I'd be surprised if the Kentucky Derby, as well as Keeneland racing and the spring horse sale time period doesn't affect the region rate, but who knows.

Heard a rumor that Keeneland might not open in April because of coronavirus. Called and spoke to a lady who said that while anything of course is possible, there are no such plans and she considers it extremely unlikely.

AA just released a bunch of 5-7k one-way redemptions to and from LEX. Definitely more than there were a couple days ago for some trips I was thinking of.

Might be worth a look.

Mom and I have cancelled the usual Taiwan+?? trip that we would usually take around this time, which frees up my early April :) I'm flying in to SDF and planning on doing some touristy stuff there Thurs/Fri and making it to Lexington in time for dinner on Friday (may try to carpool with HPN-HRL if our schedules align). Beyond that I haven't figured out yet :D

Excellent, looking forward to seeing you again.

Bring your mom. We love the ladies.

I'm not sure I will make it to J's in Owensboro this trip, but they currently have Founder's All Day IPA: 64 oz growler fill for $9.99...

My dad reports that there are now a few confirmed cases of coronavirus in LEX.

In light if this, please think about whether you want to cancel your plans, as will I.

Thanks for keeping us posted.

Are there rumors about Keeneland being cancelled? Any distillery tasting rooms closing or becoming much more strict about reservations in an attempt to admit fewer people at any time?

Nothing new since my post #32 .

Have not inquired with distilleries, restaurants, etc.

I just got word that Keeneland will run this meet, but spectators will not be allowed in.

Will inquire with KY Bourbon Trail for updates.

Anyone inclined to just postpone until October?

IMO certainly something to think about, although the situation is evolving rapidly and mid-April feels like an eternity away from now :-/

I'm adopting a "wait & see" attitude; things may well be much more clear in 4 weeks.

Bourbon Trail update page on coronavirus:

https://kybourbontrail.com/kbt-disti...s-on-covid-19/

I'm on an award ticket with free redeposit, so I don't have to decide and cancel until about a week in advance. But I'm inclined to just push it back. A big part of going is to see your parents, and I'd be too concerned about not showing symptoms but nonetheless infecting them. It is what I'm dealing with regarding my father, who is of a similar age.

At the moment, Keeneland is only suspending spectator admission through April 11 and saying they will reassess and possibly allow fans for the remainder of the meet April 15 and subsequent:

https://www.keeneland.com/media/news...and-april-sale

Which brings up a bit of horse racing humor. Turfway Park (Kentucky's winter thoroughbred track right by CVG) announced it will run its Jeff Ruby Stakes (and no I don't know why they would name a race after a mobbed up Dallas nightclub owner and JFK conspirator :p ) card this Saturday without fans in attendance. That prompted one wag on a horse racing site to point out that Turfway racing without spectators is called "business as usual."

I'd prefer to wait until later in the spring meet assuming things get back to more or less normal but I can't imagine not visiting LEX at least once in April.


Edited to add: with supermarkets becoming Venezuela and shelves empty of rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, etc. I think we might all need to visit some Kentucky distilleries to stock up on white dog!