Racing for the arts

Steeplechase, my favorite Georgia event, was Saturday. Horses race around a beautiful course at Callaway Gardens while guests set up picnics around the "track" to watch the races and socialize.

It's an all-day event that focuses more on fashion, cocktails and eating than horse racing. But that's O.K. because the event is a fundraiser for the arts with money going to the museum, symphony and theater in Columbus.

This is the third year that Jeff and I have gone with Anne, Lily, Alan and Sonya. This year we had our largest group yet with 15 people (Stefanie and Andy, Morgan, Chuck and Cathy, Meredith and Mike, Frank and Lauren).

We had two terrace boxes, plus a few extra seats, this year. The ground in the terrace-level boxes has been leveled so that nothing leans downward despite being hillside. We bring our own folding tables and tablecloths. Centerpieces and table decorations are a must. Paper plates and plastic cups are frowned upon (at least by me). Some guests even bring chair covers to give the provided folding chairs a bit of glam. For those wanting a more casual atmosphere, there's a less expensive infield (where Jeff keeps threatening he's going to buy tickets) where it appears the picnics are more like tailgates with chairs in a bag and red plastic cups being the accessories of choice. There are also kids' activities and food vendors. The fanciest area at steeplechase is the Guarantor Tent where I'm told the finer side of society sit at tables and watch the races while sipping mint juleps and snacking on chef-prepared appetizers. (I wouldn't know myself since I've yet to be invited into the high-society tent).

There are all sorts of fashion dos and don'ts at Steeplechase. Many women wear hats, heels and dresses while the men mostly sport khakis and blue shirts. (Why do all men's dress shirts seem to be blue?) However, there are plenty of jeans, boots, shorts and tanktops, too.

One of the most enjoyable parts of planning for the event (besides hat shopping, of course) is organizing the menu. It's not unusual to see guests set up full bars and platters of chilled shrimp and crab cakes. However, it's also not rare to see bags of chips and coolers of bud light. Our group had a wonderfully delicious variety of food and drinks. Lauren made her famous guacamole dip; Lily made pecan pies; Stefanie brought homemade muffins and crackers and cheese; Cathy and Chuck prepared wild boar sandwiches, muffuletta, brownies, bacon wrapped dates and chicken wings; Jeff and I made our annual chicken salad and steak salad sandwiches; and Anne made apricot and cherry scones, chocolate croissants and trail mix. Everyone brought several bottles of wine, coolers of beer and, of course, the horse-race favorite: bourbon.

I think this was the best Steeplechase yet, and I can hardly wait to start planning next year's event.


Jeff and Alan chill between horse races.


Stefanie did her hat shopping at Steeplechase and found this cute wear-more-than-once hat.


Doesn't our table look festive and the food look yummy?


Anne takes a break from grazing the buffet tables to chat with Sonya and Alan.


One hat is not enough at Steeplechase. You must exchange hats to get many different looks for your photos.


Jeff is certainly one of the best dressed men at the event. I think this year's hat was a bit gangster (Al Capone) not to be confused with gangsta (50 cent).


This was Morgan's first Steeplechase since he was busy fighting for our country's freedom the past two years. He got into the spirit with this Burberry hat and bowtie.


Anne was too hot in her sweater so she changed into a T-shirt. It was from the 2007 Steeplechase — our first.


I wish I'd made these cupcakes. The toppers have chocolate jockeys, fences and dogs. These treats were part of the terrace box which won the newspaper's best box contest. So cute!


Everyone prepared delicious food to share with the group. Our tables look pretty good, if I do say so myself. And I do.


Jeff plays photographer without putting down his cigar. Clever.


See it's not just about the food and socializing. There are horse races. And we watch the races.


If we weren't paying attention to the races, how would we know who's horse won? Luckily my horse "Best Alibi" won the last race of the day. My time-tested and often-made-fun-of method of picking horses based on their names works again. Jeff chooses based on stats. Jeff didn't win any races. Luckily Jeff's lovely wife offered to share her $6 winnings.