Encore, y'all!

        "Eloise"

     Every year, during the month of May, the Kentucky Derby Museum invites participants from around the world to enter hats in its Hat Competition that compliment the spirit of race day. The Hat Exhibit is decided by a panel of judges and guests which rates the hats, with the top twenty to thirty being selected for display.

     The Museum has announced the winners of it's 2010 Derby Hat Contest, and for the second year in a row, a hat designed and created by milliner Carol Schaffeld is among the 19 selected for the Museum's Hat Exhibition. 

     This year, Carol, owner of Peaches Fine Millinery, entered a "blush" colored hand-blocked parasisol straw, with a 6 inch wide wired brim, and gently domed crown. An overlay of delicate coordinating English chenille dot veiling drapes over the brim edge. She used more than 85 yards of matching wired, cross-dyed taffeta ribbon to create the wreath of softly iridescent roses circling the crown. Totaling 25 ribbonwork flowers, each of the roses is made up of individually hand-rolled and stitched petals. Completely hand crafted, no glue was used in the making of the hat.

      Carol was honored with a winning entry, "Julianna", in the 2009 competition, and she is very pleased that she has been asked to exhibit it for yet another year! A hand-blocked parasisol straw topper in apple green, with turquoise and green ostrich feathers, it's crown is sculpted and embellished with single beads. Chiffon striations of green and blue band the short brimmed hat, and it is finished off with a coordinating custom hat pin of glass beads.

Both hats will be on exhibit through June of 2011.

      This year marks not only the 25th Anniversary of the Kentucky Derby Museum, located at famed Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, but the celebration of a 5.5 million dollar renovation. Dramatically transforming the museum interior from top to bottom, the renovation project was a necessity after a severe flash flood devastated the main floor exhibits and lower level offices. The museum created all new themes, developed new research and embraced the mission of “sharing the fun of  the Kentucky Derby experience".

The 2010 Kentucky Derby Museum Hat Exhibit is available for viewing on the Museum's website DerbyMuseum.org, or by visiting their location at Gate One, Churchill Downs, 704 Central Avenue, Louisville, KY 40208.