreneurs running their own 10x10 booths.

Summary

Jon O'Brien walked the audience through a week shaped by two anchor events: Earth Day on Wednesday and the Death of the Downs Derby murder mystery on Friday. In between are a Cornerstone Caregiving ribbon cutting, an autism awareness carnival, a comedy show at Sabre & Quill, and the E-Town High School Cheer pork chop lunch fundraiser.

Saturday is the family day. The Crusade for Children Car Show at Freeman Lake. The Kids Creative Market in Radcliff. The Curvy Drop at Plato's Closet. A Derby brunch in Radcliff. Live music at Cosmic Golf to close the night.

For Hardin County residents, this is a week of low-cost, high-quality community events. Most are free or under $15.

Full Article

Earth Day grounds the week. Tomorrow — Wednesday April 22 — Hardin County offers three different ways to celebrate. Saunders Springs Nature Preserve hosts an Earth Day Seed Bombs event at 10 AM in the lower parking lot, where attendees learn about native wildflowers and assemble seed bombs to take home and plant around the area. RSVPs are requested but not required. Downtown, Denizen runs a one-day plant sale from 11 AM to 6 PM with 30% off every plant in the store — Rachel locked that one in on air ("I love Denizen. I have a lot of houseplants, and there's always room for one more.") That night, The Straight and Narrow — one of downtown's newer cocktail bars — hosts Earth Day Plant Bingo from 6:30 to 8:30 PM for the 21-plus crowd, with plants as prizes and drinks on the menu.

Saunders Springs also hosts its weekly Volunteer Cleanup tonight (Tuesday) from 5:30 to 8:30 PM. Cleanups run every Tuesday from March through October. Tools are provided, but Jon suggested long pants and sturdy shoes; meet at the parking lot near the Welcome Center.

Thursday April 23 brings the week's ribbon cutting for Cornerstone Caregiving from noon to 1 PM on Woodland Drive — a community ribbon cutting with local partners, lunch provided inside the same building. Out on Regan Road, the Elizabeth Sound Autism Awareness Carnival runs 5 to 7 PM at 2628 Regan Road — free, with crafts, games, and prizes. And back downtown, Josh Brown plays The Straight and Narrow Thursday night. Jon got animated talking about this one — Josh plays at The Brown in Louisville, can play almost anything you want, and gave Jon a memorable example: "Westworld was on HBO and they play current songs in an old-timey kind of way. He can do that. Very cool. Reservations are recommended but not required."

Friday April 24 opens with a business-networking breakfast — Connect at Shoney's from 8:30 to 9:30 AM, a monthly meeting with no fees, no commitments, and what Jon called "no homework." Midday is the E-Town High School Cheer Pork Chop Lunch Fundraiser from 11 AM to 1 PM at the high school — $10 for a drive-through dinner of double pork chop sandwiches, chips, and a drink. Jon dared anyone to find a better deal: "I've had them time and time again."

The big Friday-night event is Death of the Downs at The House on Helm, a Derby-themed immersive murder mystery by the Mulberry Players running 6:30 to 10:30 PM. Jon flagged that it's likely to sell out. Two comedy shows compete for the same evening — Key Lewis Live at Sabre & Quill (doors 6:30, show 7:30, $10 advance/$15 door) and Don't Tell Comedy at The Overlook in Social Food Hall (doors 7:30, show 8 PM, secret lineup upstairs). Live music: Ryan Bashir at Cosmic Golf, 8 PM.

Saturday April 25 carries the week. The Crusade for Children Car Show at Blue Heron Way at Freeman Lake runs 11 AM to 4 PM, hosted by the Central Hardin Fire Department, judging at 2:30. Free to attend; $500 to enter your car. Jon and Phil bantered about taking kids to car shows — they're family-friendly, and the older cars are great for kids who've only seen modern rides. Phil added: "I love taking kids to the car shows. They like looking at all the cool cars and seeing what cars used to look like."

The Kids Creative Market in Radcliff at 709 Dixie Boulevard runs 10 AM to 3 PM — a market where young entrepreneurs can sell their own handmade items in a $10 booth, with a required parent or guardian. Rachel and Phil both loved this one. "Even if you don't have anything to sell, go support young entrepreneurs and give them the hunger and the motivation behind it to see their hard work," Phil said. Jon agreed: "That's something I've never seen, but I think it's a great idea."

Saturday's other slots: Kentucky Elegance Pageants with a "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" theme at Country Inn & Suites starting 9 AM; The Curvy Drop at Plato's Closet in E'town from 10 AM to 9 PM; Derby Brunch at Clean Eatz Radcliff 10 AM to noon; the Tiny Wings, Big Wonders Hummingbird Class at Pale Orchard Road 10 AM to noon (free); and live music with Kevin Jaggers at Cosmic Golf at 8:30 PM — Jon's straightforward review: "Kevin brings the party. It's going to be a good time."

Jon also took a minute on air to show off the new weekly events calendar at HardinLocal.com. Every event mentioned on the show, with related links, updated weekly. Rachel gave Phil the credit: "Phil, thank you. Every time you send me something, I'm blown away. I don't know how he does it. But he does it."