Louisville - Churchill Downs

Last stop on our Louisville visit was Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby.

Churchill Downs officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years.  The first Kentucky Derby, part of today's Triple Crown, and the first Kentucky Oaks (held on the Friday before the Derby for 3 year old fillies) were held in the same year.  Churchill Downs has also hosted the Breeder's Cup on nine occasions, most recently on November 2-3, 2018.

The racetrack is owned and operated by Churchill Downs Incorporated.  With the infield open for the Kentucky Derby, the capacity of Churchill Downs is roughly 170,000.

We arrived well before our reserved tour and hadn't had lunch so we walked a few blocks to the back of the track to the famed Wagner's Pharmacy to grab a bite to eat.

What started as a low-key meeting spot for coffee and conversation among horsemen, it was eventually discovered by the media and has now been written about by many outlets.  Wagner's opened in 1922 when Leo Wagner bought Hagen's Pharmacy where he worked since he was 14.  Threatened by another newly opened pharmacy on the block, Wagner looked for a market to corner and found it at Churchill Downs.

There is a lot of Derby history inside.  If you've seen the movie Secretariat, you might remember Diane Lane (as Penny Chenery) meeting inside with James Cromwell (as Ogden Phipps).  They have memorialized the table they sat at while filming.

The dining room isn't much but the food was good.

But the history is amazing.  Photos of every Derby winner.

Horse parking 5 cents.

We enjoyed seeing the back of the racetrack as we walked back to the front.

And then it was time to start the tour.

And we're off!

There was a nice movie in the round to give us an overview of the track.

Our guide took us out to the track for a look around.  I was hoping to see the stables but, unfortunately, we just went to the grandstands to take it all in.

After we returned to the museum, we spent some time looking at the exhibits.  There was a mock "race" available so I placed my bet and watched the race.

Look at that - I picked Ship's Piano for second and that's where he/she finished!  Too bad I hadn't put any money on it.

Queen Elizabeth made several visits to Kentucky during her 70 year reign as both princess and monarch.  She visited the state a total of 5 times between 1984 and 2007 touring local stud farms and meeting some of horse racing's biggest names.

One of the Queen's dreams was to attend the Kentucky Derby and in 2007, she did just that.

Photo courtesy of msnbc

There was a replica of her hat on display.

Since this was the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's incredible Derby, and ultimately the Triple Crown win, there was a nice display highlighting these achievements.

As we left the park, we stopped by the statue of Barbaro (April 29, 2003-January 29, 2007) who was a champion racehorse who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby.  Sadly, two weeks later he shattered his leg during the Preakness Stakes which ended his racing career and eventually led to the need to euthanize him.  I remember that time so well and can't believe it's been that long.  Tammy, can you believe it?

Barbaro was cremated shortly after he was euthanized.  It was later announced that his cremains would be interred in front of an entrance to Churchill Downs and that a bronze statue would be placed atop his remains.  The owners chose to place his remains outside of both Churchill Downs and the adjacent Kentucky Derby Museum to allow his admirers to pay their respects without having to pay an admission fee.

What a day!  We can't wait to watch the Kentucky Derby in just a few weeks.

Louisville - Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory

Next stop was the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory in downtown Louisville.

World's Largest Bat

120 feet tall, 34 tons

Simulating the bat used by Babe Ruth in the early 1920's

The Louisville Slugger Museum showcases the story of Louisville Slugger baseball bats in American history.  The current facility is the fourth location where Louisville Slugger bats have been made.  The original shop is where that family legend suggests J.A. "Bud" Hillerich made a bat for Louisville Eclipse star Pete Browning after Browning broke his bat during a game in which Hillerich attended in 1884.  The next day, Browning got three hits with the bat and the legend was born.

In 1901, the factory moved to another location where they stayed until 1974.  This site was vacant for many years after, but the land was donated to the city in 2015 to be developed into community space.  From 1974 to 1996, Louisville Sluggers were actually made in Jefferson, Indiana, just across the Ohio River at a facility called Slugger Park, while H&B maintained corporate offices on Broadway in Louisville.

In the early 1990s, H&B CEO "Jack" Hillerich III began looking to move production back to Louisville.  He wanted to bring the factory back together with the business offices while also providing a place for the public to connect with the Louisville Slugger brand.  Eventually, a former tobacco warehouse site was chosen.  This facility opened in July, 1996 with a gala of Hall of Fame players.  In 2008 the museum underwent extensive renovations and in 2013, the Museum & Factory broke its own attendance record, drawing more than 303,000 visitors.

Fortunately we had reserved a spot for a factory tour because the place was mobbed.  We were there with enough time to wander around the museum - some interesting things there!

Ron enjoyed "meeting" Ken Griffey, Jr.

For my sister and brother-in-law in memory of their kitty, Honus.

Honus Wagner

Louisville Colonels, 1897-1899

Pittsburgh Pirates, 1900-1917

Who could forget Hank Aaron's home run record.  This was the bat he used for his 700th home run.

The bat Joe DiMaggio used for his 56 game hit streak.

Who can forget Roberto Clemente?  Sadly, what many of us remember is his death on December 31, 1972 when the plane he was traveling on going to assist with an earthquake aftermath in Nicaragua went down.

And then it was time to start our factory tour.

We learned how the bats go from the forest to the final product.

Each player who uses a Louisville Slugger bat has their own specifications for type of wood, weight, etc.  There were several billets on display ready to be made into a finished bat for the player.

Next stop was turning the billets into a rough bat.

Then the knobs are removed and the end is hollowed out.

And the Louisville Slugger logo is added.

The bat is then varnished.

And wrapped.

They showed us some bats that were made for special events.  These were made for an event at a minor league park.

I thought this was an interesting way to display the major league standings in real time.

What an interesting stop on our Louisville tour.  More to come.

Louisville - Cave Hill Cemetery

We took a drive to Louisville and had a very full day planned.  First stop - Cave Hill Cemetery.

You may be wondering what took us to this beautiful cemetery.  There were several "famous" people to visit but to me, the most famous was my first cousin, Vicki.  I grew up having only two first cousins as my mother was an only child and my dad had just one sibling who had two daughters.  Sadly, the oldest died shortly before her 24th birthday.

We drove into the cemetery but didn't see an office or anywhere to find where her grave was located.  There must have been a recent storm which made the search even more difficult.

All we had to go on was the grave location in findagrave and a picture of the stone which a nice volunteer had provided to me more than 10 years ago.  We finally found a map which helped us to at least find the section numbers but other than that, we were on our own.

Once we found this, we thought we were close.  So we split up and walked the grounds to, hopefully, find her more quickly.  

And just like that, Ron exclaimed "here she is".  And sure enough, she was!

Our beloved daughter

Vicki Loraine Levy

1953-1977

She Spread Joy and Beauty on Gossamer Wings

While I'd been to Louisville several times before, unfortunately I had never taken the time to make the visit.  I was so happy I finally did.

We moved on to find our way to a few people you may have heard of.

Colonel Harland Sanders (September 9, 1890 - December 16, 1980) was best known for founding the fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken and later acted as the company's brand ambassador and symbol.  His name and image are still symbols of the company.

Along the way, we stumbled across this.

Shadows in cemeteries are a real problem

Our final stop was the gravesite of Muhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) was born in Louisville on January 17, 1942 and died in Scottsdale, Arizona on June 3, 2016.  He was a professional boxer and activist.  Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

ALI

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room in heaven

He took a few cups of love

He took one tablespoon of patience, one teaspoon of generosity, one pint of kindness

He took one quart of laughter, one pinch of concern, and then, he mixed willingness with happiness

He added lots of faith and he stirred it up well

Then he spread it over a span of a lifetime and he served to each and every person he met

And with that, it was time to move on to our next stop.

RIP, cousin Vicki.

Vicki Loraine Levy

March 4, 1953 - February 24, 1977