The J.McL Life - Our Blog

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The tradition of the Kentucky Derby hat began at the inception of the race; the founder Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. wanted to ensure a good crowd at his event. At the time the race track had a reputation as immoral and dangerous so Clark looked to other successful races for inspiration. According to the Kentucky Derby Museum “He loaded up a wagon full of high society women and they were going door-to-door telling their friends, ‘We’re going to have a picnic at the racetrack,’”. And it worked!