Local Life and Lore in Louisville

By Robin Garr, FrontDoor.com | Published: 2/24/2009

The Kentucky Derby draws thousands of visitors to the historic Churchill Downs racetrack each year. Greater Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau

Say it correctly
Yes, it is pronounced "LOU-a-vull." Not Lewis-vill. Nothing marks you as a newcomer more than not knowing how to pronounce the name of your new hometown.

The Derby
The Kentucky Derby has been a Louisville tradition since 1875. Run annually on the first Saturday in May, this internationally famous horse race draws more than 125,000 people to the historic Churchill Downs racetrack a few miles south of downtown. The crowd is mostly tourists, soaking up the atmosphere and sipping souvenir mint juleps. Many Louisvillians prefer to celebrate Derby in house parties, watching the race on television. Derby season extends for three weeks of parties and civic activities ranging from the gigantic Thunder Over Louisville fireworks display to steamboat, hot-air balloon and foot races.

Behind where the old Sears used to be
Once you've settled in, prepare to receive directions to places you've never heard of by reference to other places you've never heard of (and no longer exist): "It's behind where the old Sears used to be" is a local favorite, followed closely by "it's east of where Baer's used to be." Countless variations exist. Many newcomers believe we do this to torment them, but it's not so. It's just our way.

Fish sandwich, please
Locals love to eat fried whitefish sandwiches, historically cod on rye with tartar sauce. According to some statistics, Louisvillians eat more cod per capita than residents of any other city in the U.S. Theories abound as to why this city 700 miles from any seashore should be so partial to fish. The prevailing story is that Louisville's large Catholic population created a burgeoning fish-supply industry by abstaining from red meat on Fridays during Lent. In the early 20th century, more than one-third of the city's residents were Catholic.

"Louisville's fish and cod consumption is a phenomenon that has puzzled me and others in the fish business for as long as I've been in it," Mark Kotok, of Arctic Fisheries of Buffalo, N.Y., told Louisville Magazine a few years ago. "There are no statistics, but for an inland city -- a city not served by coastal waters -- in my 40 years of experience, I don't know of another geographic area that consumes as much cod."

There are dozens of local fish-sandwich eateries: Moby Dick is the big local chain, with 18 locations in the Metro area, including those in the Butchertown neighborhood (1500 Mellwood Ave.), St. Matthews (4848 Shelbyville Road) and Middletown (12012 Shelbyville Road). Another famous establishment, Mike Linnig's, started in 1925. Its picnic-like grounds draw summer crowds to the Southwest end of the city (9308 Cane Run Road, 502-937-9888), Other favorites include Stan's Fish Sandwich (3723 Lexington Road, 502-896-6600); its near neighbor, The Fishery (3624 Lexington Road, 502-895-1188) and The Fish House (2993 Winter Ave., 502-568-2993).

Read More About Louisville, KY:

• Search Homes for Sale in Louisville
• Profile: Louisville, Kentucky
• 5 Great Neighborhoods in Louisville
• Louisville Essentials
• Louisville: Like No Place Else
• Old Louisville: America's Victorian Neighborhood
• Slideshow: Get to Know Louisville, Kentucky

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