LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The infield crowd at Churchill Downs was smaller than usual for Friday’s Kentucky Oaks, but those who were in attendance found ways to keep the party alive.
Churchill Downs limited infield attendance to 30% to accommodate for social distancing in the 22-acre field inside the track.
Masks and social distancing were required by the track.
“I don’t know if it’s really being enforced, and I’m thankful for that,” one fan in the infield said.
While Churchill Downs said it was enforcing mask-wearing, many faces in the crowd were without a mask.
Some fans said they were encouraging others to follow the rules.
“Having to wear a mask isn’t fun, but to keep everybody safe, it’s just something we have to do,” said Kathy Underwood, who has attended the Oaks for several years.
The crowd of a few thousand sat on lawn chairs, tarps and even the ground to view the day’s races on “the big board.”
“We love being in the infield on the Oaks, Mike Weishan said. “For a long time, we get to hang out.”
Weishan said he’s been a Churchill Downs regular for Derby week since the 1970s despite living in Wisconsin.
“I’ve been coming since 1978. I lost about five years I missed,” he said. “Love the area. I’m from Milwaukee. Love all my friends here. We come down every year.”
While this race marks tradition for some, it’s a first for others.
“I moved to Louisville in January, so no better way to celebrate my first few months here than coming to the Derby,” a fan in the infield told WDRB News as she sipped one of the famous Oaks Lily cocktails.
The infield is somewhere in the middle of the world’s largest fraternity party and a county fair without the rides, and it’s clear that the people who make up the crowd keep the fun alive even in a year unlike any other.
“We do it every year,” a fan said. “It’s a tradition.
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