Derby Divide

I read Heather's latest post here about Derby Festival, I sat perplexed. What are these wondrous events that take place in Louisville? As a long-time Lexingtonian, you would think that I knew all about the Derby Festival. Instead, I had the same thoughts Heather shared prior to her Louisville residency:

Is a Chow Wagon more appetizing than it sounds? And Thunder is just a bunch of fireworks, right?

In MY Lexington, which admittedly might have slightly less social flourish than other residents, you can go to Keeneland to watch Oaks and Derby. There is food served of course (burgoo or bread pudding, anyone?), and you can bring your picnic blankets and family to enjoy spring Kentucky weather and betting on ponies without the traffic at Churchill Downs. Dress codes for some of the dining rooms go away and sky high heels make way for ballet flats.

Occasionally, I'll hear of friends who are taking their kids to Thunder. I just assumed it was a big ol' firework spectacle and honestly didn't associate it much with Derby. The Chow Wagon is a new discovery for me this year. Given my affection for food, I'm quite surprised my stomach hasn't heard of it yet. In fact, in a quick glance at the Derby Festival schedule, I've learned there are also volleyball tournaments and races of steamboats, feet (running), and beds. Yes, beds.

Apparently the cultural differences between Lexington and Louisville have yet to span the short 70 miles down I-64. Perhaps next year I will immerse myself in all that is Derby - bed races and pyrotechnics included.

Can any other non-Louisville residents relate to this general gap in knowledge? Or am I stuck in my little Lexington bubble drinking bourbon by myself?

Kentucky Writers' Day

In honor of  Kentucky Writers' Day, the HerKentucky team put together a few thoughts about our favorite Kentucky writers. 

Wendell Berry. Image via Garden and Gun

Lydia:

I love Bobbie Ann Mason for her storytelling. I love Barbara Kingsolver for the rich imagery in so many of her books. Prodigal Summer is one of my all-time favorite books, but The Poisonwood Bible was the one that really drew me in to her canon. I also love Wendell Berry for both his fiction and his activism. I respect that he fights for what he believes in. (Most of which I also happen to believe in, so that helps!)

Also, as a reader and unashamed lover of romance novels, I have to give a shout out to Jude Deveraux who is hugely successful in her field and is from Fairdale. She's been on the New York Times  Best-Seller list with 36 different books. Last summer, I set out to read every one of her books that follow the Montgomery/Taggert families and loved it!

Oh, I forgot to add an up-and-comer in young adult fiction named Tammy Blackwell. She has a trilogy of YA paranormal fiction that features a great strong female character. She's a librarian in Marshall County.

Sarah:

I know other states might have more Presidents or celebrities but I have to say that Kentucky has done a fantastic job of producing writers. When I get comfortable calling myself a writer, then I'll be so honored to be included in this group. Here are my top five:

bell hooks. Image via Berea College.

1. Wendell Berry Others have captured his genius much better than I can. All I can say is if I ever met him I'm pretty sure I would go full-scale Wayne's World "I'm not worthy!"

2. Barbara Kingsolver I was a vegetarian for five years. Then I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I'm not a vegetarian anymore. I'd say that about sums it up.

3. Bobbie Ann Mason From just down the road, her memoir Clear Springs made me feel at home when I was anything but.

4. Molly Harper She's from Paducah (and in my book club!). Molly Harper writes about vampires...and librarians. Need I say more?

5. bell hooks Feminism is for Everybody should be handed out to every college freshman in the nation.

Hunter S. Thompson, by Annie Leibovitz

Cristina:

Hunter S. Thompson, Louisville native, for introducing us to Gonzo journalism with his 1970 essay "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved", and for the fact that his ashes were fired into the sky by a cannon (arranged by another Kentuckian, Johnny Depp) because "he loved explosions".

Heather:

I have to agree with Cristina; Dr. Thompson's piece about the Derby is on my short list for the greatest configuration of words ever set to paper.   As I've said before, I find his sports writing to be the greatest and most underreported of his works.

The works of Verna Mae Slone and Paul Brett Johnson are sentimental favorites for me, because both authors were my distant cousins on my father's side. 

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to interview a Western Kentucky-born writer named Holly Goddard Jones.  She was charming and down-to-earth, and her short stories captured rural Kentucky life without pathos or exploitation (a rare gift in a young author.)  Holly hasn't quite made my "favorite Kentucky writers" list yet, but I certainly think she's one to watch...

Who are your favorite Kentucky Writers?

What's the Big Deal about Derby Festival?

Image via Kentucky Derby Festival.

I'd been living in Louisville for a couple of months when April rolled around. Suddenly, the questions started coming from colleagues and clients:

"What are you doing for Thunder?"

"Have you eaten at the Chow Wagon yet?"

"Have you bought your Pegasus pin?"

Now, before I moved to Louisville, I thought I knew Derby.  I'd been to the race itself, of course.  I even knew that Louisvillians considered Oaks to be THE must-see race rather than its next day Big Brother.  But the Derby Festival events left me perplexed.  I knew I'd seen framed posters for Festivals past; they're inescapable in offices and family rooms in the Louisville Metro area.  Still, I had no idea what the events entailed.  Why would I wear a $3 lapel pin from Kroger? Is a Chow Wagon more appetizing than it sounds? And Thunder is just a bunch of fireworks, right?

After living through that Derby season, I learned that Derby Festival is one of those events that separates true Louisvillians from visitors.  The Pegasus pin is not only a key to admission at the Festival's events; it's symbolic of  a fourteen-day celebration of the Derby City itself.   Before Louisville becomes overrun with celebs and race enthusiasts, it fetes its own natives with steamboat races, parades, concerts, and fireworks.  It's a two-week party that unites Louisvillians from a variety of backgrounds and interests.

Image via Thunder Over Louisville

By the following April, I was far better-versed in Derby Festival events.  When Thunder Over Louisville kicked off the season, I knew that the private parties in downtown office buildings were a more comfortable and enjoyable alternative to mingling with the massive crowds that congregate for the fireworks show.   Since my beau and I aren't much for big, rowdy crowds or fireworks, we learned to time our dinner reservations to avoid the Thunder madness.  We even found that we could watch a good bit of the fireworks display from our Highlands condo.  As we fell into a few Derby Festival routines of our own -- Oaks brunches, the Chow Wagon, cocktails at the Seelbach -- we found that we weren't just celebrating the Greatest of all Horse Races.  We were celebrating the fact that Louisville is a great place to live.

Have y'all attended any Derby Festival events?

Entertaining: Baby Shower 101

I love entertaining. I also have a lot of friends of reproductive age. As a result, I threw SIX baby showers last year.

You could say I'm a bit of an expert.

Here is the general process I go through when planning a shower.

1. Pick a theme. I know old school Southern showers don't have a theme beyond cake and flowers but I like a theme. It makes it easier to pick everything from invites to food. It doesn't have to be an object (airplanes, hot air balloons). It could be just a feel. Last year, I hosted a shower where the theme was frilly florals. You just want a general aesthetic to lend a sense of consistency to everything.

2. Invites. I spend a lot of time on invites because I think they set the stage well for theme and get people excited about coming. I usually make them myself. However, if I'm running low on time, I'll find a printable invite on etsy, which usually cost about $15, and then print them myself.

3. Pre-planning. Next, I sit down and sketch out how I want the table to look, any pendants I plan on hanging, favors, and games. After doing all that, I can figure out how much I can make beforehand and if I can make it before hand, I do. I like to have everything made up and ready to go at least a week before the shower so I can focus on the food.

4. Food. A few days before I get all my supplies so the morning of the shower everything is ready to go. Sometimes I make the cake the day before as well but it depends on what type of cake.

5. Party! The day of the event I try to finish everything up at least a half an hour before so I have time to take pictures of everything all set up. Rarely works out that way but once guests start arriving I want to be able to just relax and enjoy all my hard work!

~ Sarah Stewart Holland 

Rescue Dogs

I am, by no means, one of those women that go crazy for animals. In fact, I'm really not much of an animal person at all. I do confess to getting squeally about baby animal nature shows - flash me a shot of twin baby polar bears, baby elephants or baby tiger cubs, and I'm your captive audience. My husband knows this about me, which is why he sent me the following email in late March:

Do you want to get a puppy? I found one that's cuter than a baby polar bear.

We've had dogs in the past, but our lifestyle then featured lots of weekend travel to whitewater rivers across the southeast US. It wasn't conducive to a great life for pets. We'd talked about it for a while. Since I stopped traveling as much, I realized that I got pretty lonely at home by myself on the weekends. I also started running and envied the runners I'd see out with their gorgeous four-legged running mates. I doubted my husband's ability to judge a mere puppy to be cuter than a baby polar bear so I demanded photographic evidence.

He delivered.

This little guy, who we later named Boof, came into the world as a rescue dog. His mother, pregnant with what we think was a planned litter of 13 puppies, was abandoned. She was picked up in Cincinnati, Ohio - the worst possible place for her. For a long time, our neighbors to the north were governed my a statewide ban on "bully" breeds. However, in early 2012, that ban was lifted. Pet owners could choose to own their choice of dog breeds. However, Cincinnati never overturned the citywide ban. It is still in effect. When Boof's mother was picked up by the Cincinnati Humane Society, she was scheduled for euthanization the following day. I don't know the details, but the Sharonville SPCA organization was able to take possession of her and place her in a home rescue situation. On a beautiful day in late March, we made the trip to meet and adopt little Boof.

Of course, the very first item I bought for him was a University of Kentucky dog collar. I’ve gotta hope he won’t remember his Buckeye roots!

As someone who doesn't consider herself an animal person, I've never felt strongly about dog legislation. I was never very informed. I've often held the opinion that responsible pet owners should spay and neuter their pets to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Besides Bob Barker telling me it's a good idea, it just makes common sense. Beyond that, though, I wasn't exposed to the world of bully breeds and the prejudice against them. I have a hard time believing that my sweet, adorable, all-he-wants-to-do-is-cuddle puppy could ever be vicious just because of his breeding. I can believe that he could be taught to be mean, just like the Dobermans I had a run-in with as a kid or just like any other individual vicious dog I've ever heard stories about. I think it just makes sense to blame an individual dog and hold that dog's owner responsible for vicious behavior rather than condemn that dog's entire breed.

If you're considering adopting a pet, consider adopting a bully breed. Be a responsible pet owner and disprove those who assume that viciousness is an inherited trait. Maybe we'll see you at Obediance Class!

Derby Style

Ladies get your dresses and hats ready! With only a couple of weeks left until the Kentucky Derby, here are some last minute dress and hat combos that you can wear. Whether you are going to a Derby party or the actual Derby, a rule of thumb is dress to impress!

Outfit 1: Milly dress and Jane Millinary Fascinator

Outfit 2: Milly dress and J.Crew Straw Hat

Outfit 3: Milly dress and White House Black Market Hat

Are you going to the Derby or a Derby party this year?  If so, what are you wearing?

In Photos: Stakes Day Wedding Shower

This weekend, my mother, my aunts, and I hosted a bridal shower for my cousin.  What better for Blue Grass Stakes day than a preppy, pink-and-green theme?  It felt like my aunt had dressed her entire house for a trip across town to Keeneland!