FWYC Derby Day Report
t was a sunny, but blustery day on May 6th. We stepped out of our Jeep and as I fixed my new Derby hat, I couldn’t help
I
but wonder if this party would be different from the last Kentucky Derby Party I attended. I had been so excited to be
invited to the annual party thrown by real Derby fans. Mint julips were
flowing and the hors d’oeuvres were delicious… but I was the ONLY
lady with a hat! Surely, this new party crowd would be more in the
spirit of things, I’d hoped.
So we stepped into the club and as soon as I looked through the glass
doors, I saw them. The hats! At last I had found a real Kentucky Derby
Party!
After sipping on our first drinks, Nick and I chatted with my father
then walked around to see what was set up for the day’s events. We
found the food. There was a delightful spread of finger sandwiches,
cheese dips, bourbon meatballs and bourbon chocolate balls. And I
would be remiss not to mention the mint julip cupcakes that Gerry
Harvey and his fabulous daughter (that’s me) worked on the previous
night. Everything was delicious!
Then the “horn” sounded! Letting us all know that the races would be starting soon out on the lawn. As they were calling for
“Mares” to participate in the first race, I thought, “Well, it’s more fun to join in sometimes!” So I suited up in the number 4
horse get up, named Eeyore. I thought for sure I’d win. After all, I’m a competitor! But alas, the dice were not so nice to me
and I watched as all of my fellow racers passed me by and pulled ahead to complete the race without me. Perhaps my Eeyore
got spooked, but I was still delighted for the winner. That is until I
found out she won a bottle of champagne!
“The next race is ours,” I told my husband. So I gently nudged him
to enter the next race. There was skill involved with this one. All he
had to do was use his height and his naturally ginormous stride to
pull ahead of the other racers. As I encouraged him through the race
(read: yelled at him to move his legs), he was able to pull out and
win by a nose! I was so proud!
The
next
races were
equally as
fun and ex-
citing. Eey-
ore contin-
ued to struggle but made vast improvements by the end of the day. It
was a great way to get to know the new people we were meeting and get
involved in the activities.
As we all gathered inside to prepare for the race, all the ladies and gen-
tlemen that dressed up for the event created a parade to show off our
spirit. There were some fabulous hats, well done ladies! Whether they
were store bought (like mine) or home-made (my favorites), I couldn’t
help but start planning for next year’s party. Sam and Jennifer will have
to relinquish their title of best dressed couple. Look out! Nick and Heather are coming in hot!
~ Heather Brown
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