Little Kentucky Derby:The Tradition Lives On

Tradition: it's all the little things we look forward to year after year that give us a sense of pride in our home state; it's the events that continually bring us together as a reminder of our unified heritage and legacies; it's what makes us proud to be from Kentucky. One of many traditions celebrated annually across the bluegrass is the Kentucky Derby. Horse racing in Kentucky dates back to 1783. It's a sport rich in pride, heritage and tradition, and no other venue in the world pays tribute to the glory, status and spectacle of Thoroughbred racing quite like Churchill Downs.
Here, standing strong as the state's flagship university, the University of Kentucky honors this timeless tradition with a new, unique twist every year. A collaboration of inspirations has contributed to the festival that is known as the Little Kentucky Derby. Modeled after Indiana University's 'Little 500', the earliest years of the festival were centered around an intercollegiate competitive bike race. The race attracted thousands of sponsors, collaborating organizations, participants, spectators and students and raised money for scholarships that benefited UK students. As far back as the 50's and 60's, the Little Kentucky Derby was the event that everyone looked forward to each spring.
Coming from all directions, inspiration for what is now the festival's main event came from a visionary UK student on the Student Activities Board. After seeing a hot air balloon one spring day, she ended up tracing it back to a car dealership where she tracked down the owner and decided she wanted Little Kentucky Derby to incorporate a hot air balloon in its schedule. She ran with the idea and in 1976, UK became the first college campus in the US to host a hot air balloon race. Introduced as the 'Thoroughbred Race in the Sky' in the 80's, it soon became an integral part of the week-long festival for students and families alike.
With all outdoor events ranging from races in many different forms to pageants, carnivals, car shows, tent parties, concerts and the infamous 'ping pong ball drop', the event has seen its success and hardships.. Being such a large scale event and investment, LKD was eventually cut from the Student Activities Board schedule of events due to snow, rain, tornados and crazy April weather. After 13 years of absence, the University of Kentucky's Student Activities Board reinstated the cherished UK tradition in 2006 with a balance of new and time-honored events. The Little Kentucky Derby festival has altered its events, made changes to its schedule and evolved in many ways, but has always celebrated the Commonwealth's most renowned event, the Kentucky Derby.
The tradition lives on this year as the Student Activities Board announces the 4th Annual-Revived Little Kentucky Derby Festival in the line up for its spring schedule of events. With a variety of festivities for students and families to take part in, this timeless tradition will take place from Wednesday, April 15 through Friday, April 17, 2009. SAB would like to invite you to take part in this wonderful tradition. To learn more about this year's events visit www.uky.edu/SAB/LKD2009. We hope to see you all there!