Jubilee Center shoots for night at the horse races

By: Casey Gillis | The Burg
Published: October 08, 2009

Just think of the Jubilee Family Development Center’s latest fundraiser as casino night with horses, organizers say.

“Racing Under the Stars,” scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Randolph College Riding Center, is an event designed to feel like a night at the horse track.

Six races will be played on video monitors, and attendees can bet on them with fake money, or “funny money.” Between races, there will be live music and dancing, food and a silent auction.

Jubilee is renting the race footage from A Night at the Races, a Florida-based organization that provides these “past performance films” to different organizations, says Tance Laughon, Jubilee’s public relations and special events coordinator.

“It’s like watching the Kentucky Derby on television.”

None of these races are as high profile as the Derby, so there’s less chance that spectators will know the outcome.

A Night at the Races “is very secretive about it,” Laughon says. “They’ll ship you everything you need beforehand, but they don’t send you the DVD (of the races) until the week before.”

The event, which Laughon describes as “blue jeans and boots” casual, is replacing Jubilee’s annual Steeplechase at Oak Ridge, which the group had to cancel this year.

“The overhead on the event was a little high for these economic times, and we were still searching for a main sponsor. That’s hard to find (right now),” she says. “We hope it will be back next year.”

“Racing Under the Stars” offers two ticket tiers: the Jockey Club is $250, $150 of which is tax deductible, and includes admission for two, preferred parking, private seating, an open bar and $100 in funny money to bet on the races, while Grandstand tickets are $75, $50 of which is tax deductible, and include admission for one, two drink tickets and $25 in funny money.

The Jubilee Center is a nonprofit that provides education, vocational and social programs that foster personal growth among young people and promote stability within families. The center is located on Florida Avenue in Lynchburg.

The organization is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Laughon says they’ve served more than 20,000 families over the last decade.

“The need is great,” she says, “and we need the support.”