Speaker 1: Happy Friday, everybody. That's right, we've made it to Friday.
Speaker 2: Here.
Speaker 1: It is Kentucky in his morning news coffee and company
Speaker 1: with you here on news radio eight forty whas. And
Speaker 1: we now bring in the Mayor of Louisville, mister Craig Greenberg. Craig,
Speaker 1: how are we doing on this Friday morning.
Speaker 2: I'm doing very well. I always love when it's hot
Speaker 2: rod weekend. I own a nineteen seventy four Cadillac El
Speaker 2: Dorado convertible white with red leather, so going out and
Speaker 2: seeing the hot rods over the weekend is always one
Speaker 2: of rachel My favorite things to do.
Speaker 1: Yes, and it's another reminder with us being here in
Speaker 1: the studios at four Street Live, they're prepared for a
Speaker 1: bigger crowd this weekend, and certainly I would say that
Speaker 1: event has a lot to do with it. But yeah,
Speaker 1: there's a lot of vehicle. It's such a just to
Speaker 1: see how much work and how much of a passion
Speaker 1: it is for these folks who own these really really
Speaker 1: cool cars. So yeah, certainly exciting weekend here, and we've
Speaker 1: got a big race tomorrow coming up, the Mayor Thon
Speaker 1: Race Series race the Runway five point two similar to
Speaker 1: it to five k. But tell us a little bit
Speaker 1: about this race. I know it's one of a few
Speaker 1: and it gets started here and people can still sign
Speaker 1: up if they want to.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, Nick. You know, I love to run,
Speaker 2: and I have found that it's not just great for
Speaker 2: physical health, but also for my mental health. And so
Speaker 2: most days I wake up and I get an early
Speaker 2: morning run in and I just find that to be
Speaker 2: a wonderful way to start today. And so I started
Speaker 2: a Mayorthon race theories thanks to Planet Fitness, who's been
Speaker 2: sponsoring this. The Planet Fitness Mayorthon. We have four runs
Speaker 2: and the first one starts tomorrow. I know it's been
Speaker 2: hot all week long, it looks like it's going to
Speaker 2: be cool tomorrow, but it's a really cool event. I
Speaker 2: wanted to try to find some race options where people
Speaker 2: could go and do things that they otherwise couldn't do.
Speaker 2: And this is literally you get to run on the runway.
Speaker 2: That's right. Bowman Field closes down for about an hour
Speaker 2: or so and the roughly five k race is on
Speaker 2: the runway at bowman Field and it's not competitive, So
Speaker 2: if you want, I mean, we of course time it
Speaker 2: and we've got to finish your things. But if people
Speaker 2: want to walk, that's okay too. We want to welcome
Speaker 2: families and runners and walkers of all abilities all times
Speaker 2: to just really enjoy the outdoors and really have a
Speaker 2: unique experience of running on an airplane runway. We had
Speaker 2: the first one last year. This is the second one.
Speaker 2: Registration's going great and it's a really cool event. My
Speaker 2: entire family and I cannot wait for it. We have
Speaker 2: some other three more events coming up over the coming
Speaker 2: months as well as part of the Planet Fitness mayor
Speaker 2: Thon Race series.
Speaker 1: I totally agree with you when it comes to running
Speaker 1: really being good for the mind. I enjoy running more
Speaker 1: so for that aspect other than anything. Certainly helps keep
Speaker 1: you in shave and whatnot. But when did you get
Speaker 1: when did running become certainly just a a big thing
Speaker 1: to you? Obviously you've done it for a long time,
Speaker 1: and I know Louisville fans really got a kick out
Speaker 1: of you and Josh Hurd running together a few times,
Speaker 1: in fact more than a few times. That was really
Speaker 1: cool to see.
Speaker 2: Well, and I'll tell you also, I can't really run
Speaker 2: with Josh anymore because he is far too far too fast.
Speaker 2: For me, He'll be having a full conversation and I
Speaker 2: can barely get yes or no answers at when we
Speaker 2: run together. He is an amazing runner, but we are
Speaker 2: Josh and I are pairing up to teaming up with
Speaker 2: U of L and us on the final race of
Speaker 2: this Mayrathon race series is going to be a new
Speaker 2: one called Through the vill and so it's going to
Speaker 2: be on a Saturday morning. I think it's in November,
Speaker 2: where you're going to race through u of l's campus,
Speaker 2: run through u of l's campus, or walk through ul's campus.
Speaker 2: And so I'm excited to work with Josh and U
Speaker 2: of L Athletics and the university on that. But I
Speaker 2: started running in law school. I was up in the
Speaker 2: Boston area and it happened to be the one hundredth
Speaker 2: anniversary of the Boston Marathon, and so I rode my
Speaker 2: bike with some law school friends to go watch the
Speaker 2: Boston Marathon. And it was the one year that you
Speaker 2: did not have to qualify for Boston. Normally you do
Speaker 2: with a very fast time. This was one hundredth anniversary.
Speaker 2: They took a lot of entries and I saw a
Speaker 2: lot of people that looked far more out of shape
Speaker 2: than me, even though I really wasn't in shape running
Speaker 2: a marathon, and I said I could do this, and
Speaker 2: I literally, on my way back to my law school apartment,
Speaker 2: I stopped off. I bought my first pair of running shoes.
Speaker 2: I started running in Boston, and that fall I ran
Speaker 2: the marathon. I ran the New York City Marathon, and
Speaker 2: I ran two marathons at that point in time in
Speaker 2: my life, the New York and Chicago. I've been running
Speaker 2: ever since. No desire to do another marathon right now.
Speaker 2: I love the minis each year, but I've been running
Speaker 2: for over about twenty five years now.
Speaker 1: I tell you what, I don't know anybody that has
Speaker 1: ever trained for even a five k, and certainly a
Speaker 1: mini or maybe a marathon that regretted it afterwards, because
Speaker 1: you really challenge yourself to get prepared for it. If
Speaker 1: in fact, you do prepare yourself for it, you're certainly
Speaker 1: better off doing that. But yeah, I did the Triple
Speaker 1: Crown of Races a few years back and need to
Speaker 1: get back into it. I won't be able to make
Speaker 1: it this weekend, but I've been I've been encouraged by
Speaker 1: some others to join these other races, and I think
Speaker 1: I'm going to do it. Should be, should be a
Speaker 1: lot of fun.
Speaker 2: Definitely will come on out and I know you'll love in,
Speaker 2: particularly through the zill One.
Speaker 1: That's all I absolutely so. I'm going to use this word.
Speaker 1: You may not use it, but Louisville dominated the USA
Speaker 1: Today's ten Best Attractions list, and I'm not totally surprised
Speaker 1: by this, but to see that we are the only
Speaker 1: city that can claim for of our tourist attractions essentially
Speaker 1: for sports fans, is in this top ten with Churchill Downs,
Speaker 1: Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory, Muhammad Ali Center, and the
Speaker 1: Kentucky Derby Museum. I would be curious, and I'm not
Speaker 1: asking you to answer the question by any means, but
Speaker 1: I don't know, people realize that we have some really
Speaker 1: cool stuff right here in our hometown that people not
Speaker 1: only take in when they're in Louisville, they come to
Speaker 1: Louisville to experience it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, tourism is a huge industry for us.
Speaker 2: We have gotten That's what I think is one of
Speaker 2: our secret sauces, you know, because every year we've got
Speaker 2: great practice hosting the world for the Kentucky Derby, and
Speaker 2: now we're hosting the world every fall for Bourbon and
Speaker 2: Beyond and Louder than Life. Those weeks have become as
Speaker 2: big or actually bigger than Derby, and this year we're
Speaker 2: gonna have probably over seventy thousand people one night Louder
Speaker 2: than Life. Last year we set records with Bourbon and Beyond,
Speaker 2: and so we are well prepared to welcome the world
Speaker 2: all of the time, whether it's for the Street Rods
Speaker 2: this week, you know some of these other events. Just
Speaker 2: a couple of weeks ago had the largest basketball tournament
Speaker 2: in the world with the Run for the Roses, a
Speaker 2: women's basketball tournament out at the Expo Center. That that
Speaker 2: is what we do wonderfully. And we've got some great
Speaker 2: amenities that are in many cases historic, and you've got
Speaker 2: the historic Church Will Downs, you've got Louisville Slugger and
Speaker 2: everything that has meant for our at least baseball history,
Speaker 2: but even more than baseball, it's it's become an icon.
Speaker 2: And then of course you know the center that really
Speaker 2: that is just so wonderful to have in our community,
Speaker 2: honoring the goat Muhammad Aldi Center that does an amazing
Speaker 2: job and Lannie and Devon and that whole team have
Speaker 2: really done wonders. They've got great plans for the future.
Speaker 2: So and then the Derby Museum. If you haven't seen
Speaker 2: the new film at the Derby Museum, it's really spectacular
Speaker 2: to give you goose bumps. So we have and there's
Speaker 2: more too. You know. We just have great events and
Speaker 2: we'd love to welcome the world here. And I'm excited
Speaker 2: about some of the things that we were competing for
Speaker 2: right now that I hope we win and can announce
Speaker 2: that are going to continue to bring people here. You know.
Speaker 2: In twenty twenty eight, we've got the Solheim Cup. That's
Speaker 2: the women's version of the Ryders Cup. That's going to
Speaker 2: be another spectacular event at Valhalla, only in Louisville.
Speaker 1: I tell you what, as a proud Liavillion myself, when
Speaker 1: I see the comments from the club that came here
Speaker 1: and played against lu City FC over the weekend from
Speaker 1: Germany to hear them really not know what to expect
Speaker 1: about Louisville, but really seemingly very genuinely impressed and really
Speaker 1: loved it. I mean that's got to make you happy
Speaker 1: as the mayor, right.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, and have a chance to meet a few
Speaker 2: of those folks from Atrak Frankfurt, and you could tell
Speaker 2: they were just blown away. They're traveling around the US
Speaker 2: this summer, they're seeing a lot of different places, but
Speaker 2: they know there's something special here in Louisville. And that's
Speaker 2: another area of soccer where I'm hoping we can grow too.
Speaker 2: We had a record breaking event with the US women's
Speaker 2: national team last fall. We are a potential home based
Speaker 2: city for the World Cup next year when it comes
Speaker 2: to America. So that's another area I'm hoping that the
Speaker 2: teams come back next summer as well. The crowds were
Speaker 2: out for that. There were eleven thousand people at Lynn
Speaker 2: Familey Stadium last week watching on Track Frankfurt play aston
Speaker 2: Villa in the Premier League team. It was wonderful.
Speaker 1: Mayor Krek Greenberg Jeremy joins me here on news Radio
Speaker 1: eight forty whas some news last week that I think
Speaker 1: was a surprise to a lot of people, and certainly
Speaker 1: the reaction was I guess different depending on who you
Speaker 1: talked to. But the Kentucky Oaks Race is making the
Speaker 1: move from a late afternoon race to being under the
Speaker 1: lights at night in primetime on NBC. How is this move,
Speaker 1: what are the expectations as far as impact. Obviously there's
Speaker 1: some local businesses as far as restaurants that may be
Speaker 1: a little worried about the crowd not being what it
Speaker 1: has been typically. But just your thoughts on sort of
Speaker 1: this move and what it could mean for the city
Speaker 1: of Louisville on that week, really just of Derby week here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, let's start with the incredible positive news, which
Speaker 2: is that Louisville is going to be in the national
Speaker 2: spotlight for two straight days on primetime in NBC. The
Speaker 2: Kentucky Oaks Race is going to be run, There's going
Speaker 2: to be a full hour coverage talking about our city,
Speaker 2: about Churchill Downs. It's going to make the Derby an
Speaker 2: even bigger internationally iconic event. And so for all those reasons,
Speaker 2: it's wonderful for the Derby, it's wonderful for Churchill Downs,
Speaker 2: it's wonderful for the city of Louisville and the state
Speaker 2: of Kentucky. So that's the great news. You know, it's
Speaker 2: definitely a big change, and Derby is big business for
Speaker 2: local businesses in our city, particularly in the hospitality industry,
Speaker 2: which we've just just been talking about. So this change
Speaker 2: is going to have an impact on locals. We're going
Speaker 2: to be encouraging locals to dine out on Oaks Night continue.
Speaker 2: If you're not out at the track, it's a good
Speaker 2: opportunity to go out on Oaks Night when you otherwise
Speaker 2: might not have. I've been speaking with folks from the
Speaker 2: Restaurant Association here to figure out other ways that we
Speaker 2: can continue to promote local restaurants on Derby week and
Speaker 2: then really all year round as well. I mean, Louisville
Speaker 2: is a foody city. We have amazing restaurants. We've got
Speaker 2: amazing places, whether it's bars and restaurants to enjoy of
Speaker 2: all sorts. So I hope people really continue to support
Speaker 2: our local restaurants and we'll work with it. You know,
Speaker 2: habits will change. People get into the habit of doing
Speaker 2: Derby Weekend a certain way. That's going to be a
Speaker 2: little bit different now and there'll be a new normal.
Speaker 2: But I'm I'm optimistic that it is going to continue
Speaker 2: to grow for everyone, including local businesses and restaurants.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I think it'll be a positive for everybody involved.
Speaker 1: And I wouldn't pretend to know what typical crowds that
Speaker 1: you see on Oaks Night at all the various great
Speaker 1: restaurants that we do have, but there's a lot of places.
Speaker 2: It's probably the biggest night of the year.
Speaker 1: But it's tough to get a table, Craig on any
Speaker 1: Saturday and some of these places or a Friday. So
Speaker 1: I'm thinking if we're talking about the week of Derby,
Speaker 1: when people are here, like I mean, I don't think
Speaker 1: those tables are going to be empty, but I'm with you,
Speaker 1: I think it'll be Yeah, And you're right. The spotlight there,
Speaker 1: I mean, that's really that really shows what NBC the
Speaker 1: sees of what they get out of the Churchill, out
Speaker 1: of the Derby, and clearly they know that there's some
Speaker 1: real value there with Oaks and certainly putting a bigger
Speaker 1: spotlight on this city is great. One more thing I
Speaker 1: wanted to mention, Craig. I don't know if this was
Speaker 1: something you planned on doing, it was an initiative for you,
Speaker 1: but I just wanted to share with you that I
Speaker 1: know it does not go unnoticed and unappreciated. I know
Speaker 1: you've been in a lot of these camps across the
Speaker 1: city of Louisville with former athletes, some of them that
Speaker 1: played for U of L, some didn't, and you know
Speaker 1: Deanta Parker obviously, D'Angelo, Russell, Josh Minkin's and they have
Speaker 1: these these camps that they put on for kids and
Speaker 1: they give back to the community. And I know, you
Speaker 1: being there and sort of honoring them, that has only
Speaker 1: given them more I guess, incentive to feel proud of
Speaker 1: being from Louisville and want to use their platform and
Speaker 1: their success to help the community. I just want, I
Speaker 1: think that's really cool that you're doing that. But is
Speaker 1: that just I mean, did that come natural? I know
Speaker 1: it's probably not getting as much attention as maybe maybe
Speaker 1: it should in my opinion, But I just know some
Speaker 1: of these guys, they that means a lot to them
Speaker 1: to be from Louisville. We so often just think about
Speaker 1: red Blue Louisville, Kentucky, and there's some guys who played
Speaker 1: here transferred out. Are some guys like D'Angelo that that
Speaker 1: didn't play here. But to get you know, the honor
Speaker 1: from the mayor, I mean that goes long way.
Speaker 2: Well. I actually give credit on this one to my
Speaker 2: wife Rachel. It was her idea that we first. Of
Speaker 2: course she got connected. I think Davante was the first
Speaker 2: one and got connected with Davante and some of his
Speaker 2: friends that had common friends with Rachel, and so it
Speaker 2: was her idea to go support them at the camp,
Speaker 2: and you know, we became good friends with Davonte and
Speaker 2: Ali and some of his crew and his family, and
Speaker 2: then we just got to know others. And DeAngelo and
Speaker 2: his family do amazing things for our city. They've done
Speaker 2: wonderful things at Algonquin Park and for kids around here.
Speaker 2: And then this year we got to meet josh Mincoln's
Speaker 2: and his family and that and that was wonderful. He's
Speaker 2: a fellow Ballad grad like me, and he's you know,
Speaker 2: the fact that he is getting ready for training camp
Speaker 2: and still here in Louisville giving back to kids with
Speaker 2: what was an amazing football day at Low City was great.
Speaker 2: And his parents family does stuff year round. As a
Speaker 2: matter of fact, Rachel was just talking to his mom
Speaker 2: last night because she is doing a part of a
Speaker 2: big back to school event tomorrow at the Republic Bank
Speaker 2: YMCA on eighteenth and Broadway where they're giving away backpacks
Speaker 2: and other school supplies and things that thousands of kids.
Speaker 2: If people are interested in that it's at the Republic
Speaker 2: Bank Foundation why tomorrow. So really, these folks, these these
Speaker 2: former local hometown athletes that still have a place for
Speaker 2: Louisville and their homes. It's really heartwarming to see them
Speaker 2: giving back. And whether they're athletes or others, we really
Speaker 2: like to support people who are giving back to their community.
Speaker 2: And so that's what's done it And in the process
Speaker 2: we have met so many wonderful people. These guys and
Speaker 2: their families are really wonderful people, and so now I
Speaker 2: think it's important to support them and to acknowledge and
Speaker 2: thank them good stuff.
Speaker 1: And I know some of them maybe didn't necessarily expect it,
Speaker 1: and again, I just think it's only going to encourage
Speaker 1: more to do what they're doing. As far as if
Speaker 1: you have a platform, you have a reach, and you
Speaker 1: can help out, you know, that can go a long way.
Speaker 1: But Craig, you've been gracious with your time. I really
Speaker 1: do appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend and we'll talk soon,
Speaker 1: my friend.
Speaker 2: All right, take care next every right weekend? Bye.
Speaker 1: All right, that's Louisville may Or Craig Greenberg. We got
Speaker 1: to get to a quick time out and get to
Speaker 1: an update for you on the roadways. We'll take a
Speaker 1: look at how the traffic is out there. Bobby Ellis
Speaker 1: will get us caught up. We'll get a look at
Speaker 1: the forecast from at Melosovich and keep it rolling along.
Speaker 2: Here.
Speaker 1: It's a Friday morning on news radio. Wait forty whas
Speaker 1: all right, final segment for us here on a Friday morning.
Speaker 1: It is Kentucky and it's morning news. Coffee and company
Speaker 1: with you. We'll hand it off to Tony and Dwight
Speaker 1: here shortly, and mister Venetti is with me as well,
Speaker 1: John Shannon, and Uh, I don't know it's gonna be
Speaker 1: the same for you as it was for me, But
Speaker 1: I feel I feel like I was deprived today of
Speaker 1: Tom to just yap on this microphone because we had heavy, heavy, spot,
Speaker 1: heavy spots today, and I just hope it it's not.
Speaker 1: I guess that's good for business, right.
Speaker 3: Uh, yes, we're not. We're not gonna talk about commercials.
Speaker 1: So we're not gonna because you're the one that talks
Speaker 1: on every commercial that's on this station.
Speaker 3: No, I was gonna say the weather, it's amazing what
Speaker 3: you get used to a degrees and when it gets
Speaker 3: to be eighty We're like, this is fantastic. And I've
Speaker 3: always shocked how many events are going on on the
Speaker 3: weekend in this city. The Cuban Festival is Sunday here
Speaker 3: down at four Street Live. You have the Chicken and
Speaker 3: Beer Fest at Tom Sawyer and you have Booze on
Speaker 3: Tom Sawyer Park for the first time ever. You have
Speaker 3: the hot Rod Show going on. You have the Holy
Speaker 3: Trinity Catholic Picnic come on happening this weekend. There's always
Speaker 3: a million things going on.
Speaker 1: I tell you what, the hot Rod I get more
Speaker 1: fascinated with that event every year, and really just what
Speaker 1: that culture is mostly older gentlemen.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's got a demo' I love.
Speaker 1: Hearing them and I'm not making fun at anything because
Speaker 1: my step my stepdad, he's had two different hot rods
Speaker 1: that have been in the event, and you know he's
Speaker 1: he loves it. But when you hear the TV stations
Speaker 1: interview these guys that are there every year, and I
Speaker 1: mean to hear them talk about what they've put into
Speaker 1: the vehicle, how much it means to them, the passion,
Speaker 1: Like maybe it's corny, I eat that stuff up, but
Speaker 1: like you can tell this is these are their babies
Speaker 1: and it's their time to show it off in front
Speaker 1: of everybody else.
Speaker 3: Do you know how many marriages have been saved by
Speaker 3: this hobby?
Speaker 1: I had never thought about it.
Speaker 3: The man is in the garage working, she's the wife
Speaker 3: is safe. This his wife, the wife is happy. Please
Speaker 3: get a hobby. You need to get out of my face.
Speaker 3: And look, if you're gonna stay married for fifty years,
Speaker 3: you gotta have a hobby. And if you can include her,
Speaker 3: if she gets in and on it, then this is
Speaker 3: the key to happiness. Right and be part of something
Speaker 3: bigger than yourself is what I always say. But this
Speaker 3: and that community is. And so if you have to.
Speaker 3: If you're working on a sixty nine Camaro whatever, and
Speaker 3: you're working on the button seats and all that, and
Speaker 3: you're out in the garage and she's in the kitchen
Speaker 3: doing whatever. In this old fashioned kind of family, you
Speaker 3: got a hobby. You're not in each other's face, you're
Speaker 3: happy together. Those kind of things keep a marriage together.
Speaker 3: People that don't have hobbies, they don't do anything else.
Speaker 3: They're sitting there staring at each other, going what's on
Speaker 3: Netflix tonight?
Speaker 1: You need a passion project. I mean, you need something
Speaker 1: something too that you can kind of get lost in.
Speaker 1: And some people choose church.
Speaker 3: They get knee deep in church. Tony Kruz called me
Speaker 3: the other day on his way to the Liar's Club.
Speaker 3: Who's that who Tony Kruz as a guy, used to
Speaker 3: do morning. Yeah, he's good.
Speaker 1: I'm kidding. I miss you, Tony, I love you.
Speaker 3: But he has the he has the He has the
Speaker 3: coolest name for a club, the Liars Club at his church.
Speaker 3: It's a bunch of old dudes that drink coffee and
Speaker 3: eat donuts and just go they talk about man stuff. Know.
Speaker 1: Is this since retirement?
Speaker 3: Yeah?
Speaker 1: Awesome? Good for him because I I mean I knew
Speaker 1: he would find something to do, maybe drive Penny crazy,
Speaker 1: but that that's perfect for him.
Speaker 3: Yes, you gotta find something now. I won't be able
Speaker 3: to fish because I'm not I don't have the temperament
Speaker 3: to do.
Speaker 1: Your your former uh, your former partner here in radio
Speaker 1: for many years in many stations. Jennings. He's bowler like
Speaker 1: that is a big thing, right, very good bowler fishing.
Speaker 1: And honestly, I tell you what that's got People probably
Speaker 1: don't even realize it, but a lot of these men
Speaker 1: golf is their thing.
Speaker 3: Oh yeah, and that's a six hour day, you know,
Speaker 3: and you're with the guys and all that stuff. Jennings
Speaker 3: was always Jennings was more athletic than you believed, but
Speaker 3: he was always the last person picked because you look
Speaker 3: over at him with a big head, he's kind of
Speaker 3: sure it doesn't look athletic. He's always last picked. He
Speaker 3: always is one of the best players on whatever team
Speaker 3: we played on.
Speaker 1: I have I have a hard time believing that, but
Speaker 1: also I know you wouldn't make that up, because that's
Speaker 1: why I swear.
Speaker 2: I swear.
Speaker 1: All Right, we're out of time, and I'm out here
Speaker 1: for a week. I'm gonna be out on vacation, so
Speaker 1: you'll be in good hands. Tony Dwight coming your way
Speaker 1: next right here on news radio forty w BHAs