Before we moved to Louisville all we really knew about the Kentucky Derby was that it was a horse race, and that is was probably an important one because they talk about it on ESPN. And then we moved and found out that we were so wrong, because for the people in Louisville the Kentucky Derby is THE event of the year. The Derby Festivities last months, starting with firework shows and jet flyovers and free concerts in the park and probably tons of other things we didn't even know about because it's hard to keep up with all of the events. At work everyone got to dress casual all week and we had tons of food and games and contests (I won pin the jockey on the horse and got a $20 gift card and was pretty excited about it). So we decided since we don't know exactly how long we will live in Louisville and if we will be here at this time of year next year we had to try it out and see what all the fuss is about. We were warned over and over again that it is one giant drinking and gambling party and that it get's really crazy. We didn't let that stop us, we went anyway, we aren't afraid of a little craziness! But this was craziness like neither one of us had ever seen! I am pretty sure that every ounce of alcohol that ever existed is sent to Churchill Downs for the Derby. You couldn't find anything else to drink. Finding a Coke was an impossible task unless I wanted it with some Kentucky Bourbon in it. Which I considered but decided against :) By the end of the day I'm pretty sure we were both a little tipsy just from the overwhelming smell of the alcohol anyway. The Derby clothes and dresses and hats definitely did not disappoint, I didn't know what to expect really but it turns out the large majority really do dress up for it, I almost wished I had a fancy hat on myself. Next time though I'll be more prepared with my wardrobe. What you don't see on TV is that during the actual race, unless you have very expensive tickets you can't actually see the race. So we watched the race with a bunch of other fans crowded around a TV, even though we were standing inside of Churchill Downs. It was definitely still worth it though to be inside and feel the place explode when the horses took off. So we can now officially say that we have been to the Kentucky Derby!
We of course had to park a mile away, and making that walk with the crowds on the way back to the car was actually when it got the most crazy. By this point 180,000 people had been drinking all day and were all heading back to drive home, which was a little scary and we were extremely careful on our drive home. They had the National Guard and the SWAT team along with thousands of police officers making sure nobody caused any trouble. We didn't see anyone get out of control, but we definitely met some very friendly people, some very friendly people who probably aren't feeling very well today :) When we got home my hair and our clothes definitely had a pretty strong smell of we don't really want to know what, and it took an extra long shower to feel like I was clean again. Despite the rowdiness, I think we are both really happy we went down there an experienced it, definitely a once in a lifetime event. Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day.
 |
| At the front gates of Churchill Downs shortly before the race started. |
 |
| Gathered with all of our new friends around the TV just seconds before the big race started! |
 |
| Some of my favorite outfits of the day. |
 |
| A shot of Churchill Downs on our long walk back to the car |
 |
| Credit for these last two photos has to go to our friends, the Smith's, who were also at the Derby and got much better pictures of the horses than we did. |
