WINE WITH WHEELS

There is an even on Tuesday of the Kentucky Derby Festival that is all about bragging rights among the restaurant set. That is the Run for the Rose' that puts waiters and waitresses going after each other as they race through a course while holding a tray with wine glasses on it.

The big thing is the six wine glasses are full and you have to have that wine still in the glass at the finish.

The course is between 150 meters and 200 meters long. There are obstacles along the way and the racers must finish the course as quickly as possible with as much wine as possible. When the scores are combined then the winner is determined

FIRST THE UNCORKING

The first part of the race involves the uncorking of the bottles, which can be an art in itself. There are various methods used to get the cork out of the bottle. Some are very gentle with their corkscrew and gingerly work the cork out of the top of the bottle. Others, however, are more vigorous and aggressive, screwing in the corkscrew and simply giving a big yank which is usually followed by a loud pop. The male waiters were especially good at the latter technique but there were a few ladies as well that really knew how to get that cork out of the bottle in a hurry. Those were the ones who usually got out of the gate first and onto the course.

I did find one chap that seemed to have some problems in the uncorking part. For some reason he just didn't seem to be able to get the grasp of what he was supposed to be doing. It took this fellow several attempts at getting the corkscrew into the top of the bottle then there was another problem with extracting the cork. Personally I think he got mixed up thinking he was supposed to be at the banana races a couple of blocks down the road. Although I do recall that the Planet of the Apes was in close proximity with the Earth last week. But then again it could have been just a little trouble with tribbles that was causing the problem in this case.

THE COURSE

After the racers have filled their glasses on the tray, they then head on to the course. As I said earlier there are obstacles along the way, like these scarves pictured here. Another obstacle involved stuffing a rabbit into a hat and later you have to avoid a group of magical wands. It is needless to say that the obstacles cause many of the spillage problems seen in a race. The good news is everybody was being invited to a wine party at the ant hill by the top hat.

I found some that seemed to be facing identity crisises along the course. I must say, however, that this fellow, or lassie, picked a lovely shade of orange for his run through the course. Another fellow I saw must have slept as he was wearing he bright red long handles during his run. By the way the gorilla is still trying to get the cork out of the bottle. It is said that Tarzan was seen swinging through the air down around Third Street on his way to rescue the primate out of his predicament.

And they do have a race just for the corporation bigwigs, the managers, CEO's, the media stars, yes they all get the show their stuff in the corporation relays. I would have to say the relays are probably the most hazardous as far as spillage is concerned. One false step and bad movement with the hand can cause disaster although the ongoing party underground doesn't mind much. If you look at the picture here you can see two different techniques used in handling the tray. The man on the right is using a more aggressive approach in his one-handed technique while the other two runners are being more conservative in their approach to the race. The jury has yet to determine which technique works best, however.

THE BIG FINISH
Then comes the race down the home stretch. After weaving their way through the wand obstacles the racers know they have only a few meters to go to the end. It is here that most accidents occur and glasses have been known to go flying into the throngs hoping to see the big accident of the race. The turn for the finish is tight and racers have to be careful with their footing otherwise they find themselves in a heap on the ground.

What it comes down to at the end, though, is after the race is over and you see how you fared for the day. Not only was the racing exciting but it was also a very pretty day to sit in the sun and catch some rays, watch the races, and see the wondrous views up and down the river. Yes...I shall have to come back to this place.