LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Around 50 Fort Knox soldiers who returned from Afghanistan this winter will take part in a trolley hop along Frankfort Avenue March 30.
The University of Louisville and Frankfort Avenue Business Association teamed up to offer the event to welcome home the soldiers and their spouses, said Renee Finnegan, UofL’s executive director of military initiatives and partnerships.
More than 20 Frankfort Avenue shops and restaurants will offer discounts of up to 25 percent to participating Army couples who show their military ID, Finnegan said.
All of the soldiers are from Fort Knox’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. The team returned in December and January after serving 12 months in Afghanistan.
UofL will pick up the soldiers and spouses at Fort Knox on a chartered bus and take them to Crescent Hill United Methodist Church, where a 5:30 p.m. reception will kick off the night’s activities.
From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the couples will explore Frankfort Avenue on a free trolley, hopping on and off to shop and dine as they please.
The event is one of more than 30 military initiatives UofL has launched in recent months. In December, the university brought soldiers’ spouses to St. Matthews Mall for a Christmas shopping day and free lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.
UofL has signed partnerships with Fort Knox and the Kentucky National Guard to promote an ongoing professional exchange among soldiers and their families and the university.
Crescent Hill United Methodist Church is located at 201 S. Peterson Ave.
For more information, call Finnegan at 502-852-2153.