Louisville Orchestra, Glow Run and More in Hardin County

Key Takeaways

• Jon O'Brien's free Double Cheeseburger Day giveaway, 200 burgers at Bourbon Barrel Tavern and Flywheel Brewing, was Tuesday, September 15
• The Louisville Orchestra returns to Freeman Lake Thursday, 7:30 to 9:30 PM, after getting rained out earlier this summer
• The Down Syndrome Association of the Heartland's Buddy Walk Glow Run is Friday night, packet pickup 6 PM at the Hardin County Schools EC3 location
• The Heartland of Kentucky Quilt Show runs Friday and Saturday at 111 Opportunity Way, with more than 200 quilts on display
• Kentucky country singer John Conlee plays the Historic State Theater Saturday at 7 PM, and a USSSA baseball tournament fills the Elizabethtown Sports Park all weekend

Summary

Jon O'Brien opened his first Sunday night Events segment with a full slate, and the week started before the weekend: Jon's free Double Cheeseburger Day giveaway ran Tuesday, September 15, at two locations across town, with Hardin Local helping support it.

From there the week builds toward a packed final stretch: live music returning to Freeman Lake, a charity glow run, a quilt show, a country legend at the Historic State Theater, and a weekend of youth baseball that will fill up restaurants near the sports park.

Full Article

Jon O'Brien's free double cheeseburger giveaway started as twelve burgers he made at home and handed out himself. This year, on Tuesday, September 15, it hit 200. "The first year was 12 double cheeseburgers, I was just making them at home," Jon said, walking through how the event grew: 36 the next year, then 100 once local partners started chipping in, and now 200. Hardin Local helps support it, along with a local butcher supplying the meat and cheese and StrEAT Kitchen supplying the buns. This year's giveaway ran at two locations, Bourbon Barrel Tavern and Flywheel Brewing, with a ticket system for the burgers.

Thursday, the Louisville Orchestra finally makes its way back to Freeman Lake after getting rained out earlier this summer. The show runs 7:30 to 9:30 PM, and Jon made the case for bringing the whole family. "It's one of the strongest broad audience events of the week, so bring the kids, bring grandpa, bring grandma, bring everybody," he said. No seats are provided, so bring a chair or a blanket, and food and drink vendors will be on site.

Friday carries two events at once. The Down Syndrome Association of the Heartland holds its Buddy Walk Glow Run, a 5K and one mile run walk lit up with glow sticks and lights. Packet pickup is 6 PM at the Hardin County Schools EC3 location on University Drive. The same day, the Heartland of Kentucky Quilt Show opens at 111 Opportunity Way, 9 AM to 4 PM, with more than 200 quilts on display, and it continues through Saturday.

Saturday brings a headliner of its own. Kentucky country singer John Conlee plays the Historic State Theater at 7 PM, and Jon warned these shows have sold out before, so anyone who wants to go should grab a ticket now rather than wait.

The weekend closes out with a USSSA baseball tournament running Saturday and Sunday, all day, at the Elizabethtown Sports Park. Visiting teams and their families will be in town, and Jon's advice is practical: if you plan to eat near the sports park, get there earlier than you think you need to, because those crowds hit local restaurants hard.

Asked which event he is most looking forward to, Jon pointed to the glow run. He has taken up jogging seriously over the past few years, including a Warrior Dash he ran before he felt fully in shape for it, and he was not going to miss a chance to run with lights. "Who doesn't like bright lights?" he said.

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