Day 0: Saturday, February 2
Countdown to Kentucky Round-Up
Yesterday was The Day.
Months of preparations, mounds of email, piles of money all poured into one day, which was yesterday. February 2, 2013... the first Kentucky Round-Up.
A Winter Weather Advisory had been announced. The snow started in the early hours, and increased in intensity. At 8:00AM visibility was reduced due to the heavy, large flakes. The roads were becoming slippery.
It was an event planner's worst fear: Weather that would keep everyone at home, fearful of the cold and treacherous roads.
But an amazing thing happened! People started pouring in the doors at the Alltech arena at 8:00AM, 30 minutes before we were even scheduled to open the doors. Kids, parents, teens -- all stamping their feet, shaking snow out of their hair... red cheeks from the cold, and looking forward to seeing the horses.
We (the planning committee) were all shocked. The attendees came through the snow and kept coming all day. (Luckily the weather got better after noon; the snow stopped and temperatures were climbing.).
The atmosphere was bustling all day! Vendors were pleasantly surprised. Only a handful of horses had to cancel due to the conditions. The demonstrations in the ring were lively with spectators both sitting in the seats and watching from the concourse. The announcer was enthusiastic and provided background information on events, sponsors and the Kentucky Horse Council. There was a lot of visiting going on everywhere you looked. Concession lines were long.
The day was exhausting for the Committee, as we rushed from here to there, solving small problems, helping horse owners or vendors, hanging extra signs to direct people, drawing door prizes and announcing the winners, checking security and making sure the public was not getting back into the barn and warm-up areas (safety), etc.
What a great start to what we hope will be a long term annual event which grows every year!
Please join us by getting involved and together we can make Kentucky Round-Up into one of our greatest equine events.
You know how to reach me,
Executive Director
Kentucky Horse Council
