Rotary Club of
Catalina (Tucson)

Catalina Rotary
2007
Kentucky Derby Day

On May 5, 2007, the Catalina Rotary Club imported the Kentucky Derby to Tucson’s Rillito Downs Race Park. The event included Southern food, Bluegrass music, Southern culture and, of course, mint juleps. One hundred seventy-one guests and numerous volunteers participated in the event - the first in what the club hopes will become an annual tradition.

A committee including former Kentuckians planned the successful event. Antique carriages from the Tucson Rodeo Parade Museum decorated the grounds. Silent and live auctions featured several Kentucky Derby items, and vacation package exchanges were put together in cooperation with the Lake Tahoe, Nevada Rotary Club. A ladies hat parade & contest were a hit.

Live Bluegrass music filled the air, as did the mouth-watering aromas of southern-fried chicken, country ham and biscuits and Kentucky Derby pie. Then, the crowd sang “My Old Kentucky Home” and a trumpeter played “Call to the Post.” Everyone cheered for their favorites while watching the race on widescreen televisions. A raffle based on the race results – win, place & show, generated lots of excitement.

The Catalina Rotary Club’s Kentucky Derby Day benefited the Tucson Medical Center’s neonatal unit, which the club has already presented with a check for $20,000; and the Child Language Center, a local non-profit that works with young children who have speech and language disorders.

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