
It's that time of year again when the Derby Festival is looking for candidates to comprise the Royal Court and reign over the 2010 Kentucky Derby Festival. Applications are available and can be found on the Derby Festival's website at www.kdf.org.
Applications must be postmarked by October 20, 2009. This is a great opportunity for any talented young woman to serve as an official ambassador for one of the world's leading civic celebrations.
Applicants must be single, female residents of Kentucky or the metropolitan area (Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties of Indiana), poised and outstanding in her community. A candidate must be a full-time student during the current academic year, attending a university, college or accredited professional school with a minimum accumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. She must be 18 years old on or before Dec. 31, 2009. All applicants must attend a screening on either Saturday, November 7, or Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Galt House Hotel & Suites in downtown Louisville. Contact Patsy Allen, Vice President of The Fillies, Inc., at (502) 228-9505 or email at patsyallen@att.net with any questions.
The Royal Court selection process is a self-nominating procedure. The program represents the Kentucky Derby Festival and is overseen by members of The Fillies, Inc., a non-profit organization of 250 of the finest community volunteers. In addition to coordinating the program, the women of The Fillies produce the gala Derby Ball, during which the Derby Queen is selected and her Derby Court established. The court will be selected in January with the Queen chosen by a "spin-of-the-wheel" at the Derby Ball on April 16, 2010. Each member of the Royal Court will receive two $1,000 scholarships - one from The Fillies, Inc., and one from the Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation. In addition to other sponsor gifts, each woman receives a complimentary wardrobe.
A long-standing Derby tradition, the Derby Festival Queen and Court act as official ambassadors for one of the country's leading civic celebrations, attending more than 70 Festival events. Since 1957, past Derby Festival Queens and Courts have been making an impression on their community. They include Martha Layne Collins, Kentucky's first woman Governor, and a number of other community leaders. Many say their Derby Festival experience helped them prepare for their future careers.