Family-Friendly Kentucky Derby Party
Tips for a family-friendly Kentucky Derby gathering.
The other day, I had a FaceTime call with my 6 year-old niece. “Saturday is May 1st,” she said, “that means it’s also Derby Day!” She then invited me to her Kentucky Derby party, which she’s holding with her sister and my parents. I’m still strongly considering her invitation, even if it is three hours away.
This isn’t a Derby when I’m up for going to the track. I’m so glad the race is on for people who want to attend, but my Covid experience has left me both still wary of crowds and not fully able to wear a mask for long periods of time. I’m skipping the track this year, but a fun, family-friendly Kentucky Derby party sounds fabulous. I’ve put together some ideas for a fun outdoorsy party — I love that there’s nothing fancy or overwhelming about it, it’s full of Kentucky traditions, and it’s as much fun for a 6 year-old as it is for the rest of us!
I kept the decorations simple, using things that could withstand a spill or a drop. I love this inexpensive pin display banner for the bourbon/mint julep and Derby Festival pins I’ve acquired over the years. It tells a fun story of past events we’ve loved and adds a cute little vintage touch to a tree!
I used an old quilt as a tablecloth and grabbed a few kids’ jockey hats in the Derby Party section at Kroger to use as party favors. I also found a vintage Louisville Stoneware Derby-themed flower pot that was perfect for the occasion!
I kept the menu simple as well — mini Derby Pies from Kern’s Kitchen, pimiento cheese and Benedictine sandwiches, crudités with Hall’s Beer Cheese, and Woodford Reserve Bourbon Balls. All of these dishes are traditional Kentucky favorites, and all I had to do was assemble the sandwiches and cut up the vegetables. I used my Stoneware & Co Bachelor Button dishes to continue the theme of a traditional Kentucky event!
Of course, I had to have mint julep ingredients on hand — including bottles of Woodford Reserve and Old Forester for those who choose to imbibe and Ale-8-one for those who don’t. I love freezing some Ale-8 until it’s a slushy consistency then serving over crushed ice with a mint sprig for a julep mocktail that everyone can enjoy!
If you’re looking for recipes, or if you want to take a sure-to-be-appreciated hostess gift, Chef Ouita Michel’s new cookbook, Just a Few Miles South, is the absolute best! Ouita is one of my very favorite people, and her first-ever cookbook is filled with the Kentucky Comfort Food we all love at her restaurants! It would also be a great prize if your party does a Derby Horse Pool or other games!
Cheers to Derby, however you choose to celebrate this year!
Silks Bash 2021
A fun #partyinabubble supports children with incarcerated mothers.
Hey y’all. It’s hard to believe that Derby is almost here!
With Kentucky Derby tickets severely limited, most of us are sticking pretty close to home over the next week. Fortunately, there are still fun ways to observe some of Louisville’s best parties. This year’s Sliks Bash has transitioned to a #partyinabubble format — you can stream the festivities, enjoy delicious drinks and snacks, and, most importantly, support Operation Open Arms!
Operation Open Arms is an incredible local charity that provides clothing, housing, transportation, and food as well as a safe and loving environment to children whose mothers are incarcerated. Operation Open Arms serves as a state-licensed private child-placement agency and seeks to offset the difficulties that often arise from parental incarceration, including financial difficulties, instability in relationships, school behavior, performance difficulties, low self-esteem, and feelings of shame. The statistics are staggering, y’all. Seventy-five percent of incarcerated women are mothers. The average age of children with an incarcerated parent is 8 years old; 22% of the children are under the age of five. The likelihood of parental reunification for children of incarcerated mothers is 21%; the average for other children in foster care is 40%. This charity is doing amazing work to give children a stable and loving foundation, and some tickets to Silks Bash are as affordable as $50!
(My dogs have been fascinated by this horse balloon for days!)
The folks at Operation Open Arms were kind enough to share a Party in a Bubble kit with me, and it is so fun! There’s everything you need to throw your own little gala at home, from a 2021 Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby Commemorative bottle to snacks from Wiltshire Pantry to julep cups!
The virtual Silks Bash includes a cocktail lesson from Woodford Reserve Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall (one of my very favorite people in the bourbon industry) and music by celebrity DJ James Kennedy (I’m told by people who are less out-of-touch than me that he’s on a Bravo show…). The event will be held Oaks Night, Friday April 30, from 8 - 10:30 pm. Tickets are available here. Today, April 23rd, is the last day to order the party kit for shipping; you have until the 27th to order for local pickup!
Thanks so much to Operation Open Arms and Lemonade PR for the Silks Bash kit and for inviting me to spread the word about this amazing event!
Richard Sullivan Art Exhibit at Stoneware & Co
Join Stoneware & Co for pre-Derby art and fun!
I hope y’all can join me tomorrow night at Stoneware & Co. for the Opening Reception for their latest art exhibit, Breaking Through: The latest works of Richard Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan, a Louisville native, holds a degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design and played six seasons of professional baseball with the Atlanta Braves. Mr. Sullivan created the art for the 2020 and 2021 Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottle!
The Sullivan exhibit is part of Spring Into Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, an outdoor, socially-distance, weekend-long event that will include a pop-up art fair, music, food and cocktails. You can learn more about the Spring Into Derby event here.
If you’re anything like me, you can’t go to Stoneware this time of year without picking up a few Derby-themed pieces for spring entertaining. I love my Embossed Running Horse barware so much!
Cheers to pre-Derby fun, y’all! I hope to see you in Paristown tomorrow!
If You Go:
Opening Reception - Breaking Through: The Latest Works of Richard Sullivan
Friday, April 23 from 5:00 — 7:30 pm
Stoneware & Co, 731 Brent Street, Louisville
Admission is free
Buff City Soap
A fun and safe line of soap and grooming products here in the Louisville area!
{This post contains products gifted to me through my role as a Buff City Soap Brand Ambassador. All opinions are, as always, my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support HerKentucky!}
I recently had the opportunity to tour the Buff City Soaps makery here in St. Matthews. It is so cute, y’all, and it carries great-smelling products that are plant-based and free of harsh chemicals and animal fats!
I can’t wait to visit Buff City Soap with my little nieces. Of course, they’re obsessed with anything pretty and bubbly and fizzy for bath time or washing their hands, and I love that they won’t be exposed to parabens or harsh detergents. Buff City Soap uses ingredients you actually recognize — things like coconut oil and green tea extract — to create a safer alternative to harsh commercial products. The soaps are even made daily in-store!
A great nod to Louisville’s neighborhood coffee shops is the Fresh Heine soap, a collaboration with Heine Brothers coffee!
My favorite product in the Buff City Soap lineup is the laundry soap! The Fresh Cotton scent is so lovely; it provides a subtle, clean scent and it keeps harsh detergents away from your skin.
Thanks so much to Buff City Soap for showing me around! Visit them in NuLu at 815 E Market St and in St. Matthews at 4600 Shelbyville Rd Suite 651. The Middletown location opens next month at 13006 Shelbyville Rd!
LED Light Therapy For Pain Management and Anti-Aging Treatment at Magnolia Aesthetics
Louisville day spa provides LED light therapy for pain management and anti-aging treatments.
Shop my outfit: Lilly Pulitzer Tunic
I’ve partnered with Magnolia Aesthetics to provide HerKentucky readers with honest reviews and let you know about the latest services and promotions. Magnolia Aesthetics is located at 149 Chenoweth Lane in Louisville’s St Matthews neighborhood. You can keep up with all my Magnolia reviews on their HerKentucky Partner page!
Oh, hi, giant pin in my thumb!
If you’ve been following along on my Instagram feed this summer, you know that I’ve had some major issues with my right (and dominant!) hand. I’ve experienced some pretty intense arthritis pain in the CMC joint at the base of my thumb due to wear and tear (hello, iPhone and keyboards and cooking and needlepoint!) as well as some structural issues. I underwent a fairly intense surgery in July and am still recovering and under severe use restrictions. I hate to complain, but I’ve been in A LOT of pain this summer, y’all.
I’ve also looked pretty awkward trying to hold things, but I suppose that’s a smaller complaint.
Both before my surgery and after my cast came off, my friends at Magnolia Aesthetics offered a unique treatment solution: LED light therapy. Ashlee, the incredible aesthetician at Magnolia, uses a professional-grade LED light therapy device which can be calibrated to different wavelengths to address chronic pain, fine lines, or acne. It’s an incredible device, really; Ashlee applies it my hand 3 times a week for 30 minute sessions, and I can feel a difference immediately! The light immediately goes to work increasing oxygen flow in the treated area, stimulating collagen production and activating pain relieving pathways. The result is a reduction in pain and inflammation. I certainly feel like I’ve healed a lot faster because of this treatment. I certainly can feel increased flexibility and reduced inflammation when I receive my treatments. It’s been such a valuable addition to my recovery! You can read more about the science behind LED light therapy for pain management here.
Ashlee also added the LED light to my most recent facial, which was a wonderful experience. We used the anti-aging setting to combat fine lines and wrinkles. When combined with hyaluronic acid, I could see a big difference in my skin texture almost immediately!
Thanks so much to Magnolia Aesthetics for sponsoring this post. Visit Magnolia Aesthetics at 149 Chenoweth Lane in St Matthews, give them a call at 502-632-2244, or email them to set up your LED light treatments today!
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Jeff Ruby's Derby Meal Kit Pop-Up
Enjoy a Jeff Ruby’s Meal — from signature steaks to mint juleps— at home on Derby Day!
Derby is one of my very favorite holidays for entertaining. There’s nothing like a food and drink menu inspired by the best day of the Kentucky calendar year!
Of course, Derby looks quite different this year, and we’ll all be watching from home in small groups. Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse has the perfect solution for your at-home Derby festivities! Here in Louisville, you can pick up a Meal Kit at the Jeff Ruby’s Pop-Up Shop at Independence Bank in St Matthews (3901 Shelbyville Road) from 10a-2p tomorrow, Friday Sept. 4th, and Saturday, Sept. 5th. This Meal Kit generously serves 4-6 Guests: Four 14 oz. USDA Prime Strip Steaks with Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse Seasoning; Benedictine & Pimento Cheese Dips with Crostini & Crudité; Freddie Salad; Mac & Cheese; Black Eyed Pea Salad with Country Ham & Heirloom Tomatoes; House-Made Biscuits with Salted Honey Butter; Whole Blackberry Bourbon Cream Pie; Mint Simple Syrup with Fresh Mint for your own Mint Juleps (recipe included). All of this for just $200!
Jeff Ruby’s Meal Kits are an incredible way to serve restaurant-quality meals at home. They include everything you need to make your meal perfect —even down to Jeff Ruby’s famous steakhouse seasoning — along with cooking instructions. It’s such a low-stress way to serve a fabulous meal at home. Just fire up the grill or a cast-iron skillet and prepare your steaks while the mac and cheese (my favorite!) heats in the oven. It couldn’t be easier!
Join me on Instagram Stories on Derby Day as I prepare a low-key, yet festive Derby meal at home with Jeff Ruby’s, and pick up a meal kit of your own this weekend in Saint Matthews. Happy Derby, y’all!!
How HerKentucky Partners Are Reopening
Joseph-Beth
After two crazy months of business closures, Kentucky stores and salons are starting to slowly and cautiously open their doors to customers. I thought I’d share with y’all how the HerKentucky Partners — the businesses I work with to promote some of the very finest products and services in the Bluegrass State — are adapting to safely serve their customers.
Stoneware & Co
Spas & Salons
Open now! Staff will be wearing masks and gloves; all areas will be sanitized before and after each guest. Guests are asked to sanitize hands before service and maintain six feet distance. Please reschedule appointment if exhibiting any cold or flu symptoms.
Phone lines open now! Salon opens May 27th for limited hair and nail services. A second-phase opening is forthcoming for additional hair and nail services, along with spa, massage and wax services. Blow-dry services will not be offered. Salon employees and guests are asked to wear masks, and guests are asked to limit items brought into the salon and practice six feet distancing. Guests exhibiting a fever will not be permitted to enter.
Logan’s of Lexington
Retail
Now open! Staff members will be wearing masks, cleaning all surfaces hourly, and sanitizing all shoes and garments after every try-on. Guests are required to use hand sanitizers; masks are highly recommended. Contactless checkout service, curbside delivery and in-Lexington home delivery are available.
Campus Quilt Company
Campus Quilt
Factory now open. Accepting and producing quilts. If you have any questions, please call 502-968-2850 or email at sales@campusquilt.com. Don’t forget to use code herkyquilt10 for 10% off your order!
Lexington store now open. Masks required of employees and requested for guests. Limited store capacity is being exercised, along with stringent sanitation guidelines. Employee health is being monitored Curbside delivery available.
Open now for shopping and curbside delivery according to CDC guidelines. 30-50% discount storewide to celebrate reopening!
The Peppermint Palm and Stoneware & Co
The Peppermint Palm (Lexington and Louisville)
Open now! Six customers allowed inside at a time. Hand sanitization required. All employees and customers required to use masks. Store cleaned regularly throughout the day; fitting rooms sanitized after every use.
Reopening Tuesday, May 26th, details coming soon. Curbside pickup will be available, as well as in-store shopping. Follow Stoneware’s social media for additional details. Online shop always open.
Stay safe and happy shopping, y’all!