Bourbon Heritage Month | Oktoberfest | Shawn Wayans

What's shaking Louisville? We hope that everyone is feeling refreshed after the long holiday weekend. This is Culture and Diversity reporter Jason Gonzalez and it's my first time writing the weekly features team newsletter. I'm stoked to share what my colleagues and I have been writing about all the things happening around Louisville.

And there's a lot. So, here's what popping:

What time is it? Bourbon time! For National Bourbon Heritage Month, food and dining reporter Dahlia Ghabour looks at how a single change kickstarted a new kind of Kentucky bourbon tourism. One of the most historic pieces of alcohol legislation ever passed, "it changed the way distilleries look at tourism" some in the industry say.

It's part of a six-part series the team wrote on the bourbon industry. You can read profiles on distilleries like New Riff, written by columnist Maggie Menderski or check out this dope interactive on 30+ distilleries to explore across the state put together by Features Editor Kathryn Gregory and features clerk Gege Reed.

And it doesn't stop there. Reed also breaks down 10+ bourbon events happening in and around Derby City in September for National Bourbon Heritage Month.

Oktoberfest is right around the corner and yours truly has all the details on the two-day festival kicking off this weekend at Louisville's popular German-American Club, 1840 Lincoln Ave. In addition to 20+ types of German beer, the festival will feature a variety of traditional foods for sale, including German potato salad, green beans, sauerkraut balls, schweinshaxe (roasted pork knuckle), pretzels, spätzle (a mac-n-cheese vegetarian dish) and schnitzel (breaded pork chops), along with things like grilled bratwurst with sauerkraut and red cabbage. Go hungry!

Looking for even more drinking events? You can be one with nature while throwing back a few cocktails at the Louisville Zoo. Breaking News Reporter Caleb Stultz breaks down what to know about the 21+ events, including its 2-for-1 drinks specials. You read right, so mark your calendar for Sept. 14 and Oct. 12.

Last but not least, features writer Kirby Adams caught up with comedian Shawn Wayans, one-half of the Wayans Brothers, and a part of the Wayans comedy family legacy, prior to him headlining four shows over two days at Louisville Comedy Club this weekend. Wayans, formerly a DJ known as "SW1” on the comedy show, "In Living Color," and from roles alongside his youngest brother Marlon Wayans in movies like "White Chicks," "Little Man," and the "Scary Movie" franchise, will be hitting the stage and doing stand-up comedy for the first time in the "Gateway to the South."

And that's what's popping in the 'ville.

— Jason Gonzalez

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bourbon Heritage Month | Oktoberfest | Shawn Wayans