The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May. Here are some helpful suggestions for your first trip to the Kentucky Derby!

Fashion vs. Comfort

    In many ways, the Kentucky Derby is the world's largest and most entertaining fashion show, with impressive hats and clothes! You'll be on your feet and walking a lot, so pack a pair of comfortable shoes to change into during the day.

Your Tickets

    You MUST have your tickets in order to get through the gates. Please note that the only place that has official permission to buy and resell Kentucky Derby tickets is the Kentucky Derby Ticket Exchange. Law enforcement officials will be on site to prevent people from selling tickets at a much higher price.

    If you have questions about your tickets in advance of the Derby, please call Churchill Downs customer service at 502-636-4400.

Finding Help

    With over 14,000 employees throughout the track on Derby day, you aren't too far from someone who can help. If you can't find an employee to help you, please text the word HORSE to 69050 and you will be placed in touch with Guest Services.

Safety & Security

    For the safety of all our guests, your bag may be searched by security. A number of items are forbidden from entering the facility(场所).

    For security and crowd control reasons, you can't enter the facility again after you get out. This means that you will not be able to go outside the gates to fetch items from your car once you have passed through security. Please be sure to bring everything you need.

    A little old couple walked slowly into McDonald's one cold winter evening. They were so old that they looked out of place among the young families and young couples eating there that night.

    Some of the customers looked admiringly at them. You could tell what the admirers were thinking. “Look, there is a couple who has been through a lot together, probably for 60 years or more!”

    The little old man walked right up to the cash register (收银台), placed his order with no hesitation and then paid for their meal. The couple took a table near the back wall and started taking food off the tray (托盘). There was one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The little old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. Then he carefully counted out the French fries, divided them in two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife. He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them.

    As the man began to eat his few bites of hamburger the crowd began to get restless. Again you could tell what they were thinking, “That poor old couple. All they can afford is one meal for the two of them.”

    As the man began to eat his French fries one young man stood and came over to the old couple's table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple to eat. The old man replied that they were just fine. They were used to sharing everything.

    Then the crowd noticed that the little old lady hadn't eaten a bite. She just sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink.

    Again the young man came over and begged them to let him buy them something to eat. This time the lady explained that, no, they were used to sharing everything together.

    As the little old man finished eating and was wiping his face neatly with a napkin the young man could stand it no longer. Again he came over to their table and offered to buy some food.

    After being politely refused again, he finally asked a question of the little old lady. “Ma'am, why aren't you eating? You said that you share everything. What is it that you are waiting for?”

    She answered, “The teeth”.

    The wedding tradition of “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” has been around for hundreds of years. The tradition of carrying or wearing one of each item is said to bring luck and fortune to the newly married couple. Have you ever stopped to think what the saying really means? What is its origin and what does each item represent?

    The original saying dates back to the Victoria times and states, “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence in your shoe.”

    Something old   A bride may wear or carry something old to represent her continued ties to her family and her old life. Many brides wear a piece of family jewelry as their old item. Some brides wear the wedding dress worn by their mother or grandmother. In many cases, something old may also be something borrowed.

    Something new   Wearing something new is supposed to represent success and hope in the bride's new life and in her marriage. If the bride purchased her wedding dress new, it may represent her new item, but any item that is new may be used. Something “new” is usually the easiest kind to fill.

    Something borrowed   The borrowed item should be something borrowed from a friend that is happily married. It is said that their happiness will rub off on you and bring lasting happiness to your marriage. Some brides borrow an item of clothing, a piece of jewelry, a handkerchief or perhaps a beaded(带珠子的) purse.

    Something blue Wearing something blue dates back to ancient times when a blue wedding dress was worn to represent purity, fidelity and love.

    Silver sixpence   Placing a silver sixpence in the bride's left shoe is said to be a symbol of wealth. This not only refers to financial wealth, but also a wealth of happiness and joy throughout her married life. Since most brides probably don't even know what a sixpence is, this part of the tradition is not used very often in modern times. However, if a bride would like to include it in her wedding, she can purchase a silver sixpence from many companies that sell bridal supplies such as garters(袜带) and invitations.

    Getting on the school bus, like the possible dangers around the home, getting on the school bus can also bring its own set of dangers. There are several important safety measures that parents should be aware of when it comes to bus safety.

    Parents should always make sure that someone is taking charge of children at the bus stop to make certain clear ground rules which are in place and are being followed—particularly rules that forbid horseplay in and around the street.

    Teach children to ask the bus driver for help in picking up anything they may have dropped around the bus, as children getting dropped articles are often hit by the bus or another vehicle because they are not seen by the bus driver or by oncoming traffic.

    Children should be asked to take five large steps away from the bus when they get it off, and make sure that the bus driver can see you and look you directly in the eyes to signal it is OK to cross the street. It is still very important that children also look both ways as they cross the street.

    Inform children that they must never speak to any stranger who talks with them first and that they must never accept a ride from any person unless their parents tell them directly that it is OK. Teach kids that adults should ask other adults for help, not kids. If an adult asks a kid for help, that child should get another adult.

    If for any reason a child feels uncomfortable or unsafe at the bus stop they need to bring it to a parent's or caregiver's attention.

Remember, planning ahead is always the best safety measure. Follow these rules and your family will be off danger!

Monster Zoo

    Monster Zoo is one of the largest zoos in the world, covering more than 15 km squares. It is home to more than 50 species of rare and native animals. The zoo is located 70 km from the city New South Australia.

    Monster zoo was founded in 1983 as a breeding area (繁殖区). Officially open to the public in October 1993, Monster Zoo is now home to more than 500 animals.

    Opening Hours

    Monster zoo is open daily from 9: 30 am to 5: 00 pm with last entry at 3: 00 pm. The zoo is open every day of the year, including Christmas Day and all public holidays. The exception to this is if the forecast temperature for Monster Zoo is 40 degrees or above, it will be closed.

    To get the most out of your visit we recommend setting aside a minimum of four to five hours to fully enjoy the Monster zoo.

    Tickets

    Child (4­14 years old) : AU $ 28. 50

    Adult (15 years old and over) : AU $ 51. 75

    Family / Mini Group: AU $ 132. 75

    Meet the Keeper

    Monster zoo offers various daily zoo keeper talks and animal feeds that give guests the chance to interact (互动) with our friendly workers and learn about the zoo's unique residents.

    Looking for a more unique animal experience? Consider booking a Behind the Scenes Animal Experience to come face to face with some of our special animal residents.

    Café

    Ketabi Café is open from 9: 30 am to 5: 00 pm daily and offers a variety of tasty treats, small snacks and hot meals.

    Picnics

    For those who prefer to bring their own meals, special picnic areas are available close to the Visitor Center. Please note that due to fire risk, the zoo does not allow for the use of BBQs.

Like reading? Interested in Chinese classical novels? Have a look at the following four books which are we known to most Chinese as Four Masterpieces.

The Water Margin

The Water Margin, also known as All Men Are Brothers in Pearl Buck's translation, Shui Hu Zhuan in Chinese, is along chapter novel with the Song Jiang Uprising in the late Northern Song Dynasty as the main background and type of heroic legend. It is an immortal (不朽的) novel and has inspired many storytellers. The author of the novel is generally regarded as Shi Nai'an (1296~1371).

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the first full-length historical romance novel in China. Its author is Luo Guan zhong (about 1330~1400), a famous novelist in the late Yuan Dynasty and the early Ming Dynasty. Characters such as Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang have become household names among the Chinese.

Journey to the West

Journey to the West is the first romantic chapter novel about gods and devils in ancient China. There are 100 copies of Journey to the Westin the existing Ming Publications without the author's signature. Wu Yuxuan, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty, first proposed that the author of Journey to the West was Wu Cheng'en (1500~1582) of the Ming Dynasty.

The Dream of the Red Chamber

The Dream of the Red Chamber, also called The Story of the Stone, is said to be the greatest masterpiece of Chinese fiction. It is generally believed to be written by Cao Xueqin (about 1715~1763), a writer of the Qing Dynasty. With hundreds of persons and their stories, the story is very complex but also very interesting for its encyclopedic character(百科全书式的人物).