This summer, I was able to cross something off of my Bucket List: The Lebowski Fest in Louisville. My little sister and I drove up there from Nashville for 2 days of festivities. The whole thing took place either at the Executive Strike and Spare bowling alley or on the Executive Lawn.
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It all started Friday, July 15th @ the MOVIE PARTY with music by J Roddy Walston & The Business and The Broken Spurs. Followed by a screening of The Big Lebowski.
Here's moi with my little sister on the right:
That night, we also met up with my dear friend Laurie, a Louisvillian and fellow MSU alumni:
J Roddy Walston & The Business on stage with the Bowling Alley in the background:
...and the movie screening:
Then on Saturday, July 16th we had the Garden Party w/ music by Those Darlins, The Seedy Seeds, How I Became The Bomb & Junk Yard Dogs. There were also some Lebowski themed games (Ringet Toss, Marmot Fling). Here's Will Russell a co-founder of the fest for a drawing to give away the dude car which no one really wanted:
...And here are Those Darlins, the stars of the show:
...and us all sweaty after the show:
And here's Those Darlins with Will:
Then that night @ 8pm was THE BOWLING PARTY: - Bowling, costume contest, trivia and white russians
Liz and I both participated in Martin Randah's auditions, but we were quite lousy.
Lego Walter with Walter:
Costume Contest:
Then, around midnight, we decided we needed some grub and went outside for the After Party Food trucks. Yummy Grilled Cheeses were sold here:
....And for a souvenir, Liz and I got this Tshirt :
Conclusion: Calmer than you are dude:
My little sis and I were surprised time and time again how lax this festival was and how lax Louisville is in general. This fest could never have taken place in Nashville, we decided. We also expected that in it's 10th year the fest would've been taken over by the hipster youth culture at least a little bit. We were wrong. The fest was still quite small and reserved for those pretty obsessed with Lebowski.
So, here's our advice for the Fest in Louisville:
1) Don't worry about buying tickets in advance and loosing money on service charges. It ain't needed. 2) Bring lawn chairs, blankets and bug spray. This is for the festivities on the lawn.
3) Bring a group and a group that's at least a little into Lebowski. Be prepared to act ridiculous.
4) Dress down for Friday festivities. My 5 inch wedges weren't serving me very while dodging the little dips on the Executive lawn.
5) Dress up for Saturday night bowling party. It's too fun too pass that up.
So...maybe see you at the fest next year?
