Louisville Parks and Recreation is hosting an open house at the Joe Creason Park administration building, 1297 Trevilian Way, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

“Our department headquarters is a lovely sight to behold during the holiday season,” said Seve Ghose, director of parks and recreation. “We’d like to invite the public to come and see it in person, and also have the opportunity to discuss the issues that they see as important, with our professional staff.”

For the third consecutive year, the department will also be installing a “Wish Tree” in front of the building. In 2015 and 2016, approximately 1,000 visitors hung wishes for their hopes and dreams for the future on the Wish Tree, a 15-foot Dogwood located in front of the building, located off Trevilian Way across from the Louisville Zoo.

A mailbox located adjacent to the tree, holding pencils and tags to be used for the wishes, will be installed by the end of the week. Wishes can be hung at the tree through January. 

Also at the open house, the public will have the opportunity to meet several new members of the parks and recreation management team and weigh in on recent discussion topics with Director Ghose, including the department’s attempt to curb vandalism throughout the system and streamline its budget.

Light refreshments will be served. For more information, call 502-574-7275 or e-mail parks@louisvilleky.gov.

LNC's Holly and Ivy

If you're looking for a creative, natural idea for your group's holiday party, consider Holly and Ivy at the Louisville Nature Center. 

The center is the perfect setting to create your choice of a swag, wreath or table decoration from live greenery. Nature Center instructors will be on hand to assist, and the space comfortably holds 65 people. For more information, call 458-1328 or visit www.louisvillenaturecenter.org.

Louisville Parks and Recreation is accepting team registrations for its adult men’s winter basketball leagues. Games will be played Sunday afternoons at the Cyril Allgeier Community Center, 4101 Cadillac Court, beginning January 21, with game times of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 p.m.

The fee is $450 per team, and participants must be 18 or older. Deadline to register is January 12, or until leagues are filled.

For more information on how to register, please click here. 

All information concerning league offerings, rules, and team roster sheets can be found here. For more information, please contact Michael Wade at Michael.Wade@louisvilleky.gov or call 502/574-4515.

Meals on Wheels, a program for homebound seniors who have no means to prepare meals for themselves, is looking for a few good drivers this holiday season. 

Volunteers are needed to help drive and deliver the meals, write holiday cards and bring cheer to the seniors.

For more information on how to help, call 502-574-MEAL.

For the fan who enjoys attending sporting events year-round, the Louisville Sports Commission has just the ticket - its annual "Golden Ticket" raffle. Tickets are being made available just in time for last-minute holiday gifts, perfect for the ultimate sports fan.

This year's Golden Ticket raffle has been expanded to include four separate drawings for prizes-so chances of winning prizes are even greater. Winners of the first three drawings will be placed back in the pool for additional Golden Ticket prizes. So, the earlier a ticket is purchased, the more chances there are to win. A maximum of 400 tickets will be sold. Drawing dates and prizes are as follows:

Jan. 15, 2018
Two tickets to the University of Louisville vs. North Carolina basketball game on February 17, 2018

Feb. 12, 2018
Two tickets to the Paul Hornung Award Banquet on March 7, 2018

March 9, 2018
Two passes for a Churchill Downs Backside Tour on April 30, 2018

April 24, 2018
GRAND PRIZE - Two tickets for all of the following:

• 2018 Kentucky Oaks
• 2018 Kentucky Derby
• 2018-2019 - Your choice of regular season football and basketball home games for either the University of Louisville or the University of Kentucky
• 2018-2019 - Regular season basketball home games for the University of Louisville women's team
• 2018 Quaker State 400 at the Kentucky Speedway, Bluegrass Club
• 2018 Louisville Bats home games
• 2019 Paul Hornung Award Banquet

A total of 400 tickets will be sold at $100 each. The preliminary prize winners will be drawn at the Louisville Sports Commission's offices. The Grand Prize winner will be drawn on April 24 on WAVE 3 Listens. The winner does need not to be present to win.

To purchase a ticket, go to https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/X8dgB7cvDGg8ib?domain=louisvillesports.org, or contact Hadassah Chilton at 502-587-7767 or hchilton@louisvillesports.org. 

TARC and Brightside are partnering for the 19th annual Design-a-Bus contest. The winning artwork by schoolchildren will be featured on a bus that will travel in the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on Thursday May 3, and on TARC routes throughout the metropolitan region following Derby festivities.

This year, students are being asked to submit artwork focusing on key Brightside initiatives including daffodil and other plantings in public spaces, volunteer community clean-ups, litter abatement, and making Louisville overall a more clean, green city.

Students are encouraged to visit Brightside’s website, https://louisvilleky.gov/government/brightside/about-brightside to learn more and to get ideas for their artwork. Contest details are also at https://www.ridetarc.org/design-a-bus-contest

Deadline is March 2. 

Isabella is ready for a forever home! The four-year-old prefers to hang out in small, quiet spaces instead of lounging by the window because she’s shy. She’s also frightened by her new surroundings. Isabella may benefit from having fur siblings to boost her confidence. Lots of love, affection and a forever home for the holidays is what Isabella wants most.

All adoptions are free this month. Isabella has been spayed, microchipped and vaccinated. To adopt Isabella, visit Animal House Adoption Center 3516 Newburg Road, Tuesday through Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m., and Friday until 7 p.m. For more info, email animalservicesadoption@louisvilleky.gov.

Meet handsome Joey! The nearly two-year-old Labrador Retriever/Pit bull mix spends most of his time napping while he waits for a forever home. He thinks people are okay, but  prefers to spend his time experiencing new sights and smells. But even that can wait if there’s a tennis ball around! Joey likes to chase anything you toss in the air. He’s friendly, and it’s easy to get his attention with treats. Joey is a great candidate for a family pet or a single person looking for a forever friend. 

All adoptions are free this month. Joey has been neutered, microchipped and vaccinated. You can meet him at Animal House Adoption Center 3516 Newburg Road, Tuesday through Sunday, from noon to 6 p.m., and Friday until 7 p.m. Send questions about Joey to animalservicesadoption@louisvilleky.gov. 

Now is the time to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act:

To help people understand their options and enroll, in-person help is also available from unbiased, trained and certified application assistors: go to Getcoveredlou.org.

People can also enroll at  HealthCare.gov or at 1-800- 318-2596. The 2018 Open Enrollment Period runs through December 15, 2017. Plans sold during Open Enrollment start January 1, 2018.

The 7th Annual Give-A-Jam to End Homelessness will be held on Thursday, December 21 from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Clifton Center, 2117 Payne Street. The evening will feature performances by local musicians and artists, soups from Louisville’s best chefs, a silent auction and a cash bar. Admission is $25 in advance and $30 at the door, and includes $10 worth of food/drink tickets. Proceeds will benefit the Coalition for the Homeless’s efforts to end youth, veteran and chronic homelessness. For more information and to purchase tickets click here. Tickets may be available at the door, but the event has sold out in years’ past so advanced tickets are encouraged.

The all-star lineup of local musicians who are donating their time and talents to participate in the event include Ben Sollee, John and Geoff Gage, Daniel Martin Moore, The Tyrone Cotton Band, Johnny Berry and The Outliers, Aaron Bibelhauser and Grammy-nominated Michael Cleveland, Steve Cooley and Brigid Kaelin, Hound of the Buskervilles, Britton Patrick Morgan, Hot Brown Smackdown, Small Time Napoleon, The Eleventh Hour, and Appalatin.

Local restaurants including Fork & Barrel, The Exchange Pub & Kitchen, Crave Cafe and Catering, Against the Grain, The Irish Rover, Harvest, Chili’s, Jack Fry's, Shady Lane Café, Uptown Café, and Volare will provide an array of soups and stews.

Each of the musicians and restaurant chefs are donating their time and talents, and the event will be staffed entirely by volunteers to ensure that all proceeds go to support the Coalition for the Homeless’ efforts to end homelessness in our community.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.louhomeless.org.

Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services' LIHEAP Program is a federally funded program that provides financial assistance to help low-income residents pay utility bills. 

For details on how to apply, click here. 

Lead is a major health problem and has been found in homes in almost all areas of Metro Louisville. Even exposure to low levels of lead can permanently affect children.

Lead dust, which is invisible to the eye, can be found in window troughs and sills, on baseboards, doors and door jambs, floors, and bare spots in the yard. For more information, click here. If you would like to talk with a member of the Lead Safe Louisville Program team to see if you qualify for a FREE home inspection for lead hazards, please call 574-5850.     

Do you drive an electric car? Take an online survey of electric vehicle ownership and/or use in metropolitan Louisville. As part of the survey, respondents will be asked to suggest spots where they’d like to see more electric-vehicle charging stations placed in the community.

You can take the survey at the APCD’s website – https://louisvilleky.gov/government/air-pollution-control-district/drive-clean-louisville-electric-vehicle-survey – through December 31. 

MetroCall 311 

If you wish to make a MetroCall 311 request, please use the following contacts. You'll receive a service request number that will help the District 10 office assist you.

 You can contact MetroCall 311:

 - Email metrocall@louisvilleky.gov

- Visit www.louisvilleky.gov/metrocall where you can

• chat live with Metrocall
• fill out an online form for a 311 service request
• download the free mobile 311 application

 - Tweet @LouMetro311

 - Call 3-1-1 or 502-574-5000 

Louisville Metro Syringe Exchange Program sites: 

• Inside the Louisville Metro Public Department of Health & Wellness, 400 E. Gray St.; 

Look for the RV at: 

• Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3640 River Park Drive (37th and River Park), Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon; 
• 1455 Bicknell Ave. (corner of Bicknell and Taylor), Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 
• Behind the Lake Dreamland Fire Station, 4603 Cane Run Rd., Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
• Portland Family Health Center parking lot, 2215 Portland Ave., Fridays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For details, click here.

Permanent drug drop-off location: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, 531 Court Place. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For additional information dial 311.

Nar-Anon: Hope for Families (program for people who love someone with an addiction) meets at Mosaic UMC, 8008 St. Andrews Church Road, Mondays at 8 p.m. 

YMCA Safe Place provides referrals to kids, including those affected by a family overdose. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 502-635-5233. 

Volunteers of America offers expanded addiction recovery services to help battle the opioid crisis. VOA offers residential, outpatient services and transitional housing to men, women, and pregnant or parenting women. Call 502-635-4530 or go to www.voamid.org/addiction. 

Citizens may provide an anonymous tip: 

• By phone call to 574-LMPD (5673)
• By text to the 274637, or CRIMES. Just type LMPD, plus your tip
• Online by clicking here

Cell phone numbers are encrypted before they get to police, making tips virtually impossible to track. The anonymous texting feature allows people with tips to communicate with police in near-real time. Text tipsters can also collect rewards for significant information: it's done with the cooperation of banks that hand over the cash -- no questions asked -- to people who present a code issued by police.

Streetlight out? Here's how to report it

You can report streetlights to LG&E/KU by following this link: 

https://lge-ku.com/outages/report/streetlight

Business planning and advice for starting, relocating and expanding a business and access to financing opportunities, training and workforce development assistance are all available from Louisville Forward Economic Development by clicking here: 

Louisville Forward Small Business Development’s https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/services/small-business-development team of managers will help guide you to the resources and partner organizations that will best fit your needs. 

Kentuckiana Builds can prepare you for a quality profession like electrician, carpenter, fiber optic installer, welder and many more. Not only can we equip you with the hands-on skills you'll need for the job -- we can put you in contact with local employers who need those skills and are hiring.

Eligibility requirements include being at least 18 years old, eligible to work in the U.S., and having a valid driver's license and high school diploma or GED. 

The next Kentuckiana Builds Orientations, at Louisville Urban League, 1535 W. Broadway: 

• Tuesday, November 28 at 5:30 p.m. 
• Thursday, December 7 at 10 a.m. 
• Wednesday, December 13 at 10 a.m. 

Questions? Call 502.566.3371 or go to KentuckianaBuilds.org.

Kentuckiana Builds is a partnership between the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, the Louisville Urban League, and KentuckianaWorks.

Louisville Metro Solid Waste and Habitat for Humanity's ReStore accept partial cans of residential latex paint for recycling. The collected paint is reblended for sale in Habitat ReStore locations in Louisville, and money raised is reinvested in our community to create affordable home ownership opportunities. 

Note: paint must be latex only, and in usable condition. If the paint can is rusted shut, or if it doesn’t have a label, it will be declined.

Drop off latex paint during business hours at the following locations: 

Louisville Metro Staffed Recycling Centers, open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at: 595 Hubbards Lane, 7219 Dixie Highway and 7201 Outer Loop. 

Habitat for Humanity ReStore locations at 2777 S. Floyd Street, 4044 Taylorsville Road, and 1631 Rowan Street. For hours, visit louisvillerestore.com/. 

Note: any paint that is oil based or requiring paint thinner for cleanup is considered a hazardous material and should be taken to the HAZ BIN at 7501 Grade Lane, which is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Even if you don't live in a floodplain, you can still be at risk. More than 20 percent of all National Flood Insurance Program flood insurance claims are from areas outside the mapped high-risk areas. Just a few inches of water from a flood can cause tens of thousands of dollars in damage. Talk to your insurance agent or go to www.floodsmart.gov.