LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky Derby is back on the first Saturday in May, slowly bringing with it the sights, sounds and rituals familiar to Louisville.
Local officials and business owners hope that translates into a better cash flow after the coronavirus pandemic upended their schedule last year for the traditional opener of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
The Thunder Over Louisville air show and fireworks display that kicks off Kentucky Derby activities resumed with resounding booms in mid-April. Marathons and cycling races, conducted virtually last fall, went off live last weekend, along with thousands of yellow rubber ducks bobbing in the Ohio River in the Ken-Ducky Derby. Tourists have been steadily trickling back into downtown hotels, restaurants and museums.
The most anticipated scenes loom in Saturday’s 147th Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs, where women in big colorful hats and men in seersucker suits will have to occasionally pull their required face masks aside to sip bourbon and mint juleps and puff on cigars.
“It definitely smells like Derby,” said Louisville native Kenzie Kapp, who owns a business that makes headpieces and is relishing a boost in demand for masks to match her hats and fascinators. “In the fall, it was different. It’s so good to be back on the first Saturday of May. That feels good. It feels right. It feels at home.”