LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- You meet a lot of people at Churchill Downs — particularly on Derby Day in the infield.
Some are normal. And some are ... let's just say, "colorful."
'The King of the Tiki-Men'
One shirtless man, clad in a grass skirt, a bead necklace and a tall green exotic hat, told WDRB News' Keith Kaiser he was "King of the Tiki-Men."
His Highness said he was "working on" a Tiki dance. Or chant. Or something. He's not sure. But whatever it is, it's gonna be amazing.
He also explained his Tiki origins.
"I was sitting on the back deck, looking at the Tiki-Men one day, and I just thought, 'Hey, I could make a hat!'" he said. "So I asked my daughter if she could make a hat, and she said, 'I think I could do that!'"
"I guess you're wearing more than a grass skirt, right?" Keith asked.
"Maybe," the King replied.
Keith decided to rub His Highness's belly for "good luck."
"It's just oozing off of me," His Highness said.
'The Man Who Just Wants to be Left Alone'
Keith ran into one Derby-goer in the infield who was sitting by himself, reading what appeared to be the racing program. And he was happy to be there.
"Are other people going to join you today?" Keith asked.
"No," the man said. "This is my time. This is all me. This is all me."
"I LOVE that!" Keith replied.
The man said he has been coming alone to the Derby for probably the past 20 years, and his family knows that, "they don't see me till Sunday."
He admitted that he won't be alone ALL day.
"Yeah, well, usually I have friends come," he said. "But the majority of time is just my time."
"You know what I need to do, is just walk away," Keith said, stepping back. "So you can have your time, right here."
"My time!" the man replied. "I appreciate that!"
"Everybody doing Derby many different ways," Keith said. "And sometimes, it's just your time."
The World's Largest (wannabe) Jockey
Jockeys are typically lightweight, but not the one Keith ran into Saturday morning in the infield. The man wore a purple cape, a brown cap and a blue shirt with "The World's Largest Jockey" written in gold letters.
And he definitely was NOT a lightweight.
"This isn't all year long, is it?" Keith asked, gesturing at the costume.
"Oh, no, no, no," the stout man replied. "There are different costumes every weekend."
Pat Day has nothing on this guy, who stood astride a small stuffed pony.
"I'm sorry, little pony, of what you have to go through," Keith said.
"They can only get so old," the World's Largest Jockey replied. "When they get old, you gotta retire them out to the field."
'Normal' Josh
At any other Kentucky Derby, you might call Josh the King of Disguises. Actually, you probably wouldn't — but Josh said he'd call himself that.
"In my Derby days, I've worn some interesting outfits," Josh said. "Way back in the day — when I was much younger and had hair and wasn't all grey — I dressed as a Native American, and my buddy dressed as a cowboy. Two Derbies ago, I was Uncle Sam, and I believe I may have even talked to you."
Josh — who definitely does NOT have hair anymore (and what little he has IS gray) — hails from near Pittsburgh. And today, he looks completely "normal." He's Normal Josh, clad in a "normal" red-and-white striped USA polo shirt. And he said there's a reason for that.
"I decided that if I dressed like a Native American today, somebody is gonna cancel me," he said. "I'm gonna end up in Derby Jail. All kinds of bad stuff is gonna happen."
And there's that age thing. He's getting older now. But that's okay with Normal Josh.
"I'm waxed and vaxxed and ready to relax," he said, in a very "normal" way.
But he admitted to a bit of jealousy when he saw Keith's outlandish mountain landscape Derby suit.
"I wanna take this into my professional life," he said, pointing out the flashy suit. "I'm a schoolteacher. And if I could wear the Bob Ross outfit here, it would really make an impact on the youth of America.
"I don't know if it's a good impact or a bad impact, but the impact would be made." he nodded, with assurance (but also in a very normal way).
In the end, he was said he was just glad to make it on TV. It reminded him of old times.
"I've done so many interviews over the years," he said, normally. "When you dress like an idiot on Derby Day, you get to do a lot of interviews."
A bunch of University of Wisconsin students
And then there were the half-dozen or so students from the University of Wisconsin, who decided on a whim to go to the Kentucky Derby, driving seven hours through the night.
And they were dressed to impress, on a dime. Throwing out the high-dollar amounts they paid for their threads.
"Fifteen dollars!" shouted one smartly dressed student.
"Fifteen dollars!" shouted another.
"Twelve dollars!" shouted one snazzy student.
"This cost me $24, but you know what? This haircut was for free!" a guy in a sportscoat said taking off his cap and revealing a ... unique ... haircut.
"I did it myself!" he beamed.
"I did it for him!" shouted another student. "I cut it with the clippers this morning."
You get what you pay for, we guess. And this kid barely broke even.
Still, the whole gang was super glad to be there, including the driver.
"I slammed three Red Bulls and I was driving through the night, baby!"
There we tons of other interesting characters, including The Purple Lady in the Purple Hat.
The Second Guy in Line (not the first or last guy — the SECOND guy) with the cool ponytail that Keith stroked for good luck.
But one thing is for sure, whether you're at the Derby for your time, or you enjoy being in a crowd, whether you deck out as the King of the Tiki-Men or just want to stay out of Derby Jail like "Normal Josh," we're sure you'll have a great time at the Twin Spires.
Have a great Derby Day.
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