Monthly Newsletter: June 2024 (No. 29)
Welcome to Our Technicolor Life Monthly Newsletter!
Welcome back to another exciting edition of Our Technicolor Life's monthly newsletter! We're thrilled to have you join us on our colorful journey through the many facets of our adventurous lives. As always, we're Jeff and Carrie Ketterman, a dynamic husband and wife duo who are passionate about embracing a vintage lifestyle in the most vibrant way possible.
A Glimpse into Our Lives
In case you're new here, let us introduce ourselves once again. Jeff spends his days immersed in the bustling world of rail transportation as the General Manager at Kasgro Rail Corporation Management Division. With a fleet of over 500 heavy-duty railcars, Jeff is at the forefront of providing innovative solutions for the ever-evolving rail industry.
Meanwhile, Carrie's days are filled with creativity and artistic expression. As a painter, illustrator, and author, she breathes life into murals and paintings that tell stories with every brushstroke. She is also owner and hostess with the mostest at her tea room, The Old Capitol Tea Room in historic downtown Corydon, IN. Being musically iclinded, Carrie and Jeff also have two vintage bands, The Tin Pan Alley Cats and Rosie & the Rockabillies. Follow along each channel of Our Technicolor Life: Tea, Travel, Entertainment, Art, & Lifestyle.
TEA
Our May was full of magical tea events that were practically perfect in every way. We hosted a Tuesday Afternoon Tea, Jane Austen inspired Sense and SensibiliTea, Mother’s Day, Jolly Holiday Mary Poppins Sing Along Tea Party, Breakfast at Tea-ffany’s, Under the Sea Tea Party, and our first Gazebo Concert.
Sense and SensibiliTea
Nothing quite compares to a house full of smiling faces and music - especially Disney music. We had so much fun with our Jolly Holiday Tea.
Jolly Holiday Mary Poppins and Bert Sing Along Tea
A little Breakfast at Tea-ffany’s at the tea room AND, we actually had a “Cat” this year! Teacup was not impressed.
Breakfast at Tea-ffany’s Tea Party
Mother’s Day Tea Party
Under the Sea Tea Party
📣 NEW EVENTS RELEASED JULY 31st on the website at 11am! Set yourself a reminder to grab tickets for our next round of events. Tickets for September, October, November, and December tea events will go on sale on the website July 31st! 📣
TRAVEL
Thurby, Oaks, and 150th Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby 150 did not disappoint! We did a nod to the year of the first Derby - 1875 - by going as Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr and his wife, Mary.
ML Clark had the dream and vision to build a horse racetrack on acreage owned by his uncles, John and Henry Churchill in 1874 . A year later, in May, he opened the track for its inaugural race day featuring several races on the card, with the Kentucky Derby not being the planned marquee race that day. However, when Aristides broke the world record for a three-year-old, for the mile-and-a-half distance, the “Derby” was all everyone wanted to talk about!
Our trip to the Derby this year was once again filled with reconnecting with friends, new and old, enjoying the atmosphere that can’t really be described to be truly appreciated - you have to be there. And, if you ever get the chance - just go.
The expansion and additions they have made from the last year are impressive and add to grandeur of Churchill Downs.
Kentucky Oaks
For Kentucky Oaks Day this year, I had wanted to do a French “Marie Antoinette” look for a couple of years, but the opportunity never seemed quite right. This year with the big 150th anniversary of The Oaks and Derby, it seemed right.
We honored Louisville’s founding by George Rogers Clark in 1778 with a nod to the French rococo period (1770s), since the city was named in honor of King Louis XVI, who had aided America during the recent Revolutionary War.
We want to thank our dear friends, Julie and Michael Luna, for not only joining us for this fun day, but for being so patient when we would get stopped endlessly for photos with others. You guys are such troopers!! We love you!
We also ran into SO many friends and people who have been to the tea room, follow us on our many adventures on social media, and several of my classmates from high school and college. It was truly such a fun day of connecting with people from all over the local area AND across the US, AND the world!
Thurby
Perfect weather! (Maybe a little warm for a 3-piece suit). Perfect Thurby! (We didn’t lose a penny on the horses today! Of course, we didn’t bet any races either.
ROADTRIP - Georgetown, KY Old Friends Farm
If you know anything much about me, you know that I love the tradition of the Kentucky Derby.
My first Derby was in 1997 - I was 10. My dad and mom would always go to the Derby, but that year, mom was sick and couldn't go, so dad let me tag along! WOW!! I was hooked from that day on! The pageantry, the beautiful horses, the fashion - I was so enthralled with it all!
I have now just attended my 27th straight Kentucky Derby. They are each special and something I look forward to like a kid at Christmas. In my first year, 1997, my dad asked me which horse I wanted him to bet on for me; without hesitation I knew which horse I wanted - Silver Charm!
The horse was SO pretty and his name seemed perfect to me as a little girl. Well, if you know your Derby history, you know that Silver Charm WON the Kentucky Derby that year! He instantly became my favorite horse of all time.
Not too long ago, I was reading that Silver Charm was a resident of an equine farm that was created to care for aging thoroughbred race horses - Old Friends Equine Farm near Georgetown, KY. Here, former thoroughbred racing greats can retire and live out the rest of their lives in great care and being admired and loved by the public - daily.
Their moto: "Old Friends provides a dignified retirement to Thoroughbreds whose racing and breeding careers have come to an end. By promoting these once celebrated horses through a campaign of education and tourism, our goal is to raise awareness of the importance of equine aftercare."
This farm is just SO beautiful in SO many ways! And, knowing that Silver Charm was a resident at this retirement farm, I had to make plans to visit! WELL, WE DID!!
We visited Old Friends Farm and saw the many beautiful horses that once made millions of dollars for their former owners. Silver Charm, who just turned 30 in February, won nearly $7 million in his racing career. For all the glory that he saw during his lifetime, he now seems very content to just eat shredded carrots (guests at Old Friends are only allowed to feel him shredded carrots as he is now sadly down to just four teeth). Seeing Silver Charm was the highlight of our visit, but there are so many other legendary horses that are residents there as well, which I was delighted to interact with! I had no expectations going in as to how close we could get to these amazing horses, or how much, if any, interaction we would have. Holy horses!! We got to feed and pet so many of these majestic animals! It was all I could do to leave the farm - Jeff had to pry me away! lol! But, we also wanted to check out Georgetown and drive over to Paris, KY to see the Secretariat Park, where my former art teacher, Jaime Corum, painted the three-story high mural of Secretariat, winning the 1973 Kentucky Derby. (If you want to see some of impressive equine art, just Goggle her name. It is amazing!)
If you are looking for a great day trip, I can't encourage you enough to visit Old Friends Equine Farm near Georgetown ,KY (just north of Lexington), then go visit the charming town of Georgetown, and finally taking the 25 minute drive over to Paris, KY to see Secretariat Park (and the down-sized Eiffel Tower). I might add that when in Georgetown, grab breakfast, lunch or dinner at Fava's Restaurant! It is SO good and Dean, the owner, is usually there to greet you and see that everything is to your liking.
(Tickets for the 90 minute tour of Old Friends Equine Farm are just $30. The BEST $30 you’ll ever spend!)
ENTERTAINMENT
We spent a Saturday night at the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs; playing some music for Day Spring Kentucky’s fundraiser event for their Louisville campus! Such a great organization with a truly special mission!
“Day Spring provides quality residential services and opportunities that empower people with developmental disabilities to live joyful and fulfilling lives.”
We had a chance to roam the museum before we went on stage, and even had a little time to check out the night racing event at the Downs!
We highly recommend the museum. It is very interactive, and the history is just fascinating. Plus, in July, the museum will have our complete look from Derby 149 on display as a part of their “See and be Seen: 150 Years of Derby Fashion” exhibit.
Rosie & The Rockabillies, also played at The Enchanted Forest in New Albany! We have a couple of more gigs coming up later this season so be sure to check out our master calendar for upcoming events.
Master Calendar:
The Tin Pan Alley Cats began a new venture with our first Gazebo Concert in the tea garden. We are huge Billy Joel and Elton John fans so we kicked off this concert series with an evening of live music featuring the hits of the greatest piano men - Billy and Elton.
Gazebo Concert - Billy Joel and Elton John
We currently have just one table left for our Disney evening July 3rd at 7pm. All other Gazebo Concerts are sold out so if you’d like to grab a table, head on over to the link below for tickets.
Disney Gazebo Concert:
Tickets:
ART
My latest book “Only in Lousiville” comes out this month! Stay tuned for how to order! This 300+ page book has been a labor of love these past 7 months as I researched and illustrated. It’s part tourist guide, part fun fact, part history, and a whole lot of only in Louisville fun! Here’s a sneak peek!
This concludes our May as we move into June! Thank you for stopping by and exploring Our Technicolor Life! Please check out all the features of the website from our Tea, Travel, Entertainment, Art, and Podcast Channels. This is our one stop shop website for all events and information. Don't forget to subscribe so you stay in the loop and check out our upcoming events section right on the home page.
Yours truly,
Carrie & Jeff
Upcoming Events - At A Glance
Under the Sea Tea Party - Sunday June 2nd
SOLD OUT
Gatsby 1920s Tea Party - Tuesday June 4th
SOLD OUT
Woody’s Round Up Tea Party - Friday June 21st
SOLD OUT
Gone With the Wind Tea Party - Sunday June 23rd
SOLD OUT
Elvis TCT Tea Party - Tuesday June 25th
SOLD OUT
Summer of Love Tea Party - Friday June 28th
SOLD OUT
Sunday Afternoon Tea Party - Sunday June 30th
SOLD OUT
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