JCPS students celebrate Derby early at Hawthorne Elementary

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Students got the celebrity treatment on Friday as part of an afternoon of pre-Derby fun at Hawthorne Elementary School.

The event was created by local nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack, allowing kids to experience their own Derby events.

Students got a chance to meet with the Kentucky Derby Festival Royal Court and Churchill Downs bugler Steve Buttleman.

One of the organizers talked about how this event was a bright spot on a tough week.

“I mean it’s just a perfect afternoon to be outside,” Delene Taylor with Rotary Club of Louisville said. “The laughter that I’m hearing around me is just so healing my soul today. It’s been a really tough week and I feel like there’s no better way to close out the week than being around these beautiful children.”

Students also got a chance to visit a horse in a petting area, see a hot air balloon up close and cheer on their teachers competing in a stick horse race.