The Kentucky Derby has always seemed both an integral part of and wholly separate from Louisville, the town where it has been held annually on the first Saturday in May for almost 140 years. Its home track, Churchill Downs, with its iconic ivory spires and stockpile of rose garlands, is a name and place known around the world. In recent years, scads of Hollywood stars and household celebrities have flocked in growing numbers to the race itself, not to mention its fabulous before-and-after-parties.

• "Property owners in Kentucky will pay the same rate in state property taxes this year as in 2010." [Courier-Journal]
• "The Louisville Clock, the large timepiece designed as a racetrack for five figures from Louisville’s history, appears bound for Theater Square on Fourth Street just north of Broadway.

Since I've been blogging about food and dining, I've been paying a lot more attention to announcements about special dinners and food events. I've come across several free or low-cost events that look great, but the ones that really catch my eye are the ones that cost more than a student/intern/blogger such as myself should spend for a night out. However, if I suddenly found a large sum of extra money deposited into my bank account, I'd spend it on these events: