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Photo: Kentucky Derby Festival
Thunder Over Louisville fans making plans for a place to park their RV, pitch a tent or park their car have an option that’s close to the action. Metro Parks is selling passes for Thunder weekend at Eva Bandman Park, 1701 River Road.
Eva Bandman Park is located along the Ohio River near Frankfort Avenue, less than a 10-minute stroll from the eastern edge of Waterfront Park.
• Recreational Vehicles – RV parking is available beginning Friday, April 21, for $200. All parking spaces can accommodate a 40-foot vehicle with an awning. Additional cars are $15 each for both RV’s & Tents.
• Tents – Campers bringing tents may stay in Eva Bandman Park on Friday and Saturday nights for $50. This includes space for one car, not necessarily next to your tent. Additional cars are $15 each for both RV’s & Tents.
• Parking – On Saturday, April 22, parking spots at Eva Bandman Park will be available as long as space permits, at a cost of $20 per vehicle. Cash only, paid at time of arrival.
Overnight visitors in tents and RVs can stay through Sunday morning. Metro Parks’ staff will be available around the clock. A reservation form can be found here. After staging their site on Friday, those not wishing to camp overnight may exit the park using their extra vehicle and return on Saturday. Previous parking spaces are not guaranteed. Spaces may become limited as Saturday progresses; no other re-entry is authorized.
Advanced registration is highly recommended as the Louisville Police Department will be organizing street closures in the area.
For more information call 502/574-7275 (PARK).
Race Expo Temporarily Moves to Kentucky Exposition Center
The Kentucky Derby Festival is re-routing a small portion of the 2017 Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon/miniMarathon presented by Walmart and Humana due to the renovation of the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC). The races are set for Saturday, April 29. The courses for both the miniMarathon and Marathon will be diverted one block to Second Street. This will affect the half marathon between mile 12 and 13; and the full marathon at mile 25. Marathon runners will also notice small changes between mile 13 and 14, to make up some additional distance. Overall, the changes affect less than one mile of the entire race.
“All downtown traffic is being rerouted to avoid the construction and the Kentucky Derby Festival is no exception,” said Matt Gibson, Senior Vice President of Events for the Kentucky Derby Festival. “Fortunately these are minor changes and will have minimal impact on the runners’ experience.”
The Festival is working with Louisville Metro Police to ensure the route is safe for the runners and still accessible to traffic. As they do along the entire race route, LMPD will assist with vehicle cross traffic at intersections, to ensure residents and businesses can still reach their destination when breaks in the race permit.
Along with changes to the course, the Race Expo will also temporarily move to the West Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC) on April 27 and 28, 2017. The Expo is traditionally held at KICC, but will relocate to KEC for both 2017 and 2018, until the renovations are complete. Complimentary shuttles will be provided to transport runners from Downtown to the Kentucky Exposition Center. Parking fees will also be waived for runners picking up their race packets at the Expo. Runners will receive all the details in their confirmation packets and can also find it online at DerbyFestivalMarathon.com.
“We’re partnering with the Kentucky Exposition Center and the Convention & Visitors Bureau to make sure this move is seamless for the runners and our vendors,” said Shanna Ward, Race Director.
Operations, parking and other amenities at the start, finish and along the course remain unchanged. Both races will still start at 7:30 a.m. on Main Street in downtown Louisville and finish at Preston and Witherspoon Streets. The runners will also run through the main gate at Churchill Downs for their lap through the infield.
The Marathon and miniMarathon marks the largest annual day of road racing in Kentucky. Registration is still available online at www.derbyfestivalmarathon.com. Current registration is $85 for the mini and $95 for the Marathon.
The Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation Academic Challenge Presented by Sullivan University is set for this Saturday, March 25. Hosted at a new location, the Hyatt Regency Hotel Downtown, this year’s quick-recall tournament, produced by Jefferson County Public Schools is scheduled for 9 AM to 3PM.
“We add more teams to the competition every year,” said Jeff English, President of the KDF Foundation. “The Academic Challenge lets us showcase the academic achievements of both the local students and the public schools.”
The Academic Challenge Presented by Sullivan University represents an opportunity for elementary students from all over the county to test their intellect by answering questions pertaining to math, science, social studies, language arts and humanities. This year’s competition will feature 14 teams from local elementary schools and more than 200 students.
“Sullivan University is pleased to sponsor the Academic Challenge,” said Glenn Sullivan, President of Sullivan University. “We often look for ways to support events that encourage and celebrate academic achievement. We wish all the participants well in the tournament and in their future endeavors.”
The top four schools will be awarded trophies, with the champion and runner-up also receiving monetary awards. It’s free for spectators. For more information contact Doug Wilham at douglas.wilham@jefferson.kyschools.us or (502) 485-3702.
For the second year in a row, Maurice Williams of Louisville is taking home the title of Derby Burger Champion, in the 6th Annual “Derby Burger Challenge” sponsored by Kentucky Beef Council and coordinated by the Kentucky Derby Festival. Williams’ recipe for his SmoFried Café Burger was selected as the overall winner after a cook-off this morning at the Kroger in Middletown. It features ground beef covered in coffee and cocoa powder, provolone cheese and pickled onions, all served on a toasted pretzel bun.
“I wanted to put together something conceptual and simple. Fortunately the burger just seemed to work the first time I made it,” said Williams. “I didn’t expect to win the competition a second time. I knew that it was attainable, but I also knew how great some of the other recipes would be. I am beyond thankful.”
The Festival received dozens of submissions for the annual competition. More than 12,000 beef lovers voted online to help pick the top 4 finalists. At the final cook-off, a panel of judges determined the overall winner based on points accumulated from four factors – Taste, Appearance, Creativity and Ease of Preparation. John Overfield finished runner up with his Winner By a Nose Burger. Other finalists included Tanya Hicks of Salem, Indiana, with the Pineapple Mango Pico Burger; and Scott Wisdom of Prospect, with the Mint Julep Bacon Burger.
Williams’ winning Derby Burger recipe will be available to try at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville this year during its nine-day run, as well as sampled at BeerFest Presented by American Founders Bank, and recognized in Louisville-area Kroger stores. From May 8 to June 30, it will also be a featured menu item at Louisville’s Napa River Grill.
Williams also receives VIP tickets to Thunder Over Louisville, Waterfront Jam and BeerFest at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville, as well as a $100 gift certificate to Kroger and a grilling package from Kentucky Beef Council.
From now through April 14, all purchasers of fresh ground beef at any of the Kentuckiana Kroger stores (excluding Lexington locations) will receive a code at checkout (on the bottom of the receipt). The message encourages you to register online at www.KDF.org/Beef for a chance to win VIP tickets to a Waterfront Jam Concert at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville or BeerFest Presented by American Founders Bank.
64 Students from Kentucky and Southern Indiana to Compete
Students from around Kentucky and Southern Indiana will compete in the 24th annual Ford Motor Company Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee today at 11 a.m. in the Bomhard Theater at the Kentucky Center for the Arts (501 W. Main Street in Louisville). 64 students representing 62 counties will compete on Saturday. They qualified by winning their respective school and county bees.
Said Kimberly Hofmann, Ford Zone Manager for the Cincinnati region: “As one of the top employers in the state, Ford is proud to help recognize the dedicated and talented students from all over the region in the Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee.” Ford’s commitment to driving a brighter future in Kentucky is well served by supporting this important educational event.
The overall champion of this year’s Spelling Bee will receive the John & Joan Murphy Memorial Scholarship Fund, a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond at maturity. 2nd Place receives the Barbara Cox Memorial Scholarship, a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond at maturity. The next three top finishers also receive savings bonds – $3,000 for third, $1,500 for fourth and $1,000 for fifth. The prize money will be provided by the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation – the Derby Festival’s charitable arm.
“Spelling is a skill that never goes out of style, so we’re happy to be able to support these outstanding students and showcase their skills,” said Mike Berry, KDF President and CEO. “The Spelling Bee is one of the Festival’s more far-reaching events, with participants from around Kentucky and Southern Indiana, and it’s always a nail-biter up until the final word is spelled.”
In addition to a $10,000 saving bond, the overall Spelling Bee champion will receive a Britannica online subscription gift certificate, Blue Orange Games: Speedeebee, an Amazon.com gift card and a trophy. The winner will also have the opportunity to ride the Winner’s Float in the 62nd annual Republic Bank Pegasus Parade on May 4th.
The Kentucky Derby Festival Spelling Bee is sponsored by Ford Motor Company, with Media Sponsors Kentucky Monthly and 840WHAS.
“Say Yes To The Dress: Atlanta” Star Will Help Emcee
Tickets are available now for the first ball of the Derby season – the annual Fillies Derby Ball hosted at the Louisville Marriot Downtown. This ball is one of the Kentucky Derby Festival’s oldest and most elegant events.
Themed “The Royal Ball,” the event promises to treat every guest like royalty. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails, call to the post at 7:15, the Queen’s coronation at 7:30, all followed by dinner at 8:00. For dancing, live musical entertainment will be provided by The Sensations.
The highlight of the Derby Ball – which is planned and produced by The Fillies, Inc. – is the coronation of the Kentucky Derby Festival Queen, selected by the traditional spin-of-the-wheel.
The regal evening will be hosted by Vicki Dortch from WLKY TV with special guest Monte Durham, from TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta. Durham originally joined the Derby Festival in January to help select the five ladies that make up the Royal Court. At the Ball he will return to the festivities to help crown the Queen, along with Kathy Bingham, 2017 Fillies President.
Contributing Sponsors of the event include the Brown-Forman Corporation and Total Wine & More. Media Sponsors are TOPS Louisville and 102.3 The Max.
The Fillies Derby Ball is also the largest fundraiser for the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation, KDF’s charitable arm. A portion of proceeds from the ball benefits the Foundation.
Tickets are $175 each. VIP tables are also available for $2,500. Tickets include dinner and dancing. For tickets call (502) 572-3856.
