Stephen Foster Musical Opens 58th Season at Bardstown’s My Old Kentucky Home
‘The Wizard of Oz,’ Live at the Park concert series and Festival/Doo Dah Days add to fun
BARDSTOWN, KY – MAY, 2016 – Kentucky’s official outdoor drama, the Broadway musicalstyle ‚The Stephen Foster
Story,‛ has been twirling across
the outdoor stage inside
Bardstown’s My Old Kentucky
Home State Park for nearly 60
years. Opening night for the
show that includes such wellknown Foster tunes as ‚Oh
Susanna!,‛ ‚Camptown Races‛
and ‚My Old Kentucky Home‛ is Sat., June 11. Visit www.StephenFoster.com for details and
tickets.
Doo dah, doo dah
The Stephen Foster Festival and Downtown Bardstown Presents Doo Dah Days will kick things
off beginning at 11:30 a.m. on June 11: You’ll find ‚The Stephen Foster Story‛ singers, inspired
windows, themed food and more downtown, plus HarmonicaMania at the Farmers Market and
Dancing Through Time at Wickland. Dance the polka with the cast and learn the history of
America’s first composer and pop music star.
At 6:30 p.m., a pre-show celebration, featuring bluegrass music and performances by the
Stephen Foster cast, will take place under the stars at the J. Dan Talbott Amphitheater with the
opening night performance following at 8 p.m. The first 75 people will receive a free harmonica
and picnic food (BBQ sandwich, green beans, pasta salad plate or hot dog and chips) will be
available for purchase. There will be free beverages and a cash bar.
The musical will run on select dates, June 11
through Aug. 13. An indoor matinee is offered at 2
p.m. on Saturdays (except June 11 and Aug. 13). The
drama association’s second show is fan favorite
‚The Wizard of Oz.‛ Presented by Salt River
Electric, it will take to the stage on Thursday and
Saturday evenings, July 7 through Aug. 6. Follow
Dorothy and Toto over the rainbow and down the
Yellow Brick Road to the mysterious land of Oz
where they will be joined by Scarecrow, Tinman
and Lion.
Special ticket pricing is available: Purchase tickets to
see ‚The Stephen Foster Story‛ and ‚The Wizard of
Oz‛ in the same transaction and get half-price tickets for the second show. (NOTE: You must
call the box office at 800-626-1563 for discounts.)
Also taking place at the amphitheatre is the 2016 Budweiser Live at the Park concert series:
Captain Fantastic – The Magic of Elton John – Mon., June 20; The Brothers Osborne – Mon., July
8; The Monarchs – old time rock ‘n roll – Mon., Aug. 1; Jumping Jack Flash – a tribute to the
Rolling Stones – Fri., Aug. 26; and Rumours – a tribute to Fleetwood Mac – Fri., Sept. 9. Ticket
prices vary per concert; call 800-626-1563.
Fourth of July bash
The drama association’s Fourth of July Birthday Celebration will take place on Saturday, July 2.
Celebrate the birth of the United States and the ‚Father of American Music‛ with an evening of
fun and fireworks at My Old Kentucky Home State Park. Enjoy old-fashioned games, face
painting, a bounce house and more beginning at 6:30 p.m. Then take your seats and enjoy a
performance of ‚The Stephen Foster Story,‛ with a free cupcake at intermission for everyone.
After the show, sit back and relax as a spectacular fireworks show lights up the sky above the
amphitheater.
Make it a theatre weekend with a stay at one of Bardstown’s 18 distinguished bed and breakfast
inns, many of them located in the historic downtown area just a short drive away from the
amphitheatre. For more information about visiting Bardstown – the Bourbon Capital of the
World and the Most Beautiful Small Town in American – click www.VisitBardstown.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Billy Bass, Media & Development Coordinator, 502-348-5971; 800-626-1563
Stephen Foster Drama Association
Dawn Przystal, Vice President-Bardstown-Nelson County TCC, 800-638-4877 x 114
Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist & Convention Commission
PHOTO SHOWN
‚The Stephen Foster Story‛ – Kentucky’s Official Outdoor Drama – is now in its 57th year.
Photo: Stephen Foster Drama Association
Perennial crowd-pleaser ‚The Wizard of Oz‛ will be staged this summer by the Stephen Foster
Drama Association.
Photo: Stephen Foster Drama Association
HI- and LOW-RES photos available.
ABOUT BARDSTOWN, KY | Located in the heart of Kentucky Bourbon Country and situated at the
trailhead of the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, Bardstown is more familiarly known as the ‚Bourbon
Capital of the World.‛ It is home to six distilleries, including Barton 1792 and Willett Distillery, and these
four Kentucky Bourbon Trail® distilleries: Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam and Four Roses’ second
campus. Major attractions include the outdoor musical, ‚The Stephen Foster Story,‛ My Old Kentucky
Home State Park, the highly regarded Civil War Museum of the Western Theatre, My Old Kentucky
Dinner Train, The Kentucky Railway Museum and Whisky Magazine’s Visitor Attraction of the Year – the
Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History. Additionally, Bardstown has four 18-hole golf courses, three
wineries, two haunted tours and numerous religious attractions. Expedia selected Bardstown as one of
the ‚18 Most Interesting U.S. Destinations‛; Fodor picked it as one of ‚America’s Best Small Towns‛; and
AARP named it one of its ‚10 best small towns.‛ It led TheCultureTrip.com’s list of the ‚10 Most
Beautiful Towns in Kentucky‛ and was named the ‚Most Beautiful Small Town in America‛ in the Rand
McNally/USA Today 2012 ‚Best of the Road‛ contest. Bardstown landed in the top 20 of ‚America’s
Favorite Towns‛ by Travel + Leisure – which also recognized it as having one of ‚America’s Most
Beautiful Town Squares.‛ In 2013, Bardstown was designated a certified Kentucky Cultural District, one
of only six Kentucky cities to achieve this honor. www.facebook.com/BardstownKY