Planning a Kentucky Derby Party
The Kentucky Derby, horse racing's premier event, is held annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Average people and celebrities pour in from everywhere, decked out in their fancy hats and creative garb. However, you don't have to attend the Kentucky Derby to enjoy the event. Simply plan your own party, and invite some friends and work associates to have a good time. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Addresses of family and friends
- Computer
- Invitations
- RSVP
- Envelopes
- Stamps
- Party Supplies
- Decorations
- Clear plastic cups
- Napkins
- Disposable forks, knives, spoons
- Soft drinks
- Bottled water
- Ice
- Snacks and appetizers
- Fried chicken
- Barbecue
- Black-eyed peas
- Crab cakes
- Kentucky Derby pie
- Television
- Fancy hat
- Prize for costume
- Ice
- Bunch fresh mint sprigs
- Kentucky Bourbon
- Sugar
- Water
- Small cocktail straws
- Jar
- Random horse entries for the race
Instructions
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Planning Your Kentucky Derby Party
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Make a list of family members, friends and co-workers. Get on your computer and make a creative invitation using Kentucky Derby-themed clip art. Include directions to your house. Create a slightly smaller RSVP slip. Allow everyone to invite a guest. Hold a hat competition and invite your guests to wear their fanciest hats. Print the invitations. Purchase envelopes and stamps. Mail out the invitations about three weeks before the party. Create some additional invitations and hand them out if you do not have the person's address.
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2
Clean the inside and outside of your house. Purchase all of your food, snacks, drinks and supplies a few days before the party. Count the number of guests that are coming so you buy enough food for everyone. Put up Kentucky Derby decorations both inside and outside your house. Include derby-themed window posters, hanging banners and a laminated poster listing the horses in the race. Decorate your cake or counter with plastic horses or derby cap trinkets. Add a garland of roses. Shop for these items at Caufields.com or at a local party supply store.
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3
Start preparing your fried chicken, barbecue, black-eyed peas, crab cakes, appetizers and Kentucky Derby pie a day or two before the party. Pace yourself and do not try to do too much at once. Ask a good friend to help if you are having a huge party. Use their stove and oven if necessary.
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4
Get your children or spouse to help you create racing entry forms for each horse in the race. Create enough entry forms so you have enough for each guest. Put all entries in a jar for a random drawing.
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5
Make sure you have enough Kentucky bourbon and mint syrup on hand to make mint juleps. Figure that you will need three ounces of bourbon and two tablespoons of mint simple syrup and crushed ice for each drink.
Make the syrup by boiling one cup of water and one cup of sugar in a medium saucepan for five minutes. Do not stir it. Pour the water and sugar over a handful of mint sprigs. Gently mash them with a spoon. Put the entire mixture in a jar with a lid and keep it in the refrigerator all night. Remove the mint the next day. Serve each drink with a frosted mug, crushed ice and one fresh mint sprig.
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6
Make a fancy hat for yourself. Decide on a prize for the best hat. Get everything set up the night before. Make sure your television is in working order. Have a couple additional sets out for other rooms if you have a large crowd.
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Tips & Warnings
The best way to arrange the horse betting is to collect five dollars for each person that enters the drawing. If you are going to have 40 people at your party and there are 20 horses running in the race, simply have two sets of each horse available for the drawing. There will be two winners instead of one and those people can split the pot.
Try to get around and talk to everybody since you are the host or hostess.
Consider using hat boxes as little giveaways for your party.
Create your own decorating pieces if you have the time.
