Pink and White Kentucky Football Patchwork Quilt
The Wildcats are two wins away from Bowl eligibility, y'all. So, it only seems fitting that this week's quilt of the week is a Kentucky Wildcats football themed quilt. It's just a regular patchwork quilt, made special with the unique fabric. My granny surprised me with this one for Christmas one year. I just love it!
Make-a-Wish Day at Keeneland
There's really nothing better than a day at Keeneland's Fall Meet. Lexington is at its prettiest this time of year, you're likely to run into plenty of friends at the track, and there are great races to watch. The only way it can get better is if you have the opportunity to help others. Tomorrow, you have the chance to do that at Make-A-Wish Day at Keeneland!
The thoroughbred industry and Keeneland are working together to help grant the wishes of local Kentucky kids through Make-A-Wish® Day at Keeneland!Local Thoroughbred farms and organizations (Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Ashford Stud, Darley, Shadwell Farm, Lane's End Farm, Flaxman Holdings, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Shawnee Farm and Gainsway Farm) will help grant wishes for nine deserving children. The Keeneland Kidseven get the opportunity to present the trophies after each race!
You can support Make-A-Wish and enjoy a day at the races by purchasing a Wishing at the Races Ticket Package for $25, which includes a general admission ticket, reserved seating in the Grandstand, a Keeneland program and a limited edition t-shirt designed by a wish kid! 65% of ticket sales benefit Make-A-Wish.
To purchase tickets, please call 1-877-206-9474 or visit HTTP://MAKEAWISHKY.KINTERA.ORG/KEENELAND.
If you can't make it to the track tomorrow, follow along on HerKentucky's Instagram for photos from the event!
HerLouisville: Sophisticated Fall Comfort Food at the Irish Rover
With autumn's cooler temperatures setting in, I find myself craving heartier comfort food. This weekend, my beau and I found some new dishes at The Irish Rover that fit the bill. We've always headed up Bardstown Road to the Clifton-area pub for pints, Bushmills, and fish and chips, but we both found ourselves intrigued by variants of traditional shepherds pie.
Bob order the Cottage Pie, a fabulous beef stew in a bread bowl with mashed potatoes.
And I had the Fisherman's Stew, one of the most unique and delicious dishes I've had in ages. Salmon and whitefish mixed in a béchamel sauce, with a mashed potato crust and parmesan cheese. So delicate and delicious!
If you haven't been to the Irish Rover for a while, check out their hearty, sophisticated Fall menu!
Louisville People and Lexington People
Testing the theory that Kentuckians identify with one of their two major college towns.
I've got this theory about Kentuckians.
It doesn't matter what county you grew up in, every Kentuckian identifies as a Lexington person or a Louisville person.
Oh, sure, you may live closer to cities like Cincinnati or Nashville. You may go to St. Louis or Charleston, WV or Indy or anywhere else to shop and unwind. But, when it comes down to college affiliations, sports teams, and generally which city you prefer, there can only be one. Nobody loves both cities equally. I've known plenty of people who drive from Western Kentucky to Lexington to shop, eat, or tailgate. Others may be from the Eastern mountains, but crave a steak from Mortons or Ruth's Chris or an Oxmoor Mall fix.
Of course, both cities are amazing. I've lived in Louisville and in Lexington, and have been very, very happy in each. There's no substitute for a night out on Bardstown Road, a play at Actors Theatre, or the view from River Road. But, I'm a Lexington girl at heart. I went to Transy and to UK. I grew up in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. I bleed blue. And, I'll always be a Lexington girl. I start planning trips to The Track (Keeneland, duh. There is only one!) or to see my 'Cats months in advance. No matter how long my license plate says "Jefferson County", my heart will always lie a little farther east.
Are you a Louisville or Lexington person? Take our quiz and see!
- Keeneland or Churchill Downs?
- Blue or Red?
- Cats or Cards?
- Woodford Reserve or Maker's Mark?
- Ramsey's or Ramsi's?
- I-75 or I-65?
Of course, if you answers were from column A, then you're a Lexington person; if you answered mostly Bs, then you're a Louisville person!
Which one are you?
Rose + Ivory Fan Quilt
Every Thursday, I spotlight a Quilt of the Week, featuring one of the stunning quilts my grandmother has made for me through the years. Today's quilt is a fan pattern on a rose and ivory background. I love the delicate hand-stitched fan patterns in the ivory blocks!
What to Wear to Keeneland: October 2105 Opening Day
In the four years that HerKentucky has been exploring the lives, traditions, and stories of Kentucky women, there's one question that we get asked more than any other. It pops up, time and again, in y'all's tweets, Facebook posts, and search engine queries:
What should I wear to Keeneland?
The answer I always give is, "Well, that depends on where you're sitting."
Image via Keeneland
All seats in Lexington's storied Keeneland Race Course are not created equal. Basically, the closer to the ground (and the horses themselves) you are, the more casually you should dress.
If you're going to stay near the Paddock --General Admission, Grandstand, or Equestrian Room-- there's no need to dress up very much. Guys often opt for khakis and polo shirts, and women can wear slacks. You're actually dressing for a horse race in these sections. These are the areas nearest the track itself, and people are truly there to watch (and bet on) the horses. With that said, don't be surprised to see a lot of dresses and sport coats in the lower-levels. In recent years, a culture of dressy tailgating (think Steeplechase) has popped up among college students and twenty-somethings, and the second floor (General Admission) Sports Bar often resembles a campus bar or fraternity semi-formal. While the dress code says "casual", there's plenty of Vineyard Vines ties and Lilly Pulitzer to be seen.
Image via Keeneland.
If you'll be dining in the upper-level, enclosed dining rooms-- The Lexington, Kentucky, or Phoenix Rooms-- then expect to dress for a business event. The Lexington and Kentucky rooms -- dining rooms often reserved for business and social gatherings-- have a "business formal" dress code; these areas require men to don a coat and tie, and skirts/dresses/dressy slacks for ladies. The Phoenix Room-- another reserved dining room-- is "business casual", requiring collared shirts and slacks for men and dresses/pantsuits for ladies.
The members-only Clubhouse similarly requires coat and tie for men and dressy pants/skirts for ladies. I find that a skirt suit or a dress paired with a pretty cardigan or wrap is always appropriate for the upper levels. In general, if you'd wear it to church or a business meeting, you're golden.
Image via Keeneland.
Of course, some days at the track are a little more dressy than others. Weekends are generally for more high profile races, and Opening Day tends to bring out dressier clothing.
With the forecast in Lexington calling for rainy days and temperatures in the 50s, I'd suggest some traditional autumn layers with a feminine twist. So bundle up, look nice, and have a great time at the track!
Banned Books Week: Uncle Tom's Cabin
This week is Banned Books Week, a celebration of Americans' access to books that have been deemed controversial, unacceptable, or otherwise restricted or censored.
Our beloved Bluegrass State has the dubious honor of being the setting for the first section of one of the most controversial and frequently banned books in the history of American literature. Uncle Tom's Cabin, written in 1852 by a Connecticut native and abolitionist named Harriet Beecher Stowe, the book was a response to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, which required the return of runaway slaves to their masters.
Uncle Tom's Cabin would go on to be the second-best-selling book of the 19th century (second only to the Bible), but it did not receive universal praise. At the time of its publication, many slave owners and Southern sympathizers felt that the harsh depictions of slavery found in the book were unfair, while abolitionists considered the work a catalyst for social change. In fact, when President Abraham Lincoln met Mrs. Stowe, he said: “so this is the little lady who made this big war.”
In recent years, the novel has come under fire for use of racial epithets and for the reduction of African-American characters to tropes. However, the role that Mrs. Stowe's novel played in heightening awareness of the conditions of slavery cannot be underestimated.
This week, HerKentucky urges you to read a banned book and to remember the crucial power of controversy in the written word.