Churchill Downs Opens Infield to Welcome 52nd Annual Scout-O-Rama

Mar 27, 2009 CDI Communications

The infield at historic Churchill Downs will be filled Friday through Sunday, March 27-29, with images of colorful tents, the scent of campfires, and the sounds of special activities and competitions as thousands of Boy Scouts of all ages and levels of experience gather to participate in the 52nd annual celebration of Scout-O-Rama.

As many as 7,000 scouts, family members and friends are expected to visit the home of the Kentucky Derby during the three-day Scout-O-Rama celebration.  The 2009 renewal will be mark the 24th consecutive year that Scout-O-Rama has been hosted by Churchill Downs.  The event, formerly held at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds (now the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center) was first conducted in the Churchill Downs infield in 1986.

Scouts and troop leaders from the Lincoln Heritage Council of the Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) are scheduled to begin setting up their tents and campsites beneath the track’s famed Twin Spires at 2 p.m. (all times EDT) on Friday, March 27.  Scout-O-Rama will continue through 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 29.

The public is invited to visit Scout-O-Rama on Saturday, March 28 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.  There is no admission charge.

More than 200 units of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Adventurers and Explorers from throughout the region are expected to participate in the event  The three-day event features competition between the respective Boy Scout troops as they display skills and lessons learned through scouting while “roughing it” during two nights at the track.

NOTE: Media wishing to cover Scout-O-Rama at Churchill Downs this weekend may contact Clint Scharff, director of Field Service for the BSA’s Lincoln Heritage Council at the mobile number listed above.

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009. The track’s 2009 Spring Meet is scheduled for April 25-July 5. Churchill Downs has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a record six times, and will host the international racing championship again on Nov. 5-6, 2010. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.