Much ado seems to be made about the final rose ceremony on TVs glorified dating game "The Bachelor." As I understand the show, 25 women compete for the love of a man they just met and are eliminated one-by-one until 2 remain. Using all the tools Hollywood has to offer, the producers make the final selection a spectacle unto itself. Sounds interesting...or not. If you want true drama, you should tune in on the first Saturday of May and watch 20 competitors vie for "The Garland of Roses." I assure you the power, the grace, and the strategy seen at the Kentucky Derby are unparalleled in the world of 'Reality TV.' This year I took a few minutes to see the garland being made and at the same time learned a little history regarding the flower's association with the race.
As a bit of trivia, the rose first became associated with the Derby via a party. Ladies were each presented a rose at a Louisville Derby gathering. Upon seeing the sensation this caused, Colonel M. Lewis Clark, founder of Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby, made the rose the official flower of the race. (What single gentleman wouldn't?)
Over the years, the tradition evolved and grew. The winning rider's were given Jockey's Bouquets of roses. In 1925, the Kentucky Derby was dubbed, "The Run for the Roses" by a New York sports columnist. Finally, in 1932, the first garland was commissioned. Grace Walker designed the initial blanket of roses at the behest of Churchill Downs official Samual Culbertson. The garland made this past week is substantially similar to Ms. Walker's version 77 years ago.
Friday night a team of Kroger Master Designers gathered at the Middletown Kroger to prepare "The Garland of Roses" for the winner of the 135th Kentucky Derby. They worked tirelessly into the evening while hand sewing over 400 roses to the backing. When finished, the blanket is over 10 feet long, 22 inches wide and weighs almost 40 lbs.
Of the many features, the Crown is the most poignant. This centerpiece is constructed of 21 roses. Each of the race participants is represented by one of the 20 flowers surrounding the single upward-facing rose. The center rose represents the struggle and heart necessary to earn the right to wear this blanket.
Unlike the pseudo-real complexities of The Bachelor, The Kentucky Derby is stunningly simple in it's construction. The call to the post is trumpeted. The crowd sings, "My Old Kentucky Home" as the competitors walk in front of the grandstands and then head back to the final turn. Upon arrival, the thoroughbreds are loaded into the starting gate. A brief moment of silence follows as 150,000 plus collectively inhale. Then, the gates fly open and the great beasts surge forward.
Over a mile and a quarter,
they run for the jockeys on their backs,
they run for the ghosts of those who came before,
they run for Secretariat's otherworldly 1:58 2/5,
they run for immortality,
they Run for the Roses.
At the end, there are no questions, there are no doubts, there is simply a Rose Ceremony.
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Erik Hitzelberger is a licensed REALTOR with RE/MAX Alliance in Louisville. If you need a Louisville Real Estate agent please email me or call 502.921.3989.
I specialize in the following areas of the Metro Louisville Area: Prospect, Middletown, Jeffersontown (J-Town), Fern Creek, Okolona, Shepherdsville, Mt Washington, Hillview, and Brooks. Click the following links to learn more about Louisville and Bullitt County Real Estate or to Search for Louisville Homes
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