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This year’s Republic Bank Pegasus Parade will be a blast from the past for Festival fans. Festival officials announced the Grand Marshals and set the line-up for the parade at a special event tonight at Mark’s Feed Store. In honor of this year’s parade theme “ThrowbackThursday,” former coaching rivals and basketball fan favorites Joe B. Hall and Denny Crum will serve as the parade’s Co-Grand Marshals. It’s a familiar role for the coaches who also participated in the 1975 parade.
“The parade is the event that started the Festival 63 years ago and this year’s march will be a trip down memory lane,” said Mike Berry, KDF President and CEO. “Who better to evoke great memories than two coaches responsible for nine of the Final Four trips and three of the NCAA championships for UofL and UK.”
In addition to announcing the Grand Marshals, floats and inflatable units participating in this year’s parade drew for positions for annual march down Broadway. This year’s theme of “ThrowbackThursday,” will be used by sponsoring companies to help direct the building of floats and costuming of the inflatable handlers and crew. Participants were invited to pick their favorite parade themes from years past to decorate their units. The floats and inflatables compete for various awards based on originality, eye appeal, theme representation, animation, attention to detail and enthusiasm. Marching bands use the theme to help with musical selection and it is the basis of costume and concept design for the other marching units.
The 2018 Parade will feature 10 floats, many of them built by the employees of the companies sponsoring them. The following companies drew for their float position in the parade at tonight’s event, as well as the sponsors of the five participating inflatable character balloons.
Floats:
City of St. Matthews
Grand Lodge of Kentucky
Hwang’s Martial Arts
Kentucky Proud
Kosair Shriners/Kosair Charities
Louisville Parks & Recreation
Norton Healthcare
Second Chance @ Life
Shirley’s Way – Ride to Ride Out Cancer
The Fillies, Inc.
Inflatable Balloon Characters:
CareSource “Cookie Monster”
Horseshoe Southern Indiana “Horseshoe”
LG&E “Louie the Lightning Bug”
Republic Bank “Peggy Bank”
Waystar “Star”
Before the parade, fans can see the floats, inflatables, equestrian units and much more on display at the Pegasus Parade Preview Party Presented by Louisville Mega Cavern on Tuesday, May 1, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, in South Wing C. Admission is a 2018 Pegasus Pin.
Tickets for the Parade are on sale now online at KDF.org. Ticket prices are $10 for bleacher seats, $12 chair seating and $30 VIP seats. Republic Bank is the Title Sponsor of the parade with Contributing Sponsor, KentuckyOne Health. Official Hotel: The Galt House.
The Kentucky Derby Festival is looking for participants for next year’s Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. 2018 marks the 63rd annual parade, which will march down Broadway on Thursday, May 3. The application process for groups interested in participating in the parade opens online today.
Click here to see photos from the 2017 Pegasus Parade.
The Festival is looking for participants in the following categories: Equestrians, Specialty Unit, Marching Band, Inflatable and Float. Parade Participation Guidelines and Applications can be downloaded at KDF.org/PegasusParade. The application deadline is January 31, 2018. For more information about participating in the parade, contact Event Manager Zach Fisher at (502) 572-3853 or zfisher@kdf.org.
The Pegasus Parade – the Derby Festival’s oldest founding event – is one of nearly 70 events produced by the Kentucky Derby Festival in the spring and provides an estimated economic impact of more than $22 million. Each year, the annual spectacle steps off at 5 p.m. and marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street.
Republic Bank is the Title Sponsor of the parade with Contributing Sponsor, KentuckyOne Health.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
Dolvett Quince, known for six seasons on the hit NBC show “The Biggest Loser,” will serve as Grand Marshal of the 2017 Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. The 62nd annual parade is set to march down Broadway on Thursday, May 4th.
“As a leader in his field of health and fitness, he is the perfect fit to lead this year’s health-focused parade, themed ‘Louisville on the Move,’” said Stacey Robinson, KDF Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff.
Dolvett’s passion, regimen and dramatic transformational results have made him one of the most in-demand fitness specialists in the country. He was born in Connecticut, and along with his three siblings, was adopted. They moved to Florida, where he finished his schooling. In 2004, he opened a private personal training studio in Atlanta, Georgia called Body Sculptor. After gaining notoriety on a mainstream Atlanta radio station, he began widening his clientele. He has trained other trainers and celebrities as part of his business including Angela Bassett, Justin Bieber, and hip-hop singer JoJo.
Dolvett is just one of several celebrity guests participating in this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival events. Many will take part in both the Celebrity Day at the Downs event on Thursday, May 4, as well as the Republic Bank Pegasus Parade later that same day.
Guests scheduled to appear include:
- Linkin’ Bridge (finalist on season 11 of America’s Got Talent and Honorary Grand Marshals)
- Justin Cornwell of CBS’ Training Day
- Justin Hartley of NBC’s This is Us
- Jonathan Kite from CBS’ Two Broke Girls
- Chrishell Stause, Actress (from Draffenville, Kentucky)
- Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor of Bravo TV’s “Vanderpump Rules”
- Miss Kentucky 2016 Laura Jones
- Jimmy Eat World (Parade guest only)
- Damion Lee, American Professional Basketball Player and former UofL Cardinal (Luncheon guest only)
- Robert Williamson, Professional poker player (Luncheon guest only)
Celebrity Day at the Downs will begin at 11:30 a.m. on the sixth floor at Churchill Downs, featuring a traditional Kentucky luncheon and a day of racing on Millionaire’s Row. The event is sponsored by Kentuckiana Honda Dealers, with contributing sponsor Macy’s, and Media Sponsors The Voice-Tribune and 106.9 PLAY.
The Republic Bank Pegasus Parade steps off on Broadway at 5 p.m. The parade is sponsored by Republic Bank, with Contributing Sponsor KentuckyOne Health. Tickets for the parade are still available online at KDF.org. Ticket prices are $10 for bleacher seats and $12 for chair seating.
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
The line-up is set for the 2017 Republic Bank Pegasus Parade. Floats and inflatable units participating in this year’s parade drew for positions at a special event tonight at the Ice House. “Louisville on the Move” will be the theme for the Derby Festival’s oldest event, which will feature approximately 100 units marching down Broadway on Thursday, May 4th.
“This year’s theme is twofold with both a health focus, as well as a nod to how the city continues to grow and progress,” said Mike Berry, KDF President & CEO. “There are many different ways to depict ‘Louisville on the Move’ and we look forward to seeing all the creative and original designs.”
The parade theme will be used by sponsoring companies to help direct the building of floats and costuming of the inflatable handlers and crew. The floats and inflatables compete for various awards based on originality, eye appeal, theme representation, animation, attention to detail and enthusiasm. Marching bands use the theme to help with musical selection and it is the basis of costume and concept design for the other marching units. The annual spectacle marches west on Broadway from Campbell to Ninth Street.
The 2017 Parade will feature 13 floats, plus 1 push float, many of them built by the employees of the companies sponsoring them. The following companies drew for their float position in the parade at tonight’s event, as well as the sponsors of the six participating inflatable character balloons.
| Floats: | Inflatable Balloon Characters: |
| Belle of LouisvilleCity of St. Matthews
Grand Lodge of Kentucky Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana Hwang’s Martial Arts Indiana University Southeast Kentuckiana Pride Festival Kosair Shriners/Kosair Charities Masonic Homes of Kentucky Metro Parks & Recreation Norton Healthcare Second Chance @ Life The Fillies, Inc. Push Float: Passport |
CareSource “Super Grover”Horseshoe Southern Indiana “Horseshoe”
LG&E “Louie the Lightning Bug” Republic Bank “Peggy Bank” StageOne “Flying Elephant” ZirMed, Inc. “Blue Angels Balloon”
|
Fans will have the opportunity to preview each float at the Republic Bank Kentucky Derby Festival Parade Preview Party on Tuesday, May 2, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, in South Wing C. This event will offer a taste of nearly the entire parade. Character balloons, equestrian units and assorted VIPs will join the floats on display for the indoor tour “inside” a parade. Admission is a 2017 Pegasus Pin.
Tickets for the Parade are on sale now online at KDF.org. Ticket prices are $10 for bleacher seats, $12 chair seating and $30 VIP seats.
Republic Bank is the Title Sponsor of the parade with new Contributing Sponsor, KentuckyOne Health.
