The 140th running of the Kentucky Derby is on Saturday, and The Iron Horse Hotel and Potawatomi Bingo Casino have set up viewing parties for those looking to wear fancy hats, watch horses and sip mint juleps.
The Iron Horse Hotel, 500 W. Florida St., hosts its fourth annual "Talk Derby to Me," encouraging patrons to don their racing best while watching the racing action on screens placed throughout the lobby. Mint juleps can be in hand for $35 for a bottomless copper mug and guests can compete in the "best hat" contest for a chance to win a $50 bar tab and have their photo taken in the Winner’s Circle with the hotel’s champion horse, "Shemus."
The race starts promptly at 5:24 p.m., and will be marked by "Bugler Bill" performing the traditional "Call to the Post."
For more information on "Talk Derby to Me," call (414) 374-4766 or click here. The event is free and open to the public and runs from 3 to 6 p.m.
Potawatomi Bingo Casino is also hosting a viewing party in the smoke-free Off-Track Betting Room and in the 500-seat Northern Lights Theater. It is the only facility in southeast Wisconsin to wager on the race.
Doors for the Off-Track Betting Room will open at 8:30 a.m., and at 9 a.m. in the Northern Lights Theater on the day of the race.
The theater will show the race on a 20-foot screen and on two 10-foot screens. Traditional mint juleps are available for $6 in both the theater and Fire Pit Sports Bar & Grill. Guests can also participate in a hat to win cash and rewards. For more information on the contest, click here.
Fire Keeper’s Club members will receive a commemorative Kentucky Derby mint julep glass when they present their wagering ticket at the Off-Track Betting program sales booth (while supplies last), and, since it’s the Year of the Horse, guests can also receive 20 percent off at RuYi May 3-31 by presenting their Kentucky Derby wagering ticket (excludes Peking Roast Duck and Wok-Fried Fish).
For more information about the 2014 Kentucky Derby festivities at Potawatomi Bingo Casino, click here.
