Get Ready Kentucky!

Calipari uses social networks to promote WEG

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:33:11 +0000

University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari will use his huge social network to recruit more people to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
With 190,000 Facebook friends and more than 1 million followers on Twitter, Calipari can preach the gospel of the Games, and hopefully sell more tickets, said Pearse Lyons, president and chief executive officer of Alltech.

“It took him 5 to 10 seconds to say consider it done,” Lyons said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Kroger Stores Offer Ticket Promotion for Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:14:54 +0000

LEXINGTON, KY—23 Days to Go—Shoppers at 166 Kroger stores in four states will be able to purchase Flex Grounds Pass tickets to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games along with their grocery items from September 1 through September 24.

Kroger stores in Central Tennessee, Southern Illinois, Southern Indiana, and Kentucky spanning locations from Owensboro and Louisville to London and Corbin will offer the Flex Grounds Pass ticket at a promotional rate of $25, instead of the standard $30 price.

The Flex Grounds Pass can be used for entry on any one day of choice, without selecting a specific date of attendance at the time of purchase. Children 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by a paying adult, except on September 26, October 2, and October 9.

Kroger stores selling Flex Grounds Pass tickets will feature Games logo signs around entries. Cashiers in each location can process the purchase at all check-out terminals and will print the ticket at the register. More.

A village about all things Alltech

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:14:14 +0000

As heat rose in waves from the Kentucky Horse Park asphalt last week, Deirdre Lyons was engrossed in the details for the vast Alltech Experience pavilion.

“It’s exciting and it’s nerve-racking and it’s tense,” Lyons said of preparing the exhibits that will promote the image of the title sponsor for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games that begin Sept. 25.

Only the day before, Lyons, Alltech’s director of corporate design and project management and wife of Alltech president Pearse Lyons, had been given the keys to the array of 21 tentlike domes, still without air conditioning, that will make up The Alltech Experience.

The Brains behind the Pretty Drains

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:12:34 +0000

On a hot August day earlier this year, Blake Eames was relaxing on a porch at the intersection of Maxwell and Rose Streets, taking a break from painting a design on one of the corner’s storm drains. As she sat, partially concealed by a thick line of tall shrubs, she saw a pedestrian, deep in thought, approaching the drain. When the man, whose face had been motionless, reached the colorfully decorated drain, he stopped. Crouching closer, he examined the artwork. His face began to soften, and he smiled. He got up, continuing on his way, glancing back at the drain until it was out of sight. More.

Kentucky’s contradictions to be highlighted at Games

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:11:11 +0000

As a state, Kentucky embodies multiple personalities — a place that’s Southern, Midwestern and Appalachian; where wealth and poverty co-exist; well-known for its coal, its race horses and its bourbon; a land of deep caves, green mountains and plenty of blue grass.

All of this makes it an interesting place to live, and, tourism officials hope, a great place to visit. So when the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games start at the Kentucky Horse Park on Sept. 25, representations of those cultures, cuisines and contradictions will be gathered under several large tents.

The Kentucky Experience — 25,000 square feet of pavilions set up in the Horse Park parking lot — will show visitors exactly what’s out there and Kentuckians what they might have been missing. It’s also one of the activities at the Games that’s free with a general admission ticket.

Exhibit explores desert cultures, common bonds

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:07:54 +0000

When the Near East is mentioned, our thoughts all too often are filled with stories of conflict and controversy.

But as we prepare to welcome the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Kentuckians have a unique opportunity to learn more about these cultures and the common love that binds us together — the Arabian horse.

“A Gift from the Desert: the Art, History and Culture of the Arabian Horse” is being held through Oct. 15 at the Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse. It features rare art and artifacts, many of which have never before left their native countries and will never be united in one location again.

Green Initiatives in Place for Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:07:31 +0000

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is proud to announce plans for efficient recycling and waste reduction during the 16-day event, by partnering with Green Duck composting and recycling solutions company.

Using eco-stations and compostable products, the World Games 2010 Foundation is projected to recycle and compost over 360 tons of material that otherwise would have gone to the landfill.

Volunteers will be on hand at the eco-station sites to assist spectators in where to place their disposables. These bins will be designated for recyclables, compostables and waste materials.

Additionally, Green Duck has partnered with Buona and Patina, the Games concession and catering vendors, to utilize certified compostable to-go food service packaging, including plates, cups, cutlery and food containers. With these compostable products in place, more than 90 percent of the packaging for foodservice will be diverted from the landfill, and instead be turned into nutrient-rich compost soil.

“Green Duck is excited and proud to be a part of greening the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. We look forward to the event in addition to greatly reducing the amount of waste generated through recycling and composting,” said Jocelyn Tice, founder of Green Duck.

About Green Duck More.

Artist with a chain saw carves for WEG

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:03:47 +0000

“It’s a little bit of an odd story,” said Isaac Bingham.

That’s a little bit of an understatement.

Because the tale that finds Bingham revving up a chain saw to carve giant squirrels and fish at the Kentucky Horse Park begins in Vermont, winds through Dartmouth and Berea colleges, and takes a detour to study boat building by indigenous peoples in Asia and South America.

Horse culture is at its heart

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:03:01 +0000

Kathy Hopkins attended the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, and enjoyed the top-level competition and the top-drawer shopping.

But something was missing, thought Hopkins, the director of equine education at the Kentucky Horse Park. And for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games — the first time the event has been held in the United States — she wanted to see something more American.

“We’ve got a very, very unique and diverse equestrian community in the United States,” Hopkins said. “We didn’t want this to be just about the competition, we wanted to include the entire equine community and celebrate the uniqueness of our horse culture.”

WEG ticket sales heat up

nancy — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:02:21 +0000

Ticket sales are heating up in these final weeks before the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Organizers announced that tickets to the reining individual final have sold out, as have general admission tickets for Oct. 1.

In addition, hospitality on the cross-country course for three-day eventing Oct. 2 has sold out. Only a few hospitality passes to the Maker’s Mark Bourbon Village remain for Oct. 1. Champions Club tables, which are set up in the stadiums for the opening ceremonies and driving and dressage competitions, are nearly sold out.