Mayor Linda Gorton delivered the annual State of the City County speech at Central Bank Center. | Photo courtesy of @lexkygov
Yesterday, Mayor Linda Gorton delivered her State of the City County address, looking back on 250 years of Lexington’s history while celebrating recent victories + looking to the future.
Gorton began by touting the success of Lexington and Fayette County’s merged city-county government. “Over the years merged government has helped us use public resources wisely and efficiently,” addressing challenges such as:
Protecting the environment
Protecting our neighborhoods
Keeping cost of living low
Engaging in planned growth
Keeping downtown vibrant
Investing in quality of life
Gorton cited a safe and vibrant downtown as one of Lexington’s strengths. | Photo by LEXtoday
Development
Mayor Gorton gave a shout out to the 17-acre High Street Redevelopment, which is slated to begin construction this year. A joint effort between Dallas-based Lincoln Property Company and local developer Dudley Webb, this area will soon see:
Multifamily residential
Pedestrian oriented retail
Grocery
Hospitality
“The need for continuing change and improvement drives us forward as we move into our next 250 years,” Gorton said.
New Moon Ceremony | 6:30-8 p.m. | Creatures of Whim | $33 | Celebrate the Lunar New Year with a new moon ceremony featuring guided meditation + your chance to win a free tarot reading.
Lunazul Tequila Tasting Experience | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Desperados Cantina | $25+ | Enjoy a flight of three premium tequilas, a welcome cocktail + a salsa bar, featuring Bardstown’s own Lunazul Tequila.
Thursday, Jan. 30
Arnez J. | Thursday, Jan. 30-Sunday, Feb. 2 | Times vary | Comedy Off Broadway | $27 | Enjoy this charismatic and physically agile comedian who critics call “a whirling dervish on stage.”
“The Last Waltz” | 7:30 p.m. | Kentucky Theatre | $8 | Celebrate the life of recently departed organist Garth Hudson with this one-night-only screening of the classic rockumentary from director Martin Scorsese.
Friday, Jan. 31
Sound Healing Meditation with Adam Sutherland | 7-8:30pm | The Sound Healing Center of Lexington | $25 | Ground yourself in the present moment + deepen your sense of calm at this communal meditation class.
Prix Fixe Dinner | Times vary | Chez Lyndon | $59 | Reserve your table at this downtown bed and breakfast for a special chef-inspired, three-course dinner.
Explore the heritage + impact of the Devine Nine historically Black fraternities and sororities during the Sunday Supper Speaker Series this Sunday, Feb. 2. Part of 250Lex’s Black History Month celebrations, tickets are available now for this catered dinner at Carson’s at Andover.
Lexingtonian
Pizza pioneer Joe Bologna accepted the lifetime achievement award from the Kentucky Restaurant Association earlier this week. In a social media post, Joe thanked Lexingtonians for helping to create happy memories and “enjoying my food made with love.”
Arts
The Allegro Dance Project is celebrating 11 years of “inclusive and accessible dance” with encore performances of “It’s All How You Spin It” next Friday, Feb. 7 + Saturday, Feb. 8. Tickets for this display of contemporary dance, original music, and aerial circus performances are pay-what-you-can.
Outdoors
Want to grow your nature knowledge while earning some green? Applications are now open for the Urban Forest Initiative’s five-week Tree Collegiate and Citizen Arboriculture Training, which teaches attendees about trees + greenspaces.
Drink
Merrick Inn just dropped an unmatched happy hour experience. Mondays-Thursdays you can ejoy $7 wines, draft beers, cocktails + select bourbon pours, plus $8 appetizers including fried banana peppers and grouper fingers. Cheers to that.
Try This
LEX Center for Creative Reuse is hosting its Fill-A-Bag Sale this Friday, Jan. 31-Sunday, Feb. 2. If you resolved to start a new hobby or get crafty in the new year, this is your chance to stock up on everything from mannequins and measuring tapes to safety pins and stamp ink pads.
Beauty
Staying on trend is easy with help from Kaitlyn Hubert and her team at Pelo Lexington. With 15 years of experience, Kaitlyn helps Kentuckians discover their best looks while staying up with the latest trends. Not sure where to start? Meet the team + book a consultation.*
Job
Don’t let your job posting get lost on over-saturated job sites. Get premium visibility when you post on our local job board. Your first listing is free.
The Buy
The Buy
A tabletop fire pit that’s less than $30. It burns smoke-free and fosters a warm + relaxing environment.
Need a second chance at sticking to those New Years resolutions? Well, let me be the first to say Happy Lunar New Year and welcome to your second shot at nailing new habits. Whether you’re ready to reignite your inner yogi or just want to try new food, LEXtoday is here to help.
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