Jaxon Lee Swain has been a Portland resident since 2015, but he’s been working with sonaBLAST! Records since 2011, after a stint managing the local music section at beloved and departed Louisville record store Ear-X-Tacy for many years. When the shop closed, he asked if the label needed any help, and he’s been there ever since.
Author: Elijah Humble
elijah.humble@portlandanchor.com
Rosetta Chapel Opens Its Doors to Spread Gospel of Music in Portland
For the past couple years, fans of independent and underground music from all over Louisville have discovered a hidden treasure near 20th and Main Street in Portland: the Rosetta Chapel, a performance space which has hosted dozens of bands of all varieties, and also happens to be the home of Daniel Barber, a multi-media sculpture artist. He started out having dance parties with his friends, and the scene organically expanded into serving as a home for live music. The home’s namesake, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, is the “godmother of rock and roll,” the gospel blues singer and guitar innovator from the 1930s and ‘40s who influenced the likes of Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Tina Turner and Elvis Presley. The striking mural on the side of the church was created by prominent local artist Damon Thompson, whose work can be found on urban spaces all over Louisville.
Brolly’s Bodega Opens on Griffiths
Portland residents bemoaning the lack of dining and grocery options in the neighborhood now have another location to try. Brolly’s Bodega, at 2441 Griffiths Avenue, opened in late July, offering up not only grocery items like chips and snacks, toiletry and cleaning items and school supplies, but also a full menu of burgers, wings and fries. And perhaps most significantly, aside from kitchen hours, Brolly’s will be open 24/7.
Nardie’s Education Continues at Now-Defunct Black Trade School
We pick up Nardie’s story as he graduates from Shawnee High School in 1970 (“which was 75% white” at the time, he said). He capitalized on a phenomenal scholarship opportunity to go to the West Kentucky Technical College in Paducah, where he lived in a dorm with around 500 other students.
Schoppenhorst Chapel Continues to Serve Portland Community After 100 Years
Readers of the Portland Anchor know the value and importance of the monthly obituaries. The warmth and humanity that these brief articles convey goes a long way towards demonstrating the pulse of a neighborhood, the deep bonds of generations of families and the unique details and personality traits that made someone’s life special. “It’s hard to summarize someone’s life in such a small snippet,” said pastor Joey Hightower, who serves part time at the Legacy Funeral Center Schoppenhorst Chapel at 1832 West Market Street. “It’s like going back in time, and it’s amazing to be part of such a rich history and staple in community for more than 100 years,” Joey said.
The Table Nears 10-Year Anniversary As Portland Community Cornerstone
For team members John and Tara, who have been with the Table from the beginning, serving amazing quality food at affordable prices is only a small part of the goal. With the ten-year anniversary coming up — surviving and thriving when many restaurants in Louisville have come and gone — when asked what they’ve learned over ten years, John first joked that “we’re hardheaded, so I don’t know if we’ve learned much,” but said in the end it all comes back to serving the community and helping others.
Ed “Nardie” White Shares Portland Memories
“Portland was a closed community in a big metropolitan city. When you think about Louisville, you think about it as a big metropolitan city. But Portland was a definite city that was a community of its own. You had a pocket on Short Street. You had a pocket at St. Xavier. Owen Alley up here…that was a pocket. Those were all Black families. So we lived in clusters all around Portland. We lived in this 20-block radius. I lived between 21st street to 29th Street, that was my core area where I lived, and everybody knew everybody from generations.”
DELTA Foundation Receives WEOP Funding, “Not Going Anywhere” Says Founder
The DELTA (Developing Educated Leaders Through Athletics) Foundation has planted a footprint at 2508 Portland Avenue, expanding its sports and study programs with more than a dozen other mostly non-profit organizations within its massive property. The organization recently won $50,000 in funding through the WEOP (West End Opportunity Partnership) TIF (Tax Increment Financing) District.
Lafayette Celebration Draws Big Crowd on Rudd
Chants rang out on Rudd Avenue on Saturday, May 11th as Portland celebrated the 200th anniversary of The Marquis De Lafayette’s visit to Portland on May 11th, 1825. The day’s celebrations began at Good Shepherd Church. On the corner of Rudd Ave. and Cedar Grove Terrace, beneath the Portland Mooring Rings, a commemorative plaque was unveiled.
AMPED Tech and Learning Station Nears Completion
Portland residents may have noticed that construction is coming along at 1701 Market Street, site of a new facility designed to train tech workers in West Louisville and address workforce shortages within different areas of the information technology (IT) industry. AMPED stands for “Adventurous Minds Produce Extraordinary Dreams”, and “is a family-oriented ecosystem that emphasizes creativity and self-sustainability through music, education, technology, and business,” according to its website.