Darla Carter

@PrimeDarla

A bourbon tasting event with a scenic view returns Saturday to help raise money for abused and neglected children in Louisville and nearby counties.

For the second year, Bourbon by the Bridge will be held at Waterfront Park, at the base of the Big Four Bridge, to support Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the River Region.

The nonprofit agency, serving Jefferson, Henry, Oldham, Trimble, Shelby and Spencer counties, recruits and trains community volunteers to be a voice for vulnerable children in family court. It helped 465 children last year and relies on charitable giving.

"Our organization is solely dependent on donations and fundraising events, so this (Bourbon by the Bridge fundraiser) is a pretty vital part of our yearly budget to keep the doors open," said CASA's development chair, Tammy Switow, the event's coordinator.

The bourbon theme was chosen because "bourbon has really taken off in the last couple of years," bringing people from all over the world to Kentucky, Switow said.

And with the popularity of the Big Four Bridge, "it just kind of made sense. Bourbon and the bridge: We should do 'em both together," she said.

Participating distilleries include Four Roses Bourbon, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Brown-Forman, Gruppo Campari (Wild Turkey & Russell's Reserve), Jefferson's (Castle Brands), Angel's Envy and Boundary Oak Distillery.

Jennifer Arnett, a bourbon ambassador for Jefferson's and Castle Brands, said the event was great last year, and she's looking forward to attending again. "People are so excited about that walking bridge" and attending a unique event, she said.

Along with bourbon, there will be food, including bourbon-inspired desserts, as well as jazz and a cash bar. There also will be a silent auction with University of Kentucky basketball tickets, one-day access to a Jockey Club Suite at Churchill Downs and other items.

More than 300 people attended the event last year, and CASA hopes there will be even more this time, especially now that the Indiana side of the bridge has opened. "This year, you'll be able to walk all the way across; that'll be kind of fun," Switow said. "Maybe we'll get some Indiana participants."

The inauguaral Bourbon by the Bridge raised about $25,000 to $30,000 for CASA, which has a lengthy waiting list of children needing assistance. "Kentucky is one of seven states that doesn't fund CASA, and so we get no state funding," said William Myers, the River Region's executive director.

Volunteers for CASA of the River Region represent one child at a time, staying with the child's case until he or she is "out of family court and in a safe, loving home," Myers said.

The organization has helped find adoptive parents for kids and has helped find natural parents who didn't know their child was going to be placed in foster care, he said.

"We always need more volunteers, and so getting the word out in the community to help more kids is what we want to do," Myers said. Bourbon by the Bridge seems like "a good way for us to raise awareness and support the agency."

At the event, which takes place under a tent, Heaven Hill will give guests the opportunity to taste Evan Williams Single Barrel bourbon, the Elijah Craig brand, a wheated bourbon called Larceny and a cocktail with Pama pomegranate liqueur.

CASA is "a great cause that we're always happy to support, and secondly, we're always happy to take advantage of opportunities to pour our products for people that want to try them," said Larry Kass, director of trade relations for Heaven Hill. "... It was great last year."

The Castle Brands will bring its eight-year bourbon — Jefferson's — and its 18-year bourbon, Jefferson's Reserve, as well as a bourbon cocktail called the bourbon slushee, which combines bourbon with sweet tea, lemonade and a splash of soda, Arnett said.

Offering a cocktail is good because "you do have a lot of folks that come to these events and are supportive of them, but they're not necessarily a bourbon drinker," she said. "This is kind of a way to ease into it" with "a refreshing summer cocktail to drink."

Reporter Darla Carter can be reached at (502) 582-7068 and on Twitter @PrimeDarla.

Bourbon by the Bridge

What: A bourbon tasting and fundraiser for CASA of the River Region

When: 6-9 p.m. Saturday

Where: Waterfront Park, near the Big Four Bridge

Cost: $75. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Go to www.bourbonbythebridge.com for more details.

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