Big Hats Were Big Fun at Paradise

This Saturday, May 6, was the 143rd year of the Kentucky Derby and the eighth annual Big Hats Big Hearts Kentucky Derby party and fundraiser to support the Paradise Center for the Arts in downtown Faribault. It was a great success and a lot of fun!

Big Hats Big Hearts serves as a fundraiser for the Paradise Center for the Arts, and hosts a silent auction and a live auction, both with a great range of products, services and experiences. The guests always look ready for the Kentucky Derby with the ladies wearing nice dresses and fabulous hats, while the men in attendance look dapper in sport coats and hats. A prize was awarded to the best hat of the event. The event consisted of trivia, a horse racing game, a chance to make your own guesses which horse might win, custom glasses marked with the event logo, and fun to be had by all before watching the race live.

Some of the items that were available to bid on included private pottery classes, tickets to future events at the Paradise Center for the Arts, meals prepared by local celebrities, wine, oil changes, gift cards, original artwork, handmade quilts, a week on the Gunflint Trail, a Deadwood, S.D., getaway, and much more. While there, I made sure to peruse the art gallery and sip a mint julep before watching the greatest two minutes in sports, and I got into the competitive spirit myself with a bidding war for an item on the silent auction. It was a great event, and I’m looking forward to returning next year!