LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A long-running Thanksgiving tradition in west Louisville is at the center of a clash between two Metro councilwomen, with one calling the event a “money grab” and the longtime organizer claiming it was “snatched” from him.
The Juice Bowl, a football and community event held since the 1950s, will still take place at Shawnee Park this Thanksgiving. But it will not be run by organizer Waddell Elliott, who says he discovered someone else had obtained the park permit when he attempted to file for it this year a few weeks ago.
“This is my baby and they snatched it right out from under us,” Elliott said.
Elliott says he called District 1 Councilwoman Donna Purvis when he learned the permit had already been issued. Purvis said: “Someone beat us to the punch and got the permit and they're calling it the Juice Bowl.”
The permit was obtained by District 5 Councilwoman Tammy Hawkins, whose district does not include Shawnee Park, which is in District 1. Hawkins says community members, including Rob Martin, who has served as Juice Bowl president in recent years, asked her to take over the event. This year she says it will be ran by Vision Group Marketing LLC.
“Apparently for the last 3 years it just not been what the community wanted to see,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins says her office will now fully fund the Juice Bowl, adding that vendors won’t pay fees and football teams will get in free, which is something she says did not happen in years past.
“The Juice Bowl has been a money grab... this Juice Bowl moving forward will be totally funded,” Hawkins said.
After losing the permit, Elliott planned to host a Juice Bowl at Flaget Field Park — but ultimately canceled.
Asked whether she understands why Elliott feels the event was taken from him, Hawkins responded: “The question is why haven't they reached out to me? They reached out to me when they needed a sponsorship.”
She also questioned Elliott’s timeline: “If you've been doing this for a million years I would say you'd be very productive. You wouldn't wait 2-3 weeks before the event to make a good product.”
Both sides say they have not spoken directly during the dispute.
“I’m not gonna be part of this. I will not be down here,” Elliott said.
This year’s Juice Bowl will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day at Shawnee Park, featuring more than 40 vendors, a kids' zone, a car show, free breakfast and football games. There will be no parade — a portion of the tradition typically overseen by District 5 — and Purvis says she will not host it.
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