Seersucker Kentucky Cocktail Napkin Giveaway!
In honor of National Seersucker Day, HerKentucky is giving away one set of 4 seersucker Kentucky cocktail napkins from Elizabeth Elfen! The winner will be able to choose from pink, blue, green or red seersucker. Please see below to enter.
Good Luck!
The hemstitched cocktail napkins are a blend of cotton and linen and measure 6" x 6". They will be packaged as pictured.
Five Fun Facts About Seersucker
National Seersucker Day trivia
- The classic seersucker suit was created by the New Orleans-based clothier Haspel. Joseph Haspel founded his company in 1909, with the goal of producing clothing that stood up to the Louisiana heat. He made laborers' coveralls and, soon after, men's summer suits, out of the puckered fabric made popular in British India.
- The word "seersucker" derives from the Hindi word "sīrsakar"; that term was borrowed from the Persian compound "shīroshakar", meaning "milk and sugar" and describing the varied texture of the fabric.
- Senator Trent Lott started the U.S. Senate's tradition of Seersucker Thursday, in which Senate members wear the summer fabric, in 1996. It was discontinued in 2012, but officially resurfaced this year. National Seersucker Day arose to coincide with Seersucker Thursday.
- Gregory Peck wore a seersucker suit in To Kill a Mockingbird, as did Cary Grant in Charade. Both were custom-made by Haspel.
- In the Rolling Stones' song of the same name, the Under Assistant West Coast Promo Man wears a seersucker suit; he also drives a Corvette!
Happy Seersucker Day, y'all! How are you styling your seersucker today?
Shop The Look: National Seersucker Day
We've picked out some fun seersucker pieces to meet any style, shape, or budget. I'm DYING over those New Balance sneakers!!
{This post contains affiliate links; HerKentucky LLC will receive a small commission from some links clicked.}
I Hope to Have God on My Side, But I Must Have Kentucky
Previewing July's My Kentucky Tee and the historical significance of a famous Lincoln quotation.
It's no secret that I LOVE My Kentucky Tee.
I wear my tees all the time, and I always get such lovely compliments on them! I'm so excited to wear the June tee for Independence Day celebrations.
What I'm really, truly excited about is the July My Kentucky Tee. I mean, how cute is this?
I've always loved that quote from Abraham Lincoln, "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." It sounds like a pithy exclamation of Bluegrass State pride, but it's an important history lesson. President Lincoln wasn't just invoking sentiment of love for his home state. (We've been over this before: Kentucky is the ACTUAL Land of Lincoln. You can't have him, Illinois.) He was making a policy statement about keeping border states from seceding from the Union. Kentucky's population, resources, and strategic location were invaluable to the U.S. forces during the Civil War. Losing Kentucky to the Confederacy would have been a tremendous blow. What a great reminder of Kentucky's vital role in the Civil War, and our amazing heritage!
“I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone, we can not hold Missouri, nor, as I think, Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us.
”
Remember, sign up for the July Tee by July First, and you'll get the Starter "1792" shirt as well as the Lincoln shirt in your mailbox in early July. The subscription is only $15/month; you can learn more here!
(Thanks to My Kentucky Tee for continued sponsorship of HerKentucky!)
Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Johnny Depp
Ten things you may not know about Kentucky-born actor Johnny Depp.
Today is Johnny Depp's birthday, y'all! In honor of the fascinating, handsome, quirky actor and Kentucky native, here are 10 things you probably don't know about Johnny Depp!
1. On June 9, 1963, John Christopher Depp II was born in Owensboro, the youngest of four children. His mother, Betty, was a waitress and his father was a civil engineer.
2. He dropped out of high school at 16. When he tried to return to school two weeks later, his principal advised him to follow his dreams of becoming a musician.
“Awards are not as important to me as when I meet a 10-year-old kid who says, “I love Captain Jack Sparrow.””
3. In 2012, the Guinness Book of World Records named Johnny the Highest Paid Actor in the World.
“I`m an old-fashioned guy . . . I want to be an old man with a beer belly sitting on a porch, looking at a lake or something.”
4. Johnny lived in Frankfort from the ages of 3 to 10, where his mother worked at the Holiday Inn.
5. Depp has been married twice, briefly to makeup artist Lori Anne Allison, and, since earlier this year, to actress Amber Heard. He had a 14 year relationship with Vanessa Paradis, the mother of his children Lily-Rose and Jack. Over the years, he was engaged to Sherilyn Fenn, Kate Moss, Jennifer Grey, and Winona Ryder.
“The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants.”
6. He once co-owned a Parisian bar and restaurant, along with Sean Penn and John Malkovich. Located in a former cinema, the bar was named for avant-garde artist Man Ray.
Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Johnny Depp
7. In the early 1990s, Depp was co-owner of the famous Los Angeles nightclub The Viper Room. Johnny Cash's 1993 solo performance at the Viper Room is credited with introducing Cash's music to a new generation.
8. Johnny Depp famously plays his Pirates of the Caribbean character Captain Jack Sparrow as "a mix of Keith Richards and Pepe Le Pew." When asked about the Pirates franchise, he once said "I only wanted to be in a movie that my kids could see."
“Hunter decided that since we were both brothers from “the dark and bloody ground,” as Kentucky is known, there were several fish to fry in Louisville. We were going back there to clear his name—they were going to celebrate him, and his mother was going to be there, and she would be proud. He said he wanted to make me a Kentucky Colonel—which almost anyone can be. There’s a society of Kentucky Colonels. Hunter was one and he made me one. You don’t need to do anything—you just write in and ask for it, and they give it to you. From then on, he always referred to me as the Colonel.”
Colonel Depp and Dr Thompson
9. Johnny is a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. His close friend, Louisville native Hunter S. Thompson, nominated him for the honor and frequently called him "Colonel Depp." Johny Depp starred in two films based on Dr Thompson's works, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Rum Diary.
10. He was once in a band called P along with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. The band's eponymous studio album included a cover of Abba's Dancing Queen.
Happy birthday, Johnny!!
The 5 Best Murals in Louisville
The best signs around Louisville!
Louisvillians are an amazingly creative group of people. It doesn't matter how many times you visit the Derby City, or even how long you've lived here -- there's always something exciting to see, here, or do. Today, I thought I'd share five of my very favorite murals and building signs from around town.
1. Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky; Downtown (near 2nd and Market). Sponsored by Spinelli's Pizza.
2. Nord's Bakery, Germantown. I stopped by Nord's last week to do a little market research on our donut post. The only thing better than a bacon-maple donut is a dancing bacon-maple donut.
3. Hunter S. Thompson, The Monkey Wrench. I love the detail on this tribute to gonzo genius Dr. Thompson.
4. Weird, Independent & Proud, The Wine Market, The Highlands. Love the design; love the sentiment even more.
5. Baker Boy Donuts, Mellow Mushroom, St Matthews. I was so disappointed when I moved to this neighborhood and learned that this wasn't a retro bakery. I'm not the only one who was confused. In fact, it seems that the Baker Boy is a bit of a mystery to the St Matthews neighborhood, but when Mellow Mushroom found the sign in the midst of renovations, they decided to keep it. I'm glad they did.
Any other great murals we need to spot in town?
The Five Best Doughnuts in Kentucky
Kentucky's favorite doughnuts
Happy National Doughnut Day, y'all! Whether you spell it Donut or Doughnut, the Bluegrass State makes some of the finest rings of fried dough you'll ever taste. In fact, a few years ago, the New York Times even charted out a Doughnut Trail right here in the Commonwealth. We consulted family, friends, and acquaintances. We tested a lot of donuts. And we ranked our five favorites. (Nord's Bakery in Louisville's Germantown/Schnitzelburg neighborhood gets an honorable mention for those insane bacon donuts. This was a really hard list to narrow down, y'all.)
5. Burke's Bakery, Danville. When I lived in Lexington, I'd come up with every excuse I could think of to visit this old-school bakery and pick up a hot, glazed donut (or two). My Boyle County friends started to wonder why I wanted to go visit their parents so often, but it was so worth it...
4. North Lime Coffee & Donuts, Lexington. This Lexington shop has some of the most creative pairings I've ever seen. They even make a brisket donut! Even if you steer clear of the savories, they offer fresh, unique, amazing flavors!
North Lime Donuts, photo courtesy Ashley Sanders.
3. Doughdaddy's, Versailles. When we were house-hunting in Nashville, a homeowner inquired where we were from. When we said Kentucky, he immediately asked, in broken English, "Have you been to Doughdaddy's?" That anecdote doesn't quite prove that they're world-famous, but word certainly gets around about these light, fluffy donuts!
Hi-Five Doughnuts at Younger Woman's Club 2015 Gala. Photo courtesy Liz Bornwasser.
2. Hi-Five Doughnuts, Louisville. Louisville's high-end catering and food truck donuts. Amazing flavor combinations every. single. time.
Hi-Five Doughnuts at Younger Woman's Club 2015 Gala. Photo courtesy Sarah Doran Mudd.
1. Red's Donuts, Paducah: As Sarah Stewart Holland told us in the earliest days of HerKentucky, Paducah natives can attest that Red's donuts are the best anywhere.
Red's Donuts, Paducah. Photo courtesy Sarah Stewart Holland.
So, did I get it right, or do you have a favorite Bluegrass State donut spot that I missed? I'm happy to do more research if y'all think it's necessary!
If you're traveling the KY Donut Trail, don't forget a Donutucky shirt from Shop Local KY.
In case you missed it:
The Five Best Burgers in Kentucky
Joella's Hot Chicken
Nashville-style hot chicken is coming to the Derby City!
This week on HerKentucky, we're talking about a few of my favorite things about Nashville. The Volunteer State's capital city is only a couple hours down the road from most parts of Kentucky, but it certainly has its own vibe. For me, Nashville is characterized by its music, its food, and its culture, and there's no food more uniquely Nashville than hot chicken!
Joella's Hot Chicken
Nashville-style hot chicken is one of those regional delicacies that can't really be described; you really have to try it for yourself. It's true Southern-style fried chicken, coated in a mixture of hot oil, cayenne pepper, spices, and a touch of sugar, served on white bread with pickles. The legend goes that the original batch of hot chicken was cooked up as a revenge breakfast for a cheating boyfriend, who wound up liking it so much that he perfected the recipe. It certainly doesn't taste like any other dish you'll ever try, and if you love it, you really love it.
Taking in a local brew between bites at the 2014 Nashville Hot Chicken Festival.
You can count my beau and me among those who love hot chicken. We have our favorite spot in Nashville that we try to visit as frequently as possible. We spent the 4th of July in East Nashville last year for the Hot Chicken Festival. We've tried to replicate the recipe in our own kitchen, to less than perfect results. Let's just face it: we're hot chicken addicts, living three hours north of the source.
Needless to say, we were tickled pink to hear that the owners of Tony Boombozz were bringing hot chicken to Louisville! I sat down with Bruce Rosenblatt, Boombozz Operating Partner, to talk about hot chicken in the Derby City. "We're excited to bring a little bit of Nashville to Louisville," Bruce told me. They worked hard to perfect the recipe in the kitchen of their Manny & Merle restaurant on Whiskey Row, spending six months developing a pressure-fried chicken coated in the signature spicy oil mixture. "We really listened to the palates of our guests," Bruce said, particularly those who'd developed a taste for the Nashville delicacy.
The projected menu for Joella's, currently available at Manny & Merle's.
Joella's will open later this summer at 3400 Frankfort Avenue (the old Tony Boombozz location). When I had the opportunity to sample their upcoming menu at Manny & Merle's, I was beyond thrilled. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint. The kale salad was light and tangy. The mac & cheese was creamy and delicious. The cole slaw had a refreshing Asian flare. The chicken was crispy and moist with that familiar zing. My beau hopes to go hotter with his next order; I'm chomping at the bits to try the chicken and waffles that I've been told to expect!
Thanks so much to Bruce and the team at Manny & Merle's for providing a sneak peek of their upcoming project! I can't wait to visit Joella's!
(Stay tuned for updates from Joella's and HerKentucky throughout the summer!)