Don Your Best Hat

Cashiers Valley Real Estate to host a Kentucky Derby Celebration to benefit The Village Green

By SARAH JENNINGS

Saddle up for an unforgettable Kentucky Derby celebration benefiting The Village Green on Saturday, May 4, 2024, hosted by Cashiers Valley Real Estate. This inaugural event will be an evening of Derby fashion, dinner, drinks, music, games and thrilling horse racing action at Lewis Hall on the campus of The Village Green in Cashiers.

The idea of the event was sparked by two of the Cashiers Valley Real Estate partners, Philip Bradley and Thomas Platt, who were disappointed there weren’t more events in the area dedicated to the enjoyment of the Kentucky Derby. “As a small group of us were watching the race at a local restaurant and sipping mint juleps a few years ago, we devised a plan to make an event out of the Derby and support one of our most important local organizations,” Bradley remarked. Soon they teamed up with The Village Green and started the planning process.

The Kentucky Derby is celebrating a major milestone this year with the 150th running of the “fastest 2 minutes” in sports, which felt like the perfect time to kick off the event.  In addition to viewing the live broadcast of the race, The Library Kitchen and Bar will be providing dinner, and Whiteside Brewing, Woodinville Whiskey Co. and Chandon will be providing the beverages with traditional mint juleps as a highlight. Classic Kentucky Derby favorites like Hot Browns and Derby pie will be served to enhance the authenticity of the evening, and guests are encouraged to dress to impress. Prizes will be awarded for Best Hat and Best Dressed in addition to the winners of the “Cashiers Derby,” a dice game of chance that will get the entire crowd involved as large wood horse figurines are moved across a game board toward the finish line. All the while, Lilac Wine, a musical trio from Atlanta, will be putting their spin on classic songs.  

Support of local non-profit organizations is a core tenant of Cashiers Valley Real Estate and having a fun time is a great byproduct. “We felt this would be the perfect way to kick off the season,” said Platt. “What better way to welcome spring than with some fun, games, good food and cocktails.”

Proceeds from this event will benefit The Village Green, the 13.2-acre park located in the heart of Cashiers. Executive Director for The Village Green, Ashlie Mitchell, commented, "The Village Green is honored that Cashiers Valley Real Estate has chosen us as the recipient of the proceeds from this new Cashiers event! The Village Green's mission is to preserve and enhance the land for public use, and we are so pleased that Cashiers Valley Real Estate chose to support our mission with such a unique and exciting fundraising event! We can't wait to get our Derby on here at The Village Green, and we hope to see a packed house on May 4th!"

For more information, call 828-743-8900. Tickets can be purchased at cashiersvalley.com or at their office at 45 Chestnut Square in Cashiers.