Nashville, TN

This past Saturday I spent an hour in the latter morning at my niece’s final soccer game of the season. Saturday was hot and muggy. And then it was hot some more. Needless to say, I got some sexy red shoulders out of the deal. That night, at my friend’s wedding, I had no less than three people ask me, no tell me, that I must have been at Steeplechase that day due to the scathing sunburn radiating heat from my body outwards of about ten feet. What? I don’t recall being at a horse race today…do I smell like I have? It’s rather unnerving to be told how you spent your afternoon by people who don’t really know you that well. I mean Steeplechase? Was that seriously the ONLY thing going on that day? No! It wasn’t! But politely correcting people by saying you were actually supporting your adorable and all-important niece in her social and athletic development sounds less than exciting. Endearing, maybe. But not exciting. Especially when, apparently, I COULD have been at Steeplechase.
So if you’re not from around here, you are wondering what I am talking about. (That’s me telling you, not ASKING you if you’re wondering, in case you were wondering…)
What is this Steeplechase you speak of? Well, since I wasn’t there, I will tell you what I have read, and also give you the website from which I read, so that you too can read and know all about this historical Nashville institution.
Iroquois Steeplechase is only the primo horseracing event in the, ahem, greener parts of Nashville. It was started in 1941 and continues today under the National Steeplechase Association. Wikipedia tells me that “steeplechasing” is an actual horse race event which includes many types of obstacle jumping, and derives its name from the “church steeple” formation of early-day courses. People come from all over to enjoy this event. They tailgate, gather for music and food at City Hall in the gulch (places I will probably explain in better detail in posts to come. But for now, just know that City Hall is a live music venue and not a court room, and the gulch is a trendy hotspot and not a narrow ravine) and stomp the divets in true hoity-toity fashion.
I guess one of these days I should make it out to good ol’ Steeplechase. If and when I do, remind me to wear sunscreen and a big hat.