Next Saturday, October 10, the corner of Hickory Street and East Burnett Avenue fills with folding tables and vendor tents by 11 a.m. The Flea Off Market sets up outside Monnik Brewing and in the Emerson Park space next door, with more than 100 vendors, food, craft beer and free admission. By late afternoon the event listing has Hickory Street closed to cars, and four neighborhood spots take over the evening: Check's Café, Monnik Beer Co., The Merryweather and the All Wool & A Yard Wide Democratic Club.
That lineup tells you how the Walk is built. Before it was a street festival, it was a route between bars. The stops on that route have stayed in place for decades, and this summer Germantown added a few more within walking distance.
It Started as a Route Between Taverns
Louisville Metro describes the Schnitzelburg Walk as a free street festival held twice a year on Hickory Street, once in spring and once in fall, with food, music, drinks and a flea market. The older version looked different. Longtime organizer Bill Tinker described it as a progressive tavern crawl, with groups moving from one neighborhood bar to the next in a loop as a get-together before the Derby.
In a 2008 interview with the Southern Foodways Alliance, Tinker said he organized it by sending flyers to the taverns and getting their operators together. None of the sources pin down the year the Walk began, so its exact age is unknown. It is also a separate event from the Dainty, Schnitzelburg's July peg-hitting contest, which George Hauck and Charlie Vettiner revived in 1971.
The flea market is the newest piece of the Walk. The Flea Off Market calls 2026 its ninth year working with Monnik on this event. The market is juried, and vendors selling handmade, vintage and collectible goods get priority. So the market fills the street during the day, and the bars still carry the night.
The Four Stops, by Their Dates
Each stop on the circuit has its own long history. The places hosting Saturday's party have been in the neighborhood a long time.
| Stop | Address | The date on the record |
|---|---|---|
| All Wool & A Yard Wide Democratic Club | 1328 Hickory St. | The name first appears in a newspaper in 1898. The club incorporated in 1933 and moved into its Hickory-and-Ash building in 1946 |
| Check's Café | 1101 E. Burnett Ave. | Check Sumpter opened the tavern in 1935 |
| Monnik Beer Co. | 1036 E. Burnett Ave. | The building opened as Heitzman's Bakery on November 7, 1924. The brewery opened in 2015 |
| The Merryweather | 1101 Lydia St. | Seasonal cocktails and rotating taps |
Check's has an ownership history that fits Tinker's account. According to the oral history, Sumpter sold the tavern around 1944 to Ray Dillman and Joe Murrow, and Murrow later took full control. The club's own history page even records the farewell party at its old location, held Sunday, September 8, 1946, before the move to Hickory Street.
The Monnik building was the first one built for Heitzman's Bakery, with construction starting in 1923. When the flea market sets up on Burnett, it's selling in front of a nearly century-old bakery.
The calendar moved this year, too. Last year's Fall Walk was Saturday, August 30, 2025, and a Louisville Metro Council release listed all four of this year's venues plus the Old Hickory Inn. This year's falls six weeks later, on October 10.
How Saturday, October 10, Runs
Here's the day in order, based on the organizers' posted times:
- 11 a.m. The Flea Off Market opens along Hickory Street and in the Emerson Park space by Monnik. Admission is free.
- 4 p.m. The event listing has Hickory Street closing to vehicles while the participating bars join in. Modiste, Shitfire and Deady are among the artists listed.
- 6 p.m. The market's official hours end. Some vendors may stay longer and set up near the stage.
- 7 p.m. Over in Paristown, Chance the Rapper plays Old Forester's Paristown Hall on his Coloring Book 10 Year Anniversary Tour.
- 11 p.m. Street music on Hickory wraps up.
If you live on or near Hickory, plan for the 4 p.m. street closure. If you have concert tickets, plan for the Paristown Hall crowd arriving around the same time.
This Summer Added New Stops Within Walking Distance
The Walk's route is set by the bars that host it, and three additions since July sit close enough to be part of the same Saturday.
TANA opened July 15 at 983 Goss Ave. It's a Taiwanese and New American restaurant from chef Ming Pu and his wife, Courtney, who worked on the concept for at least two years before opening day. The opening summer menu included Taiwanese fried chicken, listed as the "T.F.C," along with ginger scallion branzino, pork and cabbage dumplings and grilled vegetable bao. Its website still shows it as open.
"Finally, the vision came to fruition," Ming Pu told The Courier Journal.
A few blocks away, a familiar sandwich shop found a new home. Eric Morris closed Goss Ave Deli at 1010 Goss Ave. in June and opened Stelly's Sandwiches & Such on July 24 inside Logan Street Market at 1001 Logan St. The opening menu included a Green Chili Philly, Louie's French Dip and Vigo's Chopped Italian, and the full menu, with housemade, hand-cut pastrami, was expected in early August. Logan Street Market's vendor directory still lists Stelly's.
The Pearl of Germantown, at 1151 Goss Ave., added weeknights in July. Monday late-night karaoke started July 13, Wednesday karaoke on July 15 and G-Town Tuesday on July 21. Its October calendar lists an open mic night, Open Up at The Pearl, on Tuesday, October 20, plus a Halloween event on Saturday, October 31.
These additions spread the neighborhood's going-out options across the week. The Walk fills one Saturday, and the Goss Avenue additions give you reasons to go out on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Rest of October Moves to Paristown
After the Walk, most of the month's events are on the Paristown side of the neighborhood, around Brent Street. Several are free.
- Tuesday, October 13, 8 p.m. The Midnight's Time Machines tour at Old Forester's Paristown Hall.
- Friday, October 16. Mama Said String Band at Christy's Garden. Free and all ages.
- Saturday, October 17. Paristown Flea on Brent Street. Free and all ages.
- Sunday, October 18, noon. Aflora, presented by La Casita Center and Kentucky Performing Arts at Paristown Hall. Free, no tickets required.
- Saturday, October 24. RADREVIVAL 2026 Car Show at Christy's Garden and Uncle Boojies.
- Friday, October 30, 8 p.m. Thundercat's Distracted AF Tour at Paristown Hall.
- Saturday, October 31, 8 p.m. Night of the Living Yacht at Paristown Hall, with River City Yacht Club Band and DJ Always.
With two flea markets a week apart, on Hickory Street on October 10 and Brent Street on October 17, you get two Saturday markets a short walk apart. Halloween night brings The Pearl's event and Night of the Living Yacht to the same evening.
Paristown's Fête de Noël comes next. The festival site at 720 Brent St. says it opens in November 2026 and promotes a 100-by-50-foot outdoor ice rink, a Brent Street market, Santa visits and a trackless train. Paristown's vendor schedule lists it from late November through December 24. Trivium plays Paristown Hall before that, on Saturday, November 7.
If you've lived near Hickory Street for a while and you're starting to wonder what your house would bring, or what it would cost to move a few blocks closer to Check's or Goss Avenue, I'm glad to talk it through without any pressure. Ethan John Adams answers seven days a week, so reach out after the Walk and we'll set up a quick call. Let's Connect.
