What a summer! From Bill Murray in a KY for KY tee to Cocaine Bear and tubin' on the creek, we've had some wild times and the fun keeps rolling on. Thanks for helping us make it epic, y'all!
It's been an action packed summer for us at Kentucky for Kentucky, y'all. So much epic-ness went down. So many good times. So much Kentucky kick-assery all around.
Cocaine Bear becomes top tourist attraction
For starters, our Kentucky Fun Mall mascot, Cocaine Bear, became one of Kentucky's top tourist destinations! If you haven't read the whole twisting, sorted tale of how we came into possession of the bear from "The Bluegrass Conspiracy" fame, you can read all about it here, and check out the segment from LEX-18 News below. We're also working on some awesome new Cocaine Bear gear. We'll share details soon.
Kentucky Fun Mall gets super-sized commercial
Speaking of the Fun Mall, we also made and launched the most kick-ass television commercial Kentucky the world has ever seen! The spot aired throughout July during The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and Saturday Night Live, and has racked up more than 300,000 views online. We even earned some great recognition from the likes of AdWeek, NPR, Mashable and locally from the Herald-Leader. Check out the spot below, and read the story of how this throw-back awesomeness came to be here.
Night Market lights up Northside Lexington
Business at the Fun Mall is booming, y'all! Come on down and check us out if you haven't already! We're open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, as well as during Night Market, held the first Friday of every month during summer and fall.
Rock out with your Southern Socks out!
We even dipped a toe into other states this summer with the launch of Southern Socks, an awesome new brand from KY for KY. Southern Socks features fresh state-pride designs for folks throughout the South. The brand is taking off, too, with more than 100 retailers and counting throughout the South and nearly 40,000 fans on Facebook.
Bill Murray sports "George Clooney is a Beautiful Man" tee
Over the Fourth of July weekend, Bill Murray was spotted wearing our "George Clooney is a Beautiful Man" shirt — while on a boat in Italy with George and Amal Clooney! The world went nuts with the meta-awesomeness of the whole thing, and the story garnered tons of press. We even made the front page of Reddit!
Kentucky for Kentucky represents at Forecastle
We were out and about at just about every summer festival, too, including as a sponsor of Forecastle Festival in Louisville's Waterfront Park, where we set up shop and hosted the first-ever Kentucky for Kentucky Derby. We even sent a plane trailing a "Kentucky Kicks Ass" banner flying over the festival grounds and across southern Indiana. Good times were had by all!
Tie dye Y'ALL for all y'all!
Speaking of festivals, our tie dye Y'ALL shirts changed the Y'ALL game this summer and were a hit at every event we attended. Each one is printed in-house, like all of our apparel, and then lovingly tie-dyed by our crew. Every one is unique, just like all you kick-ass Kentuckians!
Walking Dead mural makes big impression in Cynthiana
We also helped bring Portuguese street artist Sergio Odeith back to Kentucky to paint an epic Walking Dead mural in downtown Cynthiana, home of The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and original comic artist Tony Moore. The mural continues to attract The Walking Dead fans from all over the country and is a point of pride for the local community. It was completed in time to serve as an awesome backdrop for the first ever The Walking Dead Day celebration, which brought more than 20,000 people to downtown Cynthiana.
Lots of love for The Seer
And, a few weeks ago, we presented one of the very few exclusive preview screenings of The SEER: A Portrait of Wendell Berry at the Kentucky Theater in Lexington. The sold-out screening helped raise awareness for this beautiful film and the far-reaching impact of Wendell Berry's work, as well as The Berry Center.
Photo by Guy Mendes
First ever Totally Tubular Tube-A-Thon is a totally awesome time
And, to top it all off, we threw Kentucky for Kentucky's Totally Tubular Tube-A-Thon on the scenic Elkhorn Creek. The Tube-A-Thon was a first-of-its-kind celebration and a seriously fun time that brought out more than 1,000 Kentuckians for a day of tubing, camping and camaraderie on the creek. The Herald-Leader even ran this fun-soaked report. As the photos attest, it was epic. We can't wait to do it again with y'all next year!
We have tons of new ideas and gear headed your way this fall, so stay tuned. Thanks for your support! Y'all are the best.