LouLife

by Holly Freeland
Holly@louisville.com

Derby ON: Phrase used to let friends and family know that the time has come for good times and Derby celebrations to begin.

Chow Wagon:  A celebration at Festival Plaza at Waterfront Park, it has great music, good carnival-style food and vendors.  Admission is free with your Pegasus pin and has a community feel to it, much like a neighborhood block party.

Derby Marathon & “Mini”:  An event for experienced runners and first timers alike, it has grown to one of the most popular events during the festival.   The Marathon is a 26.2-mile distance, while the mini is half that distance.

Derby Pie:  chocolate and walnut tart in a pie shell usually with a pastry dough crust. It is also commonly made with pecans, chocolate chips and Kentucky Bourbon.

Fest-A-Ville: Must-see concerts, a kids’ play area, corn toss and bocce, bingo, plus activities like movie nights, bourbon country and a mascot party. Sponsored by Kroger, this party starts on the Great Lawn on Thursday, April 24th and runs through Derby Eve, Friday, May 2nd. 

Great Bed Race:  An event where you grab four of your favorite co-workers and race to bed - in a zany kind of way.  The five-person teams dress in wild and crazy costumes to compete in this wacky race.

Great Steamboat Race: Yearly Steamboat race between the Belle Of Louisville and the Cincinnati Delta Queen.  It is held each year during the week before Derby, and the Belle holds the winning advantage, 22-19.

Mint Julep: A Derby-Must, it is a drink made up of mint, bourbon, sugar and water.

Oaks: The main race on a day of races held the Friday before Derby.  It is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies.  Many Louisvillians consider Oaks day to be their own Derby Day, as Derby has been increasingly popular for people to visit from outside of the city of Louisville.

Pegasus Parade: The parade, first held in 1956, is the Derby Festival’s oldest and founding event. Traveling down Broadway the Thursday afternoon before Derby, it began on a budget of $640 and now provides an impact in excess of $14 million to the local economy.

Pegasus Pin: A visible show of support for the Festival and its events… The pins, worn mostly on collars or lapels, are a common sight in Louisville during the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. Two-Thirds of the KDF events are free admission with a Pegasus Pin.

Ramble For The Roses: Relaxing, five-mile walk through the spectacular scenery of Louisville's South End.

Run For The Rose’: Employees from local restaurants get involved in this race with a crazy twist. Local servers compete for prizes and pride as they race around a challenging obstacle course balancing six full glasses of wine.

Thunder Over Louisville: The official opening ceremonies for the fun-filled weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby Festival.  It is also the nation's largest annual fireworks show.

U.S. Bank Great Balloon Glow:  The night before the race is the U.S. Bank Derby Festival Balloon Glow, which now draws crowds exceeding the race itself. Balloons in all shapes and sizes inflate in their launch position on the field, but do not ascend.

U.S. Bank Great Balloon Race:  The balloons lift off in an aerial chase of the Hare Balloon (the overall sponsor), with winds determining which direction they will go. The Hare Balloon stays aloft until it finds a suitable place to land, preferably in a vacant field. It lands and lays out a large fabric "X" as the target, then takes to the air again. The Hounds (the competing balloons) follow the Hare in hot pursuit, trying to throw a small bag of Kentucky Bluegrass seed as close to the "X" as possible, all without landing.

Derby OFF:  Phrase used to let friends and family know that the time has come for good times and Derby celebrations to officially end… and perhaps lower their voices and bring over an ice pack.