Outdoor entertainment in Richmond, Kentucky is on the brink of extinction since a new noise ordinance is on the table.   Richmond is the home of Eastern Kentucky University, a college town with a hint of night life. 

So far, city leaders have temporarily put a noise ordinance on the docket. The plan being considered would stop outdoor entertainment at 10pm every night, if it is loud enough to be heard inside a home. Concerts, stand-up comedy, and recorded music would be affected. 

Jenny Jenkins, a soon-to-be junior at EKU thinks the noise ordinance is a joke. She says, “Who is going to be the one to say that the music is too loud? Is it going to be the old man who lives next door who decides if the music in my backyard is a touch too loud?”

Some people have complained that outdoor music has become a nuisance in the city. And the people who were complaining at city hall were all over 50. One couple said they could hear music from a mile and a half away. If this is true, Jenkins should be concerned. 

T-Bombs, a club that frequently hosts outdoor events presented a petition with over four hundred names on it saying that noise isn’t an issue. Surprisingly, not every name on that list was that of a college student. Neighbors of the establishment had signed the petition too. 

Kai Ta has been sharing a block with T-Bombs for four years now, and he has no complaints. “It comes with the territory, you know? I mean, I have been out of college for six years now, and nightlife doesn’t bother me, but I swear I haven’t heard anything in my apartment.”

So is this ageism or a way to get the young bucks out of a college town? Or can these senior citizens really hear music from over a mile away?

If the noise ordinance is put in place, a small (undefined) fine would be given to the offender, and… and that is all.