4 awesome things you need to know to get your Kentucky Derby on in Dayton

• What to Wear

  
  A fan watches the horses during the morning training for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 28, 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

   

  A Kentucky Derby party can best be described as Southern preppy, said Amelia O’Dowd, the owner of BRIM on Fifth, 464 E. Fifth St., in Dayton’s Oregon District.

  Floral patterns rule the day, and the kookier the color combinations (fuchsia and navy, anyone) the better.

  “It is kind of about these color combinations that a lot of people won’t wear in normal life,” O’Dowd said. “It’s that excuse. For men, the day calls for a sports coat with a bright pop of color and dress pants. Don’t forget your pocket square or bow tie.”

  Hats are key, especially for women, O’Dowd said.

  She suggests hats with shoulder-width brims.

  “There is almost no such thing as too big,” she said of women’s Kentucky Derby hats. “When you look at what they wear to the Derby, (it is) huge, huge hats.”

  Details: website : www.brimonfifth.com; phone: 937.222.4287; Facebook

   

• You're going to need some mint juleps

  
  (Shutterstock)

   

  You can’t have a derby party without the mint julep. The quintessential sit in the sun and drink drink has been sold at the Kentucky Derby for about a century, according to KentuckyDerby.com.

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  The Old Forester version is this year’s official mint julep

  Here is the recipe from KentuckyDerby.com

  MINT JULEP

  2 cups sugar

  2 cups water

  Sprigs of fresh mint

  Crushed ice

  Old Forester Kentucky Bourbon

  Silver Julep Cups

  Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Old Forester Kentucky Bourbon. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

   

• Derby partays

  
  Joseph Head of The Century Bar (Staff photo by Amelia Robinson)

   

  • With plans for an expansion under way, The Century Bar is forgoing its typical fancy pants, ticketed Derby party. That doesn’t mean the bar at 10 S. Jefferson St. in downtown Dayton won’t be rocking.

  The bar’s party starts at 3 p.m. No reservations are required, but derby style dress is welcome.

  “(We) will be doing several varieties of the julep, and we will listen to the call on the radio,” co-owner Joseph Head told me via Facebook.

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  Century Bar has partnered with Bulleit brand bourbon for its derby party and certainly will be selling “Remember The Maine,” a new Bulleit Rye concoction on its spring cocktail menu.

  Details — website: www.centurybourbon.com ; phone: 937.223.3382; Facebook

  • Fifth Street Brewpub will put its twist on the Hot Brown, that epic Louisville open-face sandwich, and offer Mint Juleps and Kentucky Barrel Ale along with its regular menu and beers from 12 taps, General Manager Dave Tickel said.

  The FSB Hot Brown will feature carved roast beef and turkey breast smothered in a red wine mornaise sauce and sprinkled with pecorino romano.

  There will be a best hat contest with prizes for the three judged best and a game that will have revelers draw horse numbers from a hat. Those with the winning horse’s number will win gift cards.

  Jonathan Hamilton will play in the FSB biergarten starting at 7 p.m., weather permitting.

  Details — website: www.fifthstreet.coop; phone: 937.443.0919; Facebook

   

• Where to place your bet

  
  (Cheryl Ann Quigley / Shutterstock.com)

   

  • Miami Valley Gaming, 6000 Ohio 63 in Lebanon, will start its Kentucky Derby day fun at 4 p.m. in the Center Bar, 1803 and the grandstands.

  Jerry Abner, the racino’s director of marketing, said the Derby weekend betting starts Thursday afternoon. An exact time has not been determined.

  “The weekend kicks off with Kentucky’s Oak (Friday) in grandstand and simulcast room and gaming floor,” he said.

  There will be a tent set up outside on Derby day and concessions carts in the grandstands.

  Harness racing, the last of the season at Miami Valley Gaming, will start once the Derby is complete.

  Abner said there will be plenty of mint juleps.

  “It is one our biggest days,” he said of Derby Day. “The weather is supposed to be awesome; our advice is to come out early.”

  Details — website: miamivalleygaming.com; phone: 513. 934.7070; Facebook

  • Derby celebration plans for Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway, 777 Hollywood Boulevard in Dayton, were not immediately clear.

  Details — website: hollywooddaytonraceway.com; phone: 844. 255.7057; Facebook