The spacious beachside veranda of Fort Lauderdale’s Pelican Grand Beach Resort will take on the feel of Churchill Downs on May 1 during the Second Annual Horses and Hats Kentucky Derby Party benefiting Horses and the Handicapped of South Florida.
 
Guests at the party – celebrating the 136th Run for the Roses – will get a chance to sip complimentary Mint Juleps, sample traditional Southern fare and show off examples of flamboyant hat creations that have become a Derby tradition.
 
The Horses and Hats Kentucky Derby Party, which begins at 3 p.m., will also feature casino-style games and a silent auction where guests can bid on outstanding items, including vacations and hotel stays.  A hat auction as well as a hat contest will also highlight the afternoon, which will capped off by the running of what has been called “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”  The race will be shown on several televisions on the porch of the Pelican Grand.
 
“This event, centered around the Kentucky Derby, is a natural fit for us,” says Mandy DeBord, executive director of Horses and the Handicapped of South Florida, which provides equine-assisted therapy to students of all ages with physical, cognitive, and emotional difficulties. “On the race track and here at Horses and the Handicapped, the relationship between horse and rider is extremely important.”
 
Tickets for the event are $50 per person with all proceeds benefiting Horses and the Handicapped. Organizers are hoping to raise $25,000 through sponsorships, ticket sales, auctions and raffle sales.
 
Leading the 15-member committee organizing Horses and Hats are co-chairs Marleen Forkas and Joyce Ramey. Sponsors include the Marleen and Harold Forkas Alumni Center at Florida Atlantic University, HCI Printing and Publishing, Broward Health, Merrill Lynch advisor Alison Wiener and Robert and Pam Weinroth.
 
For tickets or more information, visit www.hhsfl.org/events.html  or call
(954) 974-2007.
 
About Horses and the Handicapped of South Florida

Horses and the Handicapped of South Florida is a non-profit organization founded in 1981. It is dedicated to providing effective therapeutic horseback riding and equine activities for children and adults with physical, mental and emotional difficulties. Horses and the Handicapped of South Florida is approved as a premier accredited center by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association.