By Noah Zucker

MILFORD — Locals excited about the Kentucky Derby don’t need to hold their horses. On May 1, Benvenuto restaurant will host an event to support the Milford Museum where participants will watch the race, take in some live entertainment and enjoy some Tuscan-inspired cuisine.

The event will run from 5:30 p.m. to 9. Tickets will cost $100. Live entertainment, lots of food and a drink are included in the price of the ticket.

“We used to have a Roaring 20s party at Causey Mansion, but we decided we wanted to do something different (in 2020),” said Claudia Leister, the museum’s executive director, of past spring fundraising efforts. “We thought spring time that would be the Kentucky Derby.”

The event’s planned debut was canceled last year due to the pandemic.

“It was sad. All of the events we had to cancel make a difference for us because they’re our fundraising to keep the lights on,” she said.

Ms. Leister has been able to keep the museum going this year thanks to grant funding.

“There have been grants that have been made available through the Delaware Humanities Forum and other places knowing that there are small museums that are struggling,” she said. “We have been very fortunate to get grants that more than cover what we lost through not being able to have events.”

The 2020 cancellation gave Ms. Leister the opportunity to connect with the owners of Benvenuto. Although this is the first year a Kentucky Derby fundraiser for the Milford Museum will be held at Benvenuto, Ms. Leister discovered that restaurant owners Lisa and Poncho Johnson have been hosting Derby parties for over a decade.

“We’ve been doing it at our off-site property for probably 15 years,” Ms. Johnson said. “It used to be more of a private event.”

She said her “family has been doing Kentucky Derby parties since I was born.”

There will be array of hors d oeuvres and beverages available at the event, many of which will be inspired by the race.

“These are dishes that are being served at Churchill Downs,” Ms. Johnson said.

That includes Louisville-style shrimp and grits, ham with tasso gravy and mint julip cupcakes. There will also be a wide variety of alcoholic beverages available. In addition to mint julips, the event will feature limited-edition wine and bourbon and a new cocktail called the Kentucky Oaks Lily, which has vodka, triple sec and cranberry juice.

“Stella (Artois) is the official beer of the event, and that’s part of their ticket, too,” Ms. Johnson said. “They get an official Derby Stella glass when they walk in and with their ticket, they can get one glass of Stella.”

The Johnsons will also be decorating the restaurant for the event.

“It will be decorated with a derby horse that has a rose blanket and there will be red roses throughout the restaurant,” Ms. Johnson said.

The event will also feature live music, courtesy of The Honeycombs, as well as a raffle and a silent art auction.

Participants are also encouraged to dress up in their Derby-themed attire, as the event will feature a Bowties and Bonnets Contest.

“If you have ever seen derby hats, they become as fancy and elegant as a lady can make them – and sometimes the men, too, I guess,” Ms. Leister said. “We’ll have three anonymous judges going around and selecting the best. There’s a wonderful prize for each one.”

Perhaps most importantly, she said “all of the television sets will be showing the race.”

Ms. Johnson has a particularly close connection to the Milford Museum.

“My father’s Army uniform is displayed in the museum,” she said.

“He was in the Army back in 1955,” Ms. Johnson said. “He was in Italy as a cryptographer. That’s how this restaurant’s (inspiration) came about, from the years they lived in Livorno while he was stationed at Camp Darby.”

Those interested in attending the event can purchase tickets at the Eventbrite link posted on the museum’s Facebook page, by calling the museum at 424-1080 or by calling Benvenuto at 265-2652.

The day before the fundraiser, Benvenuto will be hosting a cigar dinner with Bridgeville’s Big Humidor Cigars. Those interested in tickets for that event, which are $125, can call the restaurant at 265-2652 or the cigar shop at 226-3151.

Ms. Leister also noted that the museum is planning to restart its annual Hippie Fest this summer if it can be carried out safely.

At the Kentucky Derby fundraiser, there will be COVID-19 precautions in place. The restaurant will be at less than 50% capacity, some of the event will take place outdoors and participants are required to wear their masks when moving around the event.