Hardin Local Weekly S2026E15: Cuba, Spring Break, Biz Buzz
Kevin A. Parrett shares what four trips to Cuba taught him, Jon O'Brien delivers 16 Spring Break events, and Nate Bryan reports Cold Stone Creamery is officially coming to Hardin County.
What We Covered This Week
Rachel Brantingham was out this week, and Phil Taul stepped into the primary host chair for S2026E15. The format shifted, the energy shifted, and the result was an episode built around one of the longest and most substantive guest conversations Hardin Local has aired in a while. Kevin A. Parrett, Chair of Global Studies at ECTC and a man who has visited 76 countries, sat down for a 31-minute interview about his four trips to Cuba — and what he found on the ground versus what American media has been telling us. It was the kind of conversation that makes you stop scrolling and actually listen.
But this was not a one-segment episode. Jon O'Brien brought 16 Spring Break events spanning every day of the week — including a seven-event Saturday and a $1 movie at the Historic State Theater. Nate Bryan delivered five business stories led by Cold Stone Creamery arriving in Hardin County for the first time, Bluegrass Meats heading downtown, and Wasabi expanding to Louisville. Three active segments, all of them hitting. Phil kept things moving with Scott Lucas on the couch, and Britten and Michele McDowell closed the show with prom season energy and a food truck recommendation that had everyone talking.
This is the kind of week where the articles below are worth your time. Read them, watch the clips, and share the ones that matter to you.
In This Episode
Spring Break in Hardin County: 16 Events, $1 Movies, Alpacas, and a Packed Saturday
Hardin County This Week — with Jon O'Brien
Jon O'Brien delivered the Spring Break edition of the events calendar with 16 events covering every day from Tuesday through Sunday. The highlights include $1 movies at the Historic State Theater on Thursday, the Alpaca Spring Fling at Hardin County Fairgrounds on Saturday, the Etown Card Expo at Bluegrass Sportsplex, and seven events running simultaneously on Saturday alone. Cosmic Golf has three separate events this week — Tiki Tuesday, Masters Watch Par-Tee, and the Decades Par-Tee featuring Dylan West.
Read the full Events article →
Kevin A. Parrett Joins Hardin Local: Cuba — Facts vs. Fiction
Special Guest
Kevin A. Parrett, Chair of Global Studies at ECTC, has been to Cuba four times since 2019. His most recent trip was March 2026 with a group of 13. What he found on the ground — vibrant streets, welcoming people, zero fast food chains, 99%+ literacy, and growing Chinese investment — directly contradicts what both CNN and Fox have been reporting. The interview ran roughly 31 minutes and covered daily life, geopolitics, food, media literacy, and why Kevin says you should go now before foreign development changes the island forever.
Read the full Special Guest article →
Cold Stone Creamery, Bluegrass Meats Goes Downtown, and Wasabi Heads to Louisville
Nate's Business Buzz
Nate Bryan brought five stories this week. Cold Stone Creamery is moving into the old Baskin-Robbins on East Dixie — the first Cold Stone in Hardin County history, targeting an opening before July 4th. Bluegrass Meats is relocating downtown to the old Dairy Queen with drive-thru barbecue. Wasabi is expanding from Social Food Hall to Louisville. Bargain Brothers is stopping pallet sales due to the economy. And Tolle Totum is relocating from Bardstown to downtown Elizabethtown. Nate closed with a well-deserved shoutout to the momentum building downtown.
Read the full Business Buzz article →
Episode Highlights
"I took what CNN said and I took what Fox said. They said the same thing — Cuba's at a standstill, the people are starving. And then I recorded a city street scene in Havana where everybody's moving, people are fed, there's cars everywhere."
— Kevin Parrett, Chair of Global Studies at ECTC
"Back to the throwback of the old Movie Palace when they were a dollar a movie. I don't think I've seen one that cheap in a long time."
— Jon O'Brien, Events Host
"We've seen Vibe grow. We've seen Poppy's Tacos grow. We've seen Juanito's grow. So it's been nice to see something small and expand their footprint."
— Nate Bryan, Business News Host
"We need to really work with Cuba and secure that area. That's the largest island in the Caribbean. We need to have an ally there, not an enemy."
— Phil Taul, Creator of Hardin Local
"If you haven't been downtown in years, you need to get down there and see the changes."
— Nate Bryan, Business News Host
