This week on Hardin Local Weekly: National Small Business Week meets Donato's Pizza Elizabethtown's one-year anniversary with owner Phillip Justice, plus a no-stress Mother's Day weekend game plan, fresh Hardin County housing numbers, and five Business Buzz stories — Towne Mall's 8-figure renovation, JD Sports replacing Finish Line, Visionworks relocating, Cubano in Radcliff, and a new German-American cafe coming to N. Mulberry.

Chapters:0:00 - Introduction & Icebreaker12:46 - Events with Jon O'Brien23:18 - Housing Market Update32:18 - Business Buzz with Nate Bryan48:30 - The Experienced Eater - Donato's Pizza One-Year Anniversary1:05:36 - Closing & Final CTAs

Hosted by Rachel Brantingham, Phil Taul, and Scott Lucas, with Jon O'Brien (Events), Nate Bryan (Business Buzz), and Britten & Michele McDowell (The Experienced Eater).

24 of our 28 Hardin County 2026 Primary Election interviews are live — sorted by race at HardinLocal.com. Primary is Tuesday, May 19.

Visit HardinLocal.com for show notes, links, and more.

#HardinLocal #HardinCounty #Elizabethtown #LocalPodcast #SmallBusinessWeek #KentuckyPodcast

Hardin Local Weekly S2026E18 — recorded live April 28, 2026. Rachel Brantingham leads with the full crew back: Phil Taul, Scott Lucas, Jon O'Brien, Nate Bryan, and Britten & Michele McDowell of The Experienced Eater.

No outside guest this week. Instead — Rachel sits down with Phil for a Hardin Local Election Spotlight on the Primary Interview series. Ten interviews already aired in five days; Wednesday's marathon adds thirteen more. The series is fully sponsored by Omni Design Group and The Plumbing Doctor — both stepped up to make sure every contested-primary candidate gets a free, fair, non-partisan seat on the show before the May 19 primary.

Rachel also pulls Jon aside before the events block for an inspirational beat on something he just finished: 75 Hard. Two daily 45-minute workouts (one outdoors no matter the weather), no alcohol, no cheats, daily progress photo, 10 pages of nonfiction a day, a gallon of water — 75 straight days. Miss any of it and you start over from day one.

Plus: Jon's full events lineup heading into Derby Saturday. Rachel's housing update. Nate Bryan's Business Buzz with the Domino's-at-Publix paper trail, Donato's first anniversary, Nothing Bundt Cakes opening, and Big Sandy officially confirmed for the Movie Palace location. And Britten & Michele do a live reaction — narrating in real time over a raw video Britten shot at Backstreet Cafe in Muldraugh on German night.

⏱️ CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro + Icebreaker14:17 - 75 Hard Inspirational Interview - Rachel x Jon20:20 - Events with Jon O'Brien29:35 - Business Buzz with Nate Bryan40:14 - Hardin Local Election Spotlight - Rachel x Phil47:52 - Housing Market Update54:33 - The Experienced Eater - Backstreet Cafe (Muldraugh)1:03:44 - Closing & Final CTAs

🗳️ ELECTION INTERVIEW SERIES SPONSORS:
• The Plumbing Doctor — 24/7 Hardin County plumbing — call 765-PLUM (765-7586)• Omni Design Group — new construction + remodeling — call/text Cory at 270-769-8339

📅 PRIMARY ELECTION COVERAGE STATUS:• 10 interviews aired so far (Friday 4/24 + Monday 4/27)• Wednesday 4/29 — full-day marathon, 13 more candidates• Booking through May 12• Primary Election: Tuesday May 19• Watch all interviews: HardinLocal.com → Election Interviews

📅 SMALL BUSINESS WEEK HEADS-UP (May 4–10):
• Coffee and Cards — Friday May 1, 8–9 AM, Apostoli Coffee, 158 W. Vine St., Radcliff• Hosted by the Radcliff Small Business Alliance — connection event, not a pitch room

🏇 DERBY WEEK (Kentucky Derby = Saturday May 2):• Kentucky Oaks — Friday May 1, NBC primetime 8:00–9:00 PM ET, post ~8:40 PM ET• Kentucky Derby — Saturday May 2, post ~6:57 PM ET, NBC + Peacock from 2:30 PM ET• Local Derby parties: Artie Ray's Sundown Lounge (best hat contest), Phillips Grove after-Derby concert with Cole Chaney + Brady Turner, the chess open at Family Buffet, and more

🏠 HOUSING MARKET SNAPSHOT (Week of April 21–28):
• 35 new listings · 29 under contract · 26 closed• Avg days on market: 77 (falling)• 356 active homes · 113 sold last 30 days · 3.1 months inventory (tightest of 2026)• Avg list $359,143 · Avg sold $309,095 · Median sold $294,700
• Rates: VA/FHA/USDA ~5.75% · Conventional ~5.99%

🏪 BUSINESS BUZZ HEADLINES:
• Domino's "Elizabethtown, KY" project listed on PlanHub at 1311 Pear Orchard Rd. Suite 122 — The Shops at Pear Orchard (Publix plaza). 1,416 sq ft, ~$350K build-out. Not officially announced yet.
• Donato's celebrates 1 year in Elizabethtown
• Nothing Bundt Cakes opened Friday morning to crowds
• Big Sandy officially confirmed for the former Movie Palace location

🍽️ THE EXPERIENCED EATER:
• Backstreet Cafe — Muldraugh, KY
• German night Saturday (and Thursday)
• Live reaction format — Britten & Michele narrate raw on-location video in real time

🔗 THIS WEEK'S LINKS:
• This week's events calendar: https://philtaul.github.io/hardin-local-this-week/
• Full episode + past shows: https://hardinlocal.com
• Election Interviews: https://hardinlocal.com

Hardin Local Weekly S2026E17 — Sponsored by The Getaway (Getaway Campgrounds in Glendale). Rachel Brantingham leads the show — with Phil Taul, Jon O'Brien, Nate Bryan, and Britten & Michele McDowell of The Experienced Eater. Scott Lucas is out this week.

Big announcement this episode: Hardin Local's 2026 Primary Election Coverage launches next week with 11 candidate interviews booked across Fri/Mon/Wed leading up to the May 19th primary — non-partisan, one-on-one conversations with candidates for US Senate, State Representative, Hardin County Magistrate, Hardin County Sheriff, Vine Grove Mayor, Radcliff Mayor, and Radcliff City Council.

Plus — Jon O'Brien's got a Hardin County Earth Day week of events. Rachel's housing update shows a market tightening into seller-leaning territory. Nate Bryan breaks news on Bluegrass Blast Inflatables on the south side, Ray Minton Boone's closing downtown, The Treadwell Society opening, and Cold Stone Creamery signs going up in Radcliff. And The Experienced Eater — Britten & Michele McDowell — review Laker on Dixie, the downtown Elizabethtown expansion of the beloved Laker Drive-In in Stephensburg.

CHAPTERS

• 0:00 - Intro + Icebreaker (incl. Election Coverage Announcement + Getaway Sponsor Intro)
• 18:19 - Events with Jon O'Brien (Earth Day week)
• 28:32 - Housing Market Update
• 34:36 - Business Buzz with Nate Bryan
• 42:32 - Business Spotlight - The Getaway Campgrounds
• 46:06 - The Experienced Eater - Laker on Dixie
• 54:50 - Closing + Final CTAs

🏕️ THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR — THE GETAWAY:
• Getaway Campgrounds in Glendale• 4566 Sportsman Lake Road, Glendale KY• 270-369-7755• https://getawaycampgrounds.com · also on Camp Spot• Facebook: The Getaway Retreat• 30 acres · RV sites · one-room cabins · playground · fishing pond · laundry · pool opening soon• Long-term monthly: $800/mo (includes utilities + internet) · nightly + weekly available

🗳️ PRIMARY ELECTION COVERAGE (launching Friday April 24):
• Fri 4/24: Joseph Redman · Pam Ogden · Andrea Jackson · Vincent Thompson• Mon 4/27: T. Stacey Reynolds · Christy Gordon• Wed 4/29: Michael Ferris · Selena Hudson · Willie Odin · Toshi Mural · Zach Humphrey

🔗 THIS WEEK'S LINKS:
• This week's events calendar: https://philtaul.github.io/hardin-local-this-week/• Full episode + past shows: https://hardinlocal.com• Laker on Dixie: downtown Elizabethtown (Dixie Highway)• Laker Drive-In (original): Stephensburg, KY · second location in Munfordville

📱 CONNECT WITH HARDIN LOCAL:
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/HardinLocal• Instagram: @HardinLocal• TikTok: @HardinLocal• Spotify: Hardin Local Weekly• Apple Podcasts: Hardin Local Weekly

Hosts: Rachel Brantingham, Phil Taul, Jon O'Brien, Nate Bryan, Britten & Michele McDowell (The Experienced Eater)

Special thanks to this week's sponsor, The Getaway — Getaway Campgrounds in Glendale.

#HardinLocal #PodcastClips #LocalNews #Kentucky #GetawayCampgrounds

$75 a month. No insurance. No copays. A cell phone number for your doctor at 2 a.m. This week's Hardin Local Weekly sits down with Jim Owen and Hannah Warnshuis from Member Medical DPC - Elizabethtown's 8-year-old Direct Primary Care practice - for a 3-part conversation on how DPC works, how it's saving local employers up to 88% on workers' comp, and why their ribbon cutting Wednesday, April 15 (11:30 AM – 2:00 PM at 1230 Woodland Drive, Suite 110) is worth a stop.

Plus: Jon O'Brien previews a Derby Festival kickoff weekend stacked with events — First Turn at the Brown-Pusey, Autism Spectrum 5K, Cars & Coffee at Hardin County Honda, Ron Jones Jazz Duo, Aaron Hart magic show at John Hardin PAC, and more. Nate Bryan's Business Buzz covers a Southside McDonald's, Snack World replacing Vapor Lab, Stacks Nutrition's move to 5151 N Dixie, Zoie's Swim School opening, and the end of Blazers Fun Zone. Rachel Brantingham's housing market update shows Hardin County flipping seller-leaning — 80 days on market, list/sold gap narrowing fast. And Britten & Michele McDowell review two Radcliff food trucks you need to try: Papa Pasta (authentic fresh-made Italian) and Contreras Eatz (best-fries-in-the-Heartland winner with Hot Cheetos-breaded birria balls).

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction & Icebreaker

9:33 Member Medical DPC Spotlight Part 1

19:31 Events with Jon O'Brien

28:27 Member Medical DPC Spotlight Part 2

38:27 Business Buzz with Nate Bryan

47:15 Member Medical DPC Spotlight Part 3

57:50 Housing Market Update

1:04:23 The Experienced Eater — Papa Pasta & Contreras Eatz

1:13:34 Closing & CTAs

Hosts: Rachel Brantingham, Phil Taul, Scott Lucas, Jon O'Brien, Nate Bryan, Britten & Michele McDowell

Guests: Jim Owen (CEO / Co-Founder) and Hannah Warnshuis (Office Manager), Member Medical DPC

This week's episode brought to you by Member Medical DPC Healthcare done differently. 1230 Woodland Drive, Suite 110, Elizabethtown KY. $75/mo adults, $40/mo kids, 45-minute first appointments, 24/7 provider access. membermedicaldpc.com · 270-307-1980

Full episode + all segment clips: HardinLocal.com

Hardin Local Weekly S2026E15 — Kevin Parrett has been to Cuba four times and joins us to separate facts from fiction on what life is really like on the island. Cold Stone Creamery is coming to the old Baskin Robin location across from Etown, Wasabi is expanding to Louisville, Bluegrass Meats is moving downtown, Jon O'Brien previews 16 Spring Break events, and we remember a Whistle Stop founder. Phil Taul hosts with Rachel off this week.

CHAPTERS:

• 0:00 - Introduction & Icebreaker
• 14:53 - Events with Jon O'Brien
• 27:09 - Special Guest Kevin Parrett - Cuba Part 1
• 40:48 - Business Buzz with Nate Bryan
• 51:38 - Special Guest Kevin Parrett - Cuba Part 2
• 1:09:35 - Closing & Britten Announcements

HOSTS:

• Phil Taul — Creator & Host (primary this week)
• Scott Lucas — Co-Host
• Jon O'Brien — Events & Happenings
• Nathaniel (Nate) Bryan — Business News & Updates
• Britten McDowell — The Experienced Eater
• Kevin Parrett — Special Guest (Cuba)

EPISODE SPONSOR:

Riders Market — 102 College Street, Upton, KY

Mon-Sat 8 AM - 8 PM | Sun 11 AM - 8 PM

(270) 369-8510

CONNECT WITH US:

• Facebook: https://facebook.com/HardinLocal
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/HardinLocal
• TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@HardinLocal
• X: https://x.com/HardinLocal
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/hardinlocal
• All links: https://HardinLocal.com

Hardin Local is the community podcast covering Hardin County, Kentucky — local business, events, food, real estate, and the people who make this community great. New episodes every Tuesday at 1 PM.

Hardin Local Weekly S2026E14 — Kroger Marketplace sets its official opening date, Zaxby's is confirmed for Central Hardin, Firehouse Subs is coming to two locations, Rachel Brantingham breaks down a spring housing market gaining efficiency, Jon O'Brien previews the biggest Easter week Hardin County has seen, and Britten recaps the Best of the Heartland Food Truck Championship as a blind judge alongside Rachel.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Introduction & Icebreaker9:18 - Events with Jon O'Brien18:44 - Housing Market Update25:01 - Business Buzz with Nate Bryan33:36 - The Experienced Eater50:46 - Closing & Final CTAs

HOSTS:
Rachel Brantingham — Primary Host & Housing Market ExpertPhil Taul — Founder & Co-HostScott Lucas — Co-HostJon O'Brien — Events & HappeningsNathaniel (Nate) Bryan — Business News & UpdatesBritten — The Experienced Eater

CONNECT WITH US:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/HardinLocalInstagram: https://instagram.com/HardinLocalTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@HardinLocalX: https://x.com/HardinLocalLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/hardinlocalAll links: https://HardinLocal.com

Hardin Local is the community podcast covering Hardin County, Kentucky — local business, events, food, real estate, and the people who make this community great. New episodes every Tuesday at 1 PM.

This week's Hardin Local Weekly features the full crew bringing you everything happening in Hardin County, Kentucky.

Nate Bryan breaks the news that Jersey Mike's AND Firehouse Subs are both coming to Radcliff — plus Wingstop and Dairy Queen. Rachel Brantingham delivers the housing market update: 87 days on market, 4.7 months of inventory, and a smart seller-leaning market heading into spring. Jon O'Brien runs through a packed events week including the Best of the Heartland Food Truck Championship this Saturday. And Britten takes on Sam's Gyros for The Experienced Eater.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro0:05 - Welcome & Co-Host Introductions1:34 - Call to Action2:55 - Special Announcements4:18 - Icebreaker — The Breakfast Club8:52 - Events with Jon O'Brien21:15 - Housing Market Update27:38 - Business Buzz with Nate Bryan38:13 - The Experienced Eater — Sam's Gyros45:56 - Closing & Shoutouts47:32 - Final CTAs & Sign-Off

HOSTS:
Rachel Brantingham — Primary Host & Housing Market Expert
Phil Taul — Founder & Co-Host
Scott Lucas — Co-Host
Jon O'Brien — Events & Happenings
Nathaniel (Nate) Bryan — Business News & Updates
Britten & Michele McDowell — The Experienced Eater

CONNECT WITH US:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/HardinLocalInstagram: https://instagram.com/HardinLocalTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@HardinLocalX: https://x.com/HardinLocalLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/hardinlocalAll links: https://HardinLocal.com

Hardin Local is the community podcast covering Hardin County, Kentucky — local business, events, food, real estate, and the people who make this community great. New episodes every Tuesday at 1 PM.

It's St. Patrick's Day in Hardin County, and we've got a packed episode of the Hardin Local Weekly.

Chapter Timestamps

0:00 Welcome, Meet the Crew & Special Announcements
4:52 🍀 Icebreaker: What's Your Lucky Charm?
11:47 📅 Hardin County Events with Jon O'Brien
19:12 🚚 Event Spotlight: Best of the Heartland Food Truck Championship
28:41 🏠 Housing Market Update — Rachel Brantingham
34:41 💼 Bizz Buzz with Nate Bryan
45:19 🍽️ The Experienced Eater: Namaste Indian Cuisine & Bar
56:30 👋 Closing & Shoutouts

Russell "Sonny" Tucker joins us live to preview the Best of the Heartland Food Truck Championship — coming Saturday, March 28th to the Hardin County Fairgrounds in Glendale, Kentucky. 21 food trucks, blind judging, 10 categories, free admission, and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. This is a big one.

Jon O'Brien covers the full week of events — including the Kentucky Kids Consignment Spring Sale at Bluegrass Sportsplex (one of the biggest community events of the year), live music at Cosmic Golf and Lincoln Trail Country Club, the Bloom & Balance Equinox Market, the Ron Jones Jazz Duo, and more.

Rachel Brantingham breaks down the Hardin County housing market for the week of March 10–17: 35 homes went under contract versus 21 new listings, inventory is at 4.3 months and tightening, and the spring market is clearly underway.

Nate Bryan has five business items: LTADD wins a 2026 Best Places to Work designation, Quilted Elephant Studio takes the ByAnnie Creative Hub Award, El Guadalajaras is coming to Lincoln Center, Auntie Anne's Food Truck in Elizabethtown is shutting down, and Song's Kitchen is closed this week before reopening under new management March 30th.

And Britten and Michele McDowell are back with The Experienced Eater — this week, Namaste Indian Cuisine & Bar on North Dixie Highway in Elizabethtown.

All episode links at HardinLocal.com.