Entertainment

by: Steven Kaplan

Hey you all, if you are looking to to visit the most people friendly city in the country, then look no furthur than Louisville Kentucky, the birthplace of Muhammad Ali and the most famous horse race in the world, the Kentucky Derby. We were recently invited by the Louisville Convention Bureau www.gotolouisville.com to experience for ourselves southern hospitality at its best! We arrived on the Eve of the Kentucky Derby and immediately went to the most fantastic fun party that i have ever gone to!. It was the 23rd annual Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala at the Priscilla and Patricia Barnstable Sisters Spring Drive Mansion. Blonde bombshells, Grammy and Country Music singers, along with a who*s who of celebrities, attend this see and must be seen event every year. This year was no exception with realty tvs most famous mama Kate Goselin along with Olympic Gold winner Lindsey Vonn and Country singer sensation Miranda Lambert all mixing and mingling with the over 1000 VIP guests. Champagne was flowing faster than the flood waters of the Mighty Ohio River just across the road!   A good time was had by all! 
Saturday was Derby Day and what a spectacular day it was!  Women dress in in their outrageous, fearless Hats see photos and men dressed in their sunday best outfits. I felt like i was watching a  scene from the movie Gone with the Wind! Of course all the Movers and Shakers of the entertainment world were there and i was lucky to get 1000 dollar seats in the VIP Section. The Day reaches a feverish pitch when the Derby horses enter the track and 140,000 people sing in chorus the Kentucky National Song My Old Kentucky Home by Stephen Foster. Many in the crowd were moved to tears as everyone stands up and sings in Harmony. Its a sight to see!  Finally the 137th Annual Run for the Roses Race was run and of course i did not pick the  Kentucky Derby winner which was Animal Kingdom! After the race the winning horse is paraded around with a large wreath of many beautiful Roses around his neck and you could see the big smile on the horses face. Job well deseved!!!
Saturday night we attended the Winning Derby Party called Night of Silk , hosted by the Galt Hotel, which benefits the the Permantly Disabled Jockeys Fund. I managed to get a photo with both the winning jockey John Velazquez and the Owner of the winning horse Animal Kingdom. (see photos)
Our Hosts for the weekend was the most luxurious Hotel in Louisville called the Galt house www.galthouse.com. The 1000 room Hotel has 7 restaurants and the rooms come with marble accented bathrooms with most of the rooms having stunning views of the Ohio river just 1 block away. Our favorite eating place in Louisville is www.lynnsparadisecafe.com where you can experience the utterly deadly Kentucky Pecan Pie!. Our other favorite was the biscuits which only come with Gravy!