Hat-making, watch parties, bourbon crawl: Here's what to expect at Fond du Lac's Downtown Derby Day

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the cancelation of Derby Day activities at Wonder.

FOND DU LAC — Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership will celebrate the Kentucky Derby with its own Downtown Derby Day this month.

Festivities start at 11 a.m. May 4 and run all day, with various derby-themed activities, contests and photo opportunities, as well as free Breezy Hills carriage rides until 3 p.m.

Downtown area businesses will also host food, drink and retail specials, as well as games, raffles and other activities. The full list of participating businesses and their specials is updated regularly on the event page of the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership website.

Derby-inspired attire will be highly encouraged, as one of the prizes will go to the Best Dressed Competition at Beauty Republic & Co., 131 S. Main St., Suite 100. Participants can get their photos taken at the salon on Derby Day, and the community can vote on the salon's Facebook page until May 6.

Festivities include hat-making at the THELMA

Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, 51 Sheboygan St., will host a hat-making workshop from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for $30 including the hat, or $15 if you bring your own hat. The Fountain City Ballroom bar will be open for mimosas, Bloody Marys, Julips and more.

Tickets for hat-making will be available at thelmaarts.org.

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Here's where to watch the derby or live music

The THELMA will host derby-watching watching parties from 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. in the Fountain City Ballroom.

18 Hands Ale Haus & Biergarten, 18 E. Division St., will televise race-day events all day on both indoor and outdoor screens. Other watching opportunities will be available at Craft City Bottle Shop & Taproom, 103 S. Main St., and Top Shelf Sports Bar & Grill, 90 S. Main St.

18 Hands Ale Haus will host live music, including Brent Bel singing country tunes and taking requests from 1 to 4 p.m. and The Local Favorites Band taking the stage at 8 p.m.

At Top Shelf, Midwest Radio Band will play from 1 to 4 p.m., followed by Until Dawn at 7 p.m. and Club DJ at 10 p.m.

THELMA will host Sundae and Mr. Goessl in the Fountain City Ballroom between watch parties from 3 to 5 p.m.

Beer and Bourbon Crawl coincides with Derby Day

In Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership's inaugural Beer and Bourbon Crawl, pre-registered ticketholders can tour participating businesses, which will turn into "tasting rooms" for the occasion.

Each stop will feature a beer or bourbon selection and a unique mocktail recipe or other non-alcoholic option. Beer and Bourbon tickets are $30, while Mocktail tickets are $20.

For more information, visit downtownfdl.com/beer-bourbon-crawl.

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As of May 1, previously listed family-friendly activities at Wonder Cafe will not be happening as scheduled.

For the full list of downtown activities and updates on Downtown Derby Day, visit downtownfdl.com.

Daphne Lemke is the Streetwise reporter for the Fond du Lac Reporter. Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership hosts first Downtown Derby Day May 4