I can hear it in my head like it was yesterday — Derby Day. While 2020 possesses many different challenges, rescheduling and postponements, one thing this year cannot take from each of us is hope, the hope to return to our new normal, a settlement of what we can expect for the future of sports, travel, business and more.

The 146th Kentucky Derby, normally held in May, was postponed to Sept. 5. Many of the festivities will be altered, but that’s not to say the fascination of the event will slow this year’s “attendance” one bit. As events turn more virtual, this allows for new spectators and viewers to join.

My fiancé went to the University of Louisville, and I visited several times and explored the college hometown. Over the summers we would attend Churchill Downs for race days and experience a glimpse of the famous Derby Day. He knew many students, fans and families that attended Derby Day events regularly.

When I first walked into Churchill Downs a few years ago, there was a wave of excitement and realization of how immense Derby Day is. The history, the venue, the horses — it all just spreads over you with chills. There are so many people that physically attend the Kentucky Derby, either in the grandstands or the infield and through streaming TV.

We, of course, had to try the mint julep in the stands while watching a race over the summer days, dressed up and fully committed to a Derby Day experience — betting and all — watching the horses line up on the start, learning the distant furloughs, hearing the trumpet go off to start the races and watching the horses race around the track. We would spend hours watching and walking around Churchill Downs.

Louisville, Kentucky, has so much to offer; so if you do end up experiencing the Kentucky Derby, stay a while.

Our countdown is on, and we will be tuning in this Saturday to watch the 146th Kentucky Derby.

— Lexi Holstin, account executive