Wondering what to do for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday? Why not go somewhere you can have a great time and give back to the community, wear fancy hats and help the hungry?
For the 11th year in a row, Maxie’s will host what it calls Milwaukee’s largest Derby Day party in support of Hunger Task Force, May 5 from 1 to 5 p.m. With costume contests, live music, drink specials, tasty food and entertainment, this year’s Fancy Hats to Help the Hungry could be Maxie’s liveliest celebration yet.
Local big band The Jackson Park Jazz Orchestra will provide tunes all afternoon, as Milwaukee’s southern enthusiasts take to the large dance floor, capture memories in the photo booth, make $5 "bets" on a winning horse and more.
Guests are invited to watch live coverage of the Kentucky Derby at 5:24 p.m. Maxie’s, 6732 W. Fairview Ave., will have a large projection screen for fans to watch the race, top prizes will be awarded for the best-dressed contestants in Derby attire, and Hunger Task Force volunteers will be collecting food and donations.
Entry to the party is $15 per person, with 100 percent of proceeds benefiting Hunger Task Force. New this year, guests can also reserve a VIP table for $1,000, which features a full southern comfort food menu, two bottles of champagne and more.
For a list of 11 other great Derby Day parties in Milwaukee, click here.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
