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A Royal Court

Kentucky Derby kickoff event set,
Royal Court announced

The 2016 festival begins March 2
at Mellwood Art Center

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 2016) – The Kentucky Derby Festival will hold one of its early events in March, the Festival Unveiled Presented by Citizens Union Bank and Four Roses Bourbon. This popular event is set from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, at Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center’s Van Gogh Room. The center is located at 1860 Mellwood Ave., in Louisville.
Elements of the 2016 festival will be unveiled including the 2016 Official Poster and merchandise line. Guests will get their first view of the Fillies Program, the official guide of the Kentucky Derby Festival. Official product sponsors will also be on-hand sampling their products.
A framed poster silent auction, highlighting creatively designed framed versions of the 2016 Official Poster, will be taking place at the event.

Photo courtesey of the
Kentucky derby Festival

The 2016 Kentucky Derby Festival Royal Court includes (from left) Adrienne Poole, Madison Orman, Stephanie Dooper, Andi Dahmer and Millicent Cahoon.

Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased online at www.KDF.org.
Another March event is the Macy’s Spring Fashion Show, set for Thursday, March 31. However, this event is already sold out.
In other Derby Festival news, the new Derby Festival Royalty was named Jan. 11. The five women selected to serve as Princesses in the 2016 Kentucky Derby Festival Royal Court were introduced in a ceremony at Macy’s at Oxmoor Center. The Royal Court Program is coordinated by The Fillies Inc., a volunteer group that works closely with the Festival. Fillies President Linda Miller joined KDF President and CEO Mike Berry, as well as 2016 Derby Festival Chair Wes Rutledge, in crowning the newly appointed court. They are:
• Millicent Ashley Cahoon of Louisville. Cahoon is a junior at the University of Kentucky majoring in psychology. She is a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society, has been on the Dean’s List for four semesters, is conducting her own Social Psychology Experiment and is pursuing a non-profit certification. She volunteers with Helping Hands.
• Loandria “Andi” Julia Dahmer of Fisherville, Ky. Dahmer is a freshman at Western Kentucky University majoring in economics, International Affairs and Spanish, as well as Asian Religions and Cultures. She is a Cherry Presidential Scholar, Chinese Language Flagship Program participant and Student Government Association Senator. Dahmer also volunteers for the Humane Society.
• Stephanie Dooper of Owensboro, Ky. Dooper is a senior at the University of Louisville majoring in political science and liberal studies. She is the founder of The Roosevelt Institute Campus Chapter, a Cardinal Host and recipient of the University of Louisville Outstanding Community Engagement Award. She also volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.
• Madison Kristine Orman of Prospect, Ky. Orman is a junior at the University of Louisville majoring in Business Finance. She is a Trustee’s Scholar, has been on the Dean’s List for five semesters, is a Cardinal Host and a Pointe & Contemporary Dancer. She also volunteers for Neighborhood House and the American Red Cross.
• Adrienne Georgann Poole of Brandenburg, Ky. Poole is a freshman at the University of Kentucky majoring in marketing. She is co-president of UK Phi Beta Lambda, member of Student Government Leadership Development Program and news reporter for Meade County Messenger. She is also an intern with the Goodwill Industries of Kentucky.
Two alternates were also chosen:
Gabriella Torres of Louisville, Ky., was chosen as the first alternate. Brooke Elizabeth Hasl of Prospect, Ky., was chosen as the second alternate. Both are students at the University of Kentucky. They will become Princesses if one of the other women is unable to serve.
These five young ladies will act as ambassadors for the 2016 Kentucky Derby Festival, attending nearly 70 events over a two-week period. Twenty-eight were selected as finalists out of the more than 100 original applicants for the five Princess positions, and all attended the final judging on Jan. 10. None of them knew in advance who had been selected.
One of the five will be crowned the Derby Festival Queen by a spin-of-the-wheel at the annual Fillies Derby Ball on April 16 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown. Each woman will receive a $2,000 scholarship ($1,000 from the Fillies and $1,000 from the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation).
Candidates for the Princess Program must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average and are selected by a panel of three out-of-state judges. Criteria for selection includes knowledge of the Derby Festival, poise, intelligence, personality and campus and community involvement. The first Derby Festival Princess was crowned in 1957, the second year of the Festival. Previous Princesses have included former Kentucky Gov. Martha Layne Collins and the late Gail Gorski, the first female pilot ever hired by United Airlines.

Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation.  It entertains more than 1.5 million people in a two-week period and has a local economic impact of more than $127 million. This involvement has made the festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.

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