The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM) has plans to mix things up this year, bringing something fresh to its fundraising scene. Instead of the classic Duelling Pianos, the EAGM will introduce a new adult event on Nov. 5, paying homage to the Kentucky Derby.
Hobby Horse Night will be a board game brought to life at the Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadet Hall. For $100, a participant can claim a “hobby horse” that they can decorate any way they want, be it with their own style or the logo of a business, and get two tickets to the event.
“One ticket is for your jockey, who will ride the horse in the races, while the other is for the person who’ll roll the dice,” explained EAGM director Amber Andersen. “For anyone who wants to come and watch tickets are $20, and they are available at the art gallery or Henders Drugs.”
Andersen said the event will function like a board game. Participants will roll the dice and be in control of the hobby horses, moving them like game pieces across the floor of the hall, which will be decorated like the grid of a game board.
“As the dice is rolled, that’s how much a horse will advance, until they cross the finish line,” said Andersen. “There’s going to be more than one heat. There’ll be (groups of), let’s say, 10 people in each race, and people are going to pick randomly out of a hat what order they get to go in.”
The game itself is a tongue-in-cheek take on the Kentucky Derby, Andersen noted, since it wouldn’t be possible to actually have a horse race in Estevan—particularly in the Wylie-Mitchell Hall.
“It’s kind of silly, fun and entertaining way to do the Kentucky Derby. It’s been done previously, where a mix of people can dress up and add to the entertainment,” said Andersen. “We encourage people, if they want to come out and wear their jeans and stuff. If they really want to, they can dress up and wear a cowboy hat and chaps like they do at the Kentucky Derby.
“Say, for example, the official drink of the Kentucky Derby is the mint julep. Well, ours is actually going to be a mint julep shooter.”
Proceeds from the Hobby Horse Night will go toward the assorted events and programs the EAGM hosts throughout the year.
“Events like this help subsidize all the different events at the gallery for families, kids and even adults,” said Andersen. “This is so we can keep things free or at a very reasonable rate. It all goes back into our programming.”
