It’s already Derby time in Louisville.
I know that this is going to sound … I don’t know what you’d call it …. Maybe disrespectful … maybe even … I don’t know what word would be best to describe it ….
But …..
The fact of the matter is … the city of Louisville is known for The Kentucky Derby.
The Derby brings tons of money to Louisville businesses.
Which provides tons of tax dollars for the city of Louisville, and the state of Kentucky.
It’s our state’s “Cash Cow.”
Which, once again, is going to be tarnished by a shooting.
There was the killing of Breonna Taylor in 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Breonna_Taylor
About a month ago, a report was issued by the U.S. Department of Justice that greatly criticized Louisville’s police department. We have a new mayor that’s working on improvements.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-civil-rights-violations-louisville-metro-police-department-and
The Kentucky Derby is going to be on Saturday, May 6th this year.
https://www.kentuckyderby.com
That’s less than a month away and Louisville has to convince people by then that it’s safe to come to our city for the Derby.
When Jackee and I got married in 1967, after finishing college, and we decided to live in her home town (Louisville ) and not mine (Lexington), the Derby was just a weekend celebration.
Now, it’s a month long celebration.
During the two weeks before the Derby, there are numerous events every day (and night).
I’d say that at least half the people here don’t go to these events, and stay at home to avoid traffic and crowds.
No one from Louisville goes to the Derby (very few).
Too much traffic.
The only tickets that are available are in the infield. This is the space that’s inside the track, that you get to through a tunnel that goes under the track. The infield is a zoo.
One of the TV stations provides all day coverage.
People have Derby parties in their homes, and this is where most Louisville people are during Derby Day. I've never been to a Derby. Jackee went to the infield when she was a freshman in college.
We had a friend who had a fantastic Derby party every year. We loved it. Sadly, he died a few years ago.
We haven’t found a new party to go to…. and I’m just as happy doing various things during the day while the TV’s on in the family room.
I suspect that “security” will be a big part of this year’s Derby.
But, I wonder how much the economy is going to affect this year’s Derby.
Many people are suffering financially … us included.
Our only income is our Social Security and the money we make from our e-bay store. Where sales are down. So, I’m looking for a job. Every month it’s become harder and harder for us to pay our bills, and to be able to buy high quality dog and cat food. (We’ll eat most anything.) Yesterday, I had to buy some less expensive dog food for Curly.
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